Visa and Permit of stay

Foreign nationals – non-EU citizens – may enter Italy provided that they hold both a valid passport and, if required, an entry visa issued by their country of origin. EU nationals do not need a residence permit to stay in Italy.

Within 8 working days of arrival, all NON-EU citizens who hold a valid student visa for Italy must apply for a permit of stay for study purposes (Permesso di soggiorno per motivi di studio).

The permit of stay is issued by the local Police Department- “Questura – Ufficio Stranieri”- of the applicant’s place of residence in Italy, however the applicant must submit his/her application at a competent Post Office.

Step 1: REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FOR POST OFFICE APPLICATION

(Do NOT submit original documents in the post office application/kit)

• Completed Post Office Application/Kit – Must complete “Modulo 1” (Form 1) of the yellow striped envelope application/kit for NON-EU citizens (available at the Post Office free of charge)
• Photocopy of Università Cattolica acceptance letter/declaration of enrollment (sealed/stamped by the Italian Embassy/Consulate when entry visa was issued).
• Photocopy of the pages containing personal data + student Visa page of the passport or other equivalent document. You must present the original document when submitting the application at the Post Office.
• Photocopy of insurance policy or receipt of payment for Italian insurance policy, valid throughout the country and for the entire period of validity of the residence permit, for the risk of illness and injury (1)
• Photocopy of Financial Statement: document certifying adequate financial resources for the validity period of the residence permit ( 5.818,93 EUROS).
• Marca da Bollo (Italian Stamp: can be purchased at any tabacchi shop) of 16,00EUROS. The Marca da Bollo will need to be placed on the completed permit of stay application.
• Receipt of payment of 107,50 EUROS paid at the Post Office for the Electronic Permit of Stay (the payment form is included in the Post Office Kit)

Application Fee: 30,00 paid at the Post Office when submitting application

After submitting the documents to the Post Office, the applicant should receive 2 documents:

1. A ricevuta (mod.22A, certified letter receipt) with the user ID and password needed to check the state of progress of the application online at http://www.portaleimmigrazione.it/. (click on Area Riservata Stranieri)
2. A letter with the appointment date and time at the Police Station, Questura, for the final step in the procedure (if this letter is not given to the applicant at the Post Office it will be sent later on as certified mail, raccomandata*, to the applicant’s address in Italy.)

*This does not always happen; frequently check your status at http://questure.poliziadistato.it/stranieri/?mime=1&lang=EN or at http://www.portaleimmigrazione.it/ for your appointment (using your user ID and password found on your receipt, ricevuta).

Step 2: DOCUMENTS REQUIRED AT THE QUESTURA UFFICIO STRANIERI

(Local Police Station Immigration Office)

Bring originals and photocopies of ALL your documents:

• Passport or other equivalent document.
• Original Università Cattolica acceptance letter/declaration of enrollment sealed by the Italian Embassy/Consulate when the entry visa was issued.
• 4 identical passport-size photographs.
• Original insurance policy or receipt of payment for Italian insurance policy, valid throughout the country and for the entire validity period of the permit of stay, for the risk of illness and injury (1)
• Original Financial Statement: document certifying adequate financial resources for the validity period of the residence permit (5.818,93 EUROS)

For further information, please visit: http://www.portaleimmigrazione.it/,http://www.interno.it/, http://www.poste.it/, http://www.poliziadistato.it/

Call toll-free: 800.309.309 (English Available)

Contact Center: 848.855.888 (to verify your application status)

The International Relations Office at Università Cattolica helps students with the permit of stay application procedure.

(1) Health Insurance Coverage is required in order to obtain a permit of stay in Italy. If you have a private health insurance policy, you must have a certificate in English specifying the starting and ending dates of the coverage with international validity. If you are not insured, upon your arrival in Italy, you will need to purchase INA ASSITALIA insurance (please note that this will only cover expenses in the event of emergency treatment and/or urgent hospitalization. For further information call 06-361.1676).

INA ASSITALIA: Payment for the Insurance Coverage must be made at the Post Office (ask for a payment form bollettino di pagamento). Fill out the form: Account Number 71270003, addressed to: INA-ASSITALIA Agenzia Generale di Roma c. n°20, write your name, last name and address in Italy.

Cost: 49,00 for 6 month coverage or 98,00 for 12 month coverage.