Permesso di soggiorno (residence permit)

Permesso di soggiorno (residence permit) – permission to live legally in Italy. It is a document issued by the Italian authorities to a foreign national, stating the relevant “reason” (motivo), which allows them to remain in Italy for periods longer than a visa normally provides for. It is the residence permit that allows non-EU nationals to stay in Italy for a set period of time, within the limits and on the conditions laid down by the country’s regulations in force. You must apply for it within eight days of first entering the country, at the Questura (police immigration office) of the area where you are staying. The latest decrees are No. 113/2018 and No. 130/2020.
The legislation governing the residence permit can be found in Decree No. 286/1998 (as last amended by Decree No. 113/2018 and by the new security decree No. 130/2020, converted into Law No. 173/2020) and in Presidential Decree No. 394 of 31 August 1999, “Regulation containing rules for implementing the consolidated text of provisions on the regulation of immigration and rules on the status of foreigners, pursuant to Article 1(6) of Legislative Decree No. 286 of 25 July 1998”.
What types of residence permit (PDS) are there:

• Work: PDS per motivi di lavoro (self-employed – autonomo, employed – subordinato)
• Unemployment: PDS disoccupati
• Family reasons: PDS motivi familiari
• Study: PDS per motivi di studio
• Refugee status, political reasons, permanent or temporary protection, religious reasons: PDS asilo politico, PDS sussidiaria, PDS rifugiati temporaneo (temporary refugee status), motivi religiosi
• Article 31, care of minors: PDS art. 31 assistenza minori
• Medical treatment: PDS cure mediche
• Sports reasons: PDS attività sportiva, and others…
• The residence permit is issued after a set list of documents confirming the purpose and conditions of the stay has been submitted at the post office or at the Questura: work, family, study, political asylum, subsidiary protection, mission, religious reasons, elective residence, medical treatment, integration of minors and sports competitions.
  At the post office you are given an envelope (kit) containing two forms to fill in; you must enclose copies of your documents, buy a marca da bollo (revenue stamp) for €16 and pay the production fee (the amount differs for each type of PDS). Each Questura has its own rules.
  After you submit the application at the post office, you are given a receipt (ricevuta) with the date of your appointment (appuntamento), or you are sent an SMS, or you must book an appointment (prendere l’appuntamento) on the Questura’s website to go to the office, hand in the original documents, have your fingerprints taken, etc. The office gives the applicant a copy of the application, stamped with the date and day on which the final residence permit can be collected; until then, the legality of your stay in Italy is proven by the receipt for the application (ricevuta), which you must keep and show at the Questura when you collect the document. Since 11 December 2006, and since 3 August 2023, the residence permit for family reasons has been electronic (a plastic card) rather than paper. The document is now a smart card fitted with a chip that holds a range of information intended to guarantee security and the actual lawfulness of the stay (personal details, codice fiscale (tax code) and photo of the holder, details of children, document number and type, date of issue and expiry, reasons for the stay). Minor children also receive a residence permit.
  After the procedure at the Questura, you will be given a receipt (ricevuta) with a photo and a number, which you use to track when your residence permit is ready on the website of the Questura where you applied. You can check your application (pratica) and the status of your PDS on the Portale Immigrazione and Polizia di Stato websites. Under the legislation in force, the PDS should normally be ready 40 days after your fingerprints are taken.
  Each residence permit follows a different procedure: for example, for political reasons or under Art. 32, a commission meets first. Different types have different procedures, document lists and fees, as well as different expiry and renewal dates.
  You must renew your residence permit no earlier than 60 days before it expires and no later than 60 days after it expires.
  A residence permit can be converted from another reason to family reasons or work; it can be updated if your personal details or family status change; and a duplicate can be issued if it is lost or stolen.
  Buying property in Italy does not entitle you to a residence permit!!!