A guide to Permanent Residency in Italy – Permesso di Soggiorno Illimitato

A guide to Permanent Residency in Italy - Permesso di Soggiorno Illimitato - xxa1

At exactly my five mark in Italy, I applied for a “Permesso di Soggiorno Illimitato” – formerly called Carta di Soggiorno. It can literally be translated as an Unlimited Permit of Residence, but sensibly as a Permanent Stay Permit in English. In this article, I’m going to be explaining exactly what a Permanent Stay Permit is in simple terms, the benefits of a Permanent Stay Permit, and how I’ve applied for a Permanent Stay Permit.

What is a Permanent Stay Permit?

The Permanent Stay Permit gives you the right to stay in Italy permanently and must be renewed every ten years. In fact, the new Permit has a ten-year validity reported on the card, counting from the date of issuance.

How often do you need to renew a Permanent Stay Permit?

The question that immediately comes to mind is, if it is permanent, then why should it be renewed every ten years?

Compared to the regular yearly renewal where you have to provide documents to justify your need to remain in Italy – maybe for schooling or a job search (after graduation), the Permanent Stay Permit simply requires an update of the previously provided information, where you need to present new photographs and update your information – if needed. The Permanent Stay Permit doesn’t need you to justify the reason for your stay in Italy.

The benefit of a Permanent Stay Permit

The first and most obvious benefit of a Permanent Stay Permit is the relief from the yearly gathering of documents and visits to the Questura. Say bye-bye to that! The second is the possibility to either school, work, or simply just live in Italy – its validity is not tied to any reason.

How to Apply for a Permanent Stay Permit

To apply for the Permanent Stay Permit, you need to pick up the usual yellow Kit from the Post Office, you would use the same kit but fill in the information required for the Permesso di Soggiorno Illimitato. Below are the documents I inserted in the Kit:

  1. 4 passport-sized photographs with white background, ICAO format
  2. Coloured copy of Passport, still in its validity. Include all the visa-stamped pages including entry and exit stamps
  3. Coloured copy of Permesso di Soggiorno (your current Permesso di Soggiorno)
  4. Communicazione Telematica Centro l’impiego/INPS (UNILAV) from your Employer, Centro per L’impiego or INPS -on the communication of your employment
  5. Your employment contract
  6. Photocopy of your Employer’s document (Carta d’identita or Passport)
  7. Your last three pay slips (buste paga)
  8. The declaration of tax payment from the previous year (declarazione dei redditi)
  9. Certificate of residence (Idoneita di Alloggio). You need to contact your Municipality (Comune) where you have your residence for this. This document simply states that your house is fit to live in
  10. Copy of Italian Language Certification, with a minimum of A2 Level from a reputable Italian University, Language School. You can also book to sit for the test directly with the Ministero dell’interno
  11. Stato di Famiglia. You can log in to your profile on the Comune di Milano website to download this document – if you have SPID or simply ask the comune
  12. Certificate of Pending Charges (Casellario e Certificato di Carichi Pendenti) from Ministry of Justice (Ministerio della Giustizia). You need to go with a €16 Marca da Bollo. More information is here on the Ministry’s website.

Once you take back your kit to the Post Office for submission, you would be given a receipt that contains the date of appointment at the Questura.

On the day of your appointment at the Questura, go with all the original copies of your documents. Your palm and thumb prints will be taken and you just need to wait for when the Permesso di Soggiorno Illimitato is ready. You can always control the status of your Permesso di Soggiorno online at the Polizia di Stato’s Website.

Remember that the Italian Government has every right to withdraw the Permanent Permit of Stay if a person is considered to be a threat along the line or if discovered that any of the documents presented to obtain the permit is falsified.

I hope you’ve found this guide useful for your application. Keep enjoying la dolce vita living!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Scroll to Top