How to Obtain a Residence Permit in Italy / Permesso di Soggiorno

Introduction

Unfortunately, purchasing real estate in Italy does not grant the right to unlimited stay in the country. You will be able to obtain a regular tourist visa C, which allows you to stay in Italy and the European Union for 90 days per six-month period.

There are ways to obtain a residence permit (VZH, permesso, permesso di soggiorno) in Italy, but it is important to understand that there is no 100% guarantee of obtaining a residence permit, no matter who promises you what. This is because Italian immigration law is complex, and moreover, Italy does not always strictly adhere to the letter of the law...

Overview of Residence Permit Methods

Among the numerous ways to obtain a residence permit, this article will focus on just two methods that involve lower financial costs compared to others. We will discuss the residence permit based on chosen place of residence and the student residence permit with subsequent conversion to a work permit.

Methods Not Covered

"Business Immigration": Registering your own business or individual labor activity. Although this path exists, much depends on the decisions of specific officials in immigration offices and labor departments, so the process can be significantly delayed or not reach completion at all...
Employment-Based Residence Permit: Obtaining a residence permit through employment is possible, but currently, the Italian government issues quotas for this motive for a very limited list of specialties, and common professions are not included. You can definitely obtain a residence permit through employment only if you find a job as a highly qualified specialist or manager with a salary of at least 2,000-2,500 euros per month. The total tax burden on the employer when paying such a salary is at least 1,000 euros monthly.

Thus, the two most realistic ways to legally obtain an Italian residence permit are:

1. Chosen Place of Residence (Rezidenza Elettiva)

If you can prove to the Italian state that you have sufficient financial resources to live in Italy without working, you may qualify for this type of residence permit.

Income Requirements

You must provide documents confirming the receipt of income and proving the continuity of income in the future from sources such as:

Rent (pension or lifetime annuity);
Ownership of real estate;
Stocks;
Financial bills;
Income from entrepreneurial activity;
Financial assets;
Shares in investment funds;
Permanent economic and commercial activity.

Income from employment is excluded.

Your annual income must not be less than three times the annual amount established by the Directive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs dated March 1, 2000. This amount is calculated as follows:

For one person: a fixed amount of 206.58 euros plus 27.89 euros per day;
For a family of 2 or more people: 118.79 plus 17.04 per person per day.

Thus, the annual income from the above sources must be at least 31,000 euros for one person.

Required Documents

All the aforementioned documents, as well as income declarations, lease agreements for real estate, and bank statements must be submitted in originals and copies, with translation into Italian.
Contracts (company ownership, real estate lease, etc.) must be apostilled.

In any case, if you actually have the above-mentioned income and can document it, there should be no problems obtaining a residence permit based on Rezidenza Elettiva.

Housing Requirements

You must also provide documents confirming the availability of housing for living at the chosen place of residence in Italy. The housing can be:

Owned;
Rented, with the lease agreement registered with the tax authority (agenzia entrate).

Specifics for Citizens of Russia and Belarus

It should be noted that recently, Italian consulates have been more closely scrutinizing documents for this type of residence permit submitted by citizens of Russia and Belarus. Applicants must:

Confirm the regularity of income receipt;
Bank statements must clearly indicate the purpose of the payment (e.g., rent or dividends);
Confirm the ability to transfer these funds to accounts located outside the Russian Federation (documents confirming the crediting of funds to accounts in Russian banks are insufficient).

The same requirements apply for the renewal of the residence permit obtained through this motive.

2. Student Residence Permit

Perhaps, enrolling in a university is the simplest way to obtain an Italian residence permit.

Conditions of the Student Residence Permit

You receive a student residence permit for one year, which is renewed annually provided you pass at least one exam per year.
The student residence permit allows you to work part-time.
If you complete the university and obtain a diploma, you can convert the student residence permit into a work permit, initially for 2 years, and then, upon staying in Italy for at least 5 years, into a permanent one.
You can renew the student residence permit for the duration of the study program of the respective faculty. The study period can be extended by three years.

Italian universities offer:

Three-year (bachelor's) programs;
Two-year (master's) programs.

Thus, you can have a student residence permit for a maximum of 8 years.

How to Enroll in an Italian University

You can enroll in an Italian university by filling out an online application on the website of the university you are interested in.
After enrollment, you must obtain a student visa D at the Italian consulate in your country or another country where you have a residence permit.

Educational Requirements

Some programs have entrance tests, while others do not.
In the latter case, it is sufficient to have 12 years of education in Russia (11 years of school are not enough; at least one year of university is required), and you will be enrolled in the university without exams within the 10% quota established for international students based on the submitted educational documents.
Additionally, with a bachelor's degree, you can enroll in a master's program. Generally, it is even easier to enroll in a master's program because international students are usually exempt from entrance testing, even for specialties that require an entrance test for first-year bachelor's students. Instead of an entrance test, the bachelor's degree data are considered.

Differences Between Universities

Of course, not all Italian universities are easy to get into. Some specialties, especially in prestigious universities in northern Italy, have competitions and real entrance exams.
In southern Italy, for example, at the University of Calabria in Rende, where fewer international students study, there are fewer enrollment issues.

Language Requirements

Knowledge of the Italian language is not required initially, but you will need to learn it during the first year of study.
During the initial interview upon enrollment, your level of Italian is determined to enroll you in free language courses at the university corresponding to your level.
Additionally, there are several specialties where teaching is conducted in English (programming and several economic specialties).

Exams and Tuition Costs

It should be noted that there is no strict exam schedule in Italy; you can attempt to pass an exam many times, twice per session... Therefore, in the first year of study, you can simply "settle in" at the university, and catch up on any "tails" later.
Just remember to pass at least one exam in the first year and 2-3 in subsequent years to renew your residence permit.
Tuition for international students at the University of Calabria is relatively inexpensive by European standards — 700 euros per year.

Additional Benefits

Moreover, if you understand how the higher education system in Italy works, there is an opportunity to:

Study for free;
Receive fairly comfortable dormitory accommodation;
Free meals;
A scholarship of 1,800 euros per year.

We cannot say for sure about other places, but at the University of Calabria, this is possible. You just need to prepare a little in advance and collect the necessary documents to participate in the scholarship competition...

Converting the Student Residence Permit to a Work Permit

The student residence permit is not entirely "full-fledged" since it cannot be permanent... But it can be converted into a "normal" residence permit, that is, a work permit. There are two ways to do this:

Obtain a Diploma by Completing the University:
- Either a bachelor's degree — 3 years, or a master's degree — 2 years.
- After completing the university, you can either get a job or register your individual labor activity, thereby obtaining a residence permit based on work (for 2 years), for the renewal of which you will need to provide documents on an annual income of at least 8,500 euros.
- Note that when creating a new individual enterprise, a simplified taxation system applies for the first 5 years, with the tax burden being 10-20% of turnover, depending on the type of activity. Moreover, most of these taxes are contributions to your personal pension account, from which you will later receive a pension...
Conversion Without Completing the University:
- There is also the possibility to convert the student permit into a work permit (lavoro subordinato or lavoro autonomo) without completing the university within the conversion quotas.
- To do this, you need to either get a job — lavoro subordinato (which the student permit allows), or apply for registration as an individual entrepreneur.
- It should be said that this is a rather complex procedure in a legal sense, although theoretically, it is quite possible to go through it independently, with free time and knowledge of the Italian language...

Potential Challenges and Guarantees

What Challenges May Arise?

Processing Times and Queues: Primarily, these are the processing times and queues at immigration offices. However, recently, the situation with queues has been improving, and the process of obtaining a residence permit may take no more than six months. From the moment of application until receiving the actual permit, you will have a "ricevuta" — a receipt from the post office confirming the acceptance of the residence permit application, which allows you to freely enter Italy and serves as a residence permit until it is issued...
Student's Age: Formally, there are no age restrictions for enrolling in Italian universities. You can be enrolled in a university at any age. However, the consulate may refuse to issue a student visa D, based on which you enter Italy for study and subsequently obtain a residence permit.

Is There a Guarantee of Obtaining a Residence Permit?

Student Residence Permit with Subsequent Conversion After Diploma: In the case of obtaining a student residence permit upon enrolling in a university and subsequently converting it to a work permit after completing the university and obtaining a diploma — yes, practically, there is.
Conversion Through Quotas Before Completing the University: Currently, the probability is very high; there are no obstacles, and so far, the quotas have been sufficient for everyone. Although the conversion rules change slightly every year, if you carefully monitor these changes, the likelihood of a positive outcome will be quite high. There is positive experience of going through and successfully completing this procedure, and these are not isolated cases.

Age Considerations for Students

For young people who have recently graduated from school plus studied at least one year in a university, obtained a bachelor's or master's degree, there are absolutely no problems with enrolling in an Italian university and obtaining a residence permit!
If you are under 40 years old, the chances are practically 100%.
Difficulties may arise for older students, although such students study in Italian universities, and the chance to enroll and obtain a residence permit is not small.

Conclusion

Overall, the possibility of obtaining an Italian residence permit currently exists. Contact us if you have any questions! We can assist with the application process.