Residence permits

As an EU citizen, under the regulations for entry and residence of EU citizens, applying for a residence card from the Police Headquarters is no longer required:

• For stays of less than three months, no formalities are required;
• For stays of more than three months, it is sufficient to register with the municipality of residence, as Italian citizens do.

If you are a non-EU foreign family member of an Italian citizen or a citizen of the European Union and you are applying for a residence permit for family-related reasons, you may choose to submit the application through the Sportello Amico desk at the Post Office or go directly to the Police Headquarters.

To complete the applications to be delivered to the Sportello Amico desk at the Post Office, you can:

• Use the yellow-banded application kit available in all Post Offices and fill it in by following the instructions provided.

We remind you that only one kit may be collected by each foreign citizen upon presentation of their identity document and/or the residence permit in their possession.

• Request free and qualified assistance from certain municipalities and authorised Patronati, which will assist with the compilation and provide a copy of the completed application in a special envelope;
• If you have received authorisation and need to request the issue of a residence permit for work or family reasons, please contact the Immigration Help Desk. Once the application has been completed, you will be given a copy in a special envelope.

In all these cases, you will need to apply at one of the authorised Post Offices.

The Post Offices authorised to accept applications for residence permits or residence cards are those in the Sportello Amico network.

The completed application must be delivered in an open envelope together with all the documentation required for the reason for your request.

To find the Sportello Amico desk at the Post Office nearest you, you can consult the Find the authorised post office for the service.

For identification purposes, you must present yourself at the Sportello Amico desk at the Post Office with a valid passport or equivalent document.

You must submit the paper kit in an open envelope, attaching the following documentation:

• A photocopy in A4 format of the same identification document presented for identification (pages containing the holder's personal data and pages with entry and exit visas from the country are required);
• The receipt of the postal payment slip for the amount due for the application for the Electronic Residence Permit or Electronic Residence Card;
• A photocopy in A4 format of all additional documentation indicated in the instructions for each reason for stay;
• If you are requesting renewal, updating or conversion, you must also include a photocopy of the expiring or updating/conversion residence permit;
• If you want to save time at the counter, book at poste.it or on the Poste Italiane app.

Please remember that the Post Office may accept applications submitted exclusively by the persons directly concerned. Lawyers, Legal Guardians, Support Administrators, etc. must submit any type of request directly to the Police Headquarters.

The costs to be incurred for the application for a residence permit or residence card are as follows:

• 16 euros for the revenue stamp (which can be purchased at tobacconists or revenue stamp resellers);
• 30.00 euros payable to the operator at the post office at the time of submission of the application;
• 30.46 euros for the production of the residence permit or residence card, to which any contribution must be added where applicable;
• Any contribution based on the duration or type of permit requested.

To cover the cost of producing a residence permit or residence card and any applicable contributions, you must use a designated payment slip for each applicant. These slips are available at all post offices and must be completed by entering the production fee for the permit together with any contributions required.

Further information can be found on the website PortaleImmigrazione.it (external site).

Once the yellow-banded application kit and the required documentation have been delivered, the Post Office operator will provide you with two documents to keep:

1. A receipt confirming submission of the application. This proves that you have applied for a residence document and shows the codes that allow you to check the status of your application on PortaleImmigrazione.it (external site),from acceptance to the conclusion of the processing carried out by Poste Italiane;

This receipt allows you to circulate in Italy and must be attached:

• For issuance, to the passport or equivalent document;
• For renewals, to the expiring permit.

2. An appointment letter to the Police Headquarters containing all information relating to the appointment scheduled at the competent Police Headquarters: the date, time and place where you must appear for the subsequent processing of the application.

If it is not possible to schedule the appointment at the Police Headquarters, the letter will state that a registered letter will be sent to the Italian address you provided in the application. This registered letter will contain all the details of the appointment.

On the website PortaleImmigrazione.it (external site) puoi trovare:

• General information on the procedure to be followed;
• Specific information for each reason for stay, for which the application must be submitted to the Sportello Amico desk at the Post Office;
• Addresses of authorised municipalities and authorised Patronati (institutions providing free legal and administrative assistance);
• Tracking of the progress of your application by entering a reserved area using the username and password shown on the receipt (information is available from acceptance to the conclusion of the work carried out by Poste Italiane).

On the website https://www.poliziadistato.it (external site) you can check the status of your application after the appointment at the Police Headquarters, where fingerprinting required for the residence document will be carried out.

Instead, call number 800.200.309 to:

• Obtain the address of the Sportello Amico desk at the Post Office;
• Receive information on the status of applications submitted to the Post Office through the Sportello Amico desk for the issue and renewal of residence documents (information is available from acceptance to the conclusion of the work carried out by Poste Italiane).

The toll-free number is available from both landlines and mobile phones and is active from Monday to Saturday, excluding public holidays, from 8.00 to 20.00.