Pre-Departure Guide for Students Moving to Italy

Once your study visa is in your passport, the weeks before departure are about making sure that everything you will need in Italy, from original documents to a place to sleep on the first night, is arranged and in your hand luggage. The most time-sensitive obligation after landing is the residence permit application, which Italian rules require within eight working days of arrival, so your preparation should be organised around being ready for it. This checklist covers documents, accommodation, insurance, money, phone, flights, the tax code, your enrolment appointment and packing. A few items depend on the practice of a particular office; we flag them, and we help you check which apply to you.

Documents to carry in hand luggage

Everything you presented to the consulate and the university will be needed again in Italy, by the Questura for the permit and by the university for enrolment. Carry originals in your hand luggage, never in checked baggage, with a full set of photocopies and scanned copies stored securely online.

• Passport with the type D study visa; check the visa’s validity dates and that the personal details are correct before you fly.
• Summary of your pre-enrolment as validated by the institution on Universitaly, printed.
• Original academic qualifications and transcripts, with the CIMEA Statements of Comparability and Verification or the Dichiarazione di Valore, and any translations and legalisations.
• Language certificate or the institution’s test result.
• Health insurance policy, with the declaration covering urgent hospitalisation without limits if your policy requires one; the permit application needs it.
• Proof of accommodation: lease, residence allocation letter or host’s declaration, as presented to the consulate.
• Evidence of financial means: the bank documents presented at the consulate, plus any scholarship award letter.
• Passport-format photographs (several); exact specifications will be given with the permit kit.
• The university’s admission or offer letter, enrolment appointment confirmation and any fee-payment receipt or deposit confirmation.
• A printed list of key addresses: accommodation, university international office, nearest post office with a Sportello Amico, and the Questura.

The complete list of what the consulate required is in the visa documents checklist; the point here is that the same file travels with you.

Accommodation for arrival and beyond

The accommodation you showed the consulate must exist when you arrive, and its address is the one you will give in the permit application. Before departure, confirm in writing the move-in date and time, who will hand over keys, what you must pay on arrival (deposit, first rent, registration), and whether utilities are set up. If your lease begins a few days after you land, book short-term accommodation for the gap and keep the booking confirmation. If you were allocated a place in a university residence, confirm the check-in procedure with the regional right-to-study body or the residence office, since offices often have limited opening hours. The visa rules on what counts as suitable accommodation are in proof of accommodation.

Health insurance

You must hold health insurance covering medical treatment and hospitalisation, and show it when applying for the residence permit. The accepted forms are a consular declaration of entitlement under a bilateral healthcare agreement, a foreign policy valid in Italy for its whole duration with no limits or exceptions on urgent hospitalisation tariffs, or a policy with an Italian insurer accompanied by a declaration of no such limits. Before departure, check that your policy’s start date covers the day you land, that its duration covers at least the period of the permit you will request, and that you have the policy document and the hospitalisation declaration in a form the Questura will accept. Details are in our guide to health insurance; the option of voluntary registration with the national health service after arrival is covered in after arrival.

Money, cards and bank access

You will have expenses in the first fortnight before you can open an Italian account: deposit and rent, permit fees, transport, food, a SIM card and possibly the first tuition instalment. Plan how each will be paid.

• Carry an internationally usable debit or credit card from home, and check with your bank that it will work abroad and what the fees are. Tell the bank your travel dates.
• Carry a modest amount of euros in cash for the first days; note that there are legal limits on cash payments in Italy and that larger sums should move through the banking system, which also keeps your funds traceable.
• Find out how your university accepts fee payments (bank transfer, online card payment or an Italian payment system) and whether an Italian account is needed; many allow international card or transfer payments.
• Keep evidence of the source of any money you bring, consistent with the financial file you gave the consulate.
• Opening an Italian account generally requires a tax code and proof of address; see after arrival.

Phone and connectivity

Check whether your home SIM offers affordable roaming for the first days; otherwise, an Italian prepaid SIM is usually inexpensive. Operators require identification and typically a tax code to register a SIM, so you may need to wait until you have one; operators’ requirements differ, so check the one you choose. Make sure your phone is unlocked, and keep two-factor authentication for your bank and email working while you change numbers. Download the university’s app and the public-transport app for your city before you travel.

Flights and the date of entry

Book your flight to arrive after your visa’s start date and with enough time before teaching and your enrolment appointment to settle in. The type D visa is valid 365 days with multiple entry, but the residence permit clock starts on the day you enter Italy, so land on a date from which eight working days are realistically enough to reach the post office with your documents complete. Avoid arriving immediately before a public holiday or at a weekend if you can. Keep your boarding pass and any entry stamp: the date of entry is recorded in the permit application. If you enter the Schengen area through another country, your passport may be stamped there, and that is the relevant date.

The 8-working-day residence permit rule

Every holder of a type D study visa must apply for the residence permit for study (permesso di soggiorno per studio) within eight working days of arrival, at the Questura (the provincial police headquarters) of the city where you will live. The application is made using a kit available from post offices with a Sportello Amico counter, or through university help desks where the institution offers that service. You pay the fees, the post office gives you a receipt that proves your legal presence in Italy, and later you receive a letter convening you to the Questura for photographs and fingerprints.

What this means for pre-departure: have the insurance, accommodation proof, financial evidence, pre-enrolment summary and photographs ready before you fly; find out whether your university runs a permit help desk and whether it needs an appointment; locate the nearest Sportello Amico post office; and keep enough money accessible for the fees. The procedure and the renewal rules are set out step by step in after arrival and in after visa approval. Current permit fees, kit contents and photo specifications are on Portale Immigrazione and poliziadistato.it. Free help with the kit is available from Patronati and some Comuni, and on the toll-free number 803160.

Codice fiscale: what it is and when you need it

The codice fiscale is the Italian tax identification code, a sixteen-character code that identifies you in almost every administrative transaction: enrolment, fee payment, renting, opening a bank account, registering a SIM, scholarship payment and health registration. It is issued by the Italian tax authority (Agenzia delle Entrate). Many universities obtain it for international students as part of enrolment, some consulates can issue it before departure, and it can otherwise be requested in person at a tax office in Italy. Ask your university’s international office and your consulate which route applies to you and what documents are needed, because the practice differs by office. If you can obtain it before departure, do so; it removes a dependency from the first week.

Your university enrolment appointment

Enrolment (immatricolazione) is completed in person at the institution after arrival. Before you leave home, confirm the date, place and required documents of your enrolment appointment with the international office, and ask how the first fee instalment is to be paid. Expect to present originals of everything in your pre-enrolment, your passport and visa, and your residence permit receipt once you have it. If the permit is still pending, you can be enrolled “con riserva” until June of the following year, but you must still enrol; for Laurea, Laurea Magistrale and AFAM candidates, not being enrolled on Universitaly by 31 January means the visa is revoked. The full sequence is in the admission process guide.

Climate and packing

Italy’s climate ranges from cold, often damp winters in the north and the Apennines to mild winters in the south and on the coasts; summers are hot almost everywhere. If you arrive in autumn, pack for cool, wet weather and a proper winter coat for the north, and remember that many older buildings have limited heating. Buy bulky items such as bedding in Italy rather than carrying them. Bring an adapter for Italian plugs (type L and the common European type C), any prescription medicines with the prescription, and copies of academic reference material you may need before you have library access. Keep one change of clothes and all documents in hand luggage.

Final checklist

• Visa checked for dates and details; passport valid well beyond the course start.
• Document file complete: originals, translations, CIMEA or Dichiarazione di Valore, pre-enrolment summary, insurance, accommodation, funds, photos.
• Accommodation move-in confirmed in writing; short-term booking for any gap.
• Insurance active from arrival date, hospitalisation declaration in hand.
• Cards working abroad; some euros in cash; fee-payment method confirmed.
• Phone unlocked; two-factor authentication secured; apps downloaded.
• Flight arrival date leaves time for the eight-working-day permit application.
• Nearest Sportello Amico post office or university permit desk identified.
• Codice fiscale obtained before departure if possible, or the route to obtain it confirmed with your university or consulate.
• Enrolment appointment confirmed with the international office.
• Scans of everything stored securely online; a copy left with family.

If you would like a personalised version of this checklist reviewed against your visa, university and city, our pre-departure guidance service walks through it with you. Return to the Study in Italy hub for the rest of the journey.

Frequently asked questions