The Italian type D visa gets you into Italy. It does not let you stay. Within 8 working days of entering the country you must lodge an application for a permesso di soggiorno, and in Italy that is done through a post office, not an immigration office. This is the single most time-critical thing in an Italian student's first month, ahead of enrolment and ahead of finding a flat.
What the kit is
A free envelope, yellow, collected from a Poste Italiane branch with a Sportello Amico counter — the counter that handles government paperwork. Inside are the forms; you fill them in, attach the copies, and hand the whole thing back over the same counter, where it is registered and posted to the Questura, the provincial police headquarters that decides it. Ask for the kit for a permesso di soggiorno; students normally complete Modulo 1.
What it costs
| Item | Typical amount | Bought or paid where |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue stamp (marca da bollo) | EUR 16 | A tobacconist or bar with a T sign, before you go |
| Electronic permit | About EUR 30.46 | At the post office counter |
| Registered postal service | About EUR 30 | At the post office counter |
| Contribution, permit up to one year | EUR 40 | At the post office counter |
| Contribution, permit over one and up to two years | EUR 50 | At the post office counter |
| Typical total, one-year student permit | About EUR 116 |
⚠️ These amounts are set by decree and have been revised more than once. Treat the table as the shape of the cost, confirm the current figures at the counter, and take more cash than the total — the postal service will not chase you for a missing euro, it will hand the envelope back.
What you attach
- A photocopy of every written page of your passport, plus the page with the visa
- Your codice fiscale if you already have it
- Proof of enrolment or of admission to the university
- Health insurance valid in Italy
- Proof of accommodation
- Proof of financial means
- The EUR 16 revenue stamp, stuck where the form indicates
Write in block capitals, in blue or black, and do not leave a field blank — put a dash where something does not apply. Your name must match the passport exactly, in the passport's order.
Get the codice fiscale first if you can
The codice fiscale is Italy's personal tax code and almost nothing works without it: a bank account, a phone contract, a tenancy, a university enrolment. It is issued free by the Agenzia delle Entrate, and many universities arrange it for arriving international students in the first days. Getting it before you lodge the kit is not compulsory, but it removes a field you would otherwise leave blank and a queue you would otherwise join twice.
The receipt is the important part
What you get back is a ricevuta: a postal receipt showing the application was lodged, the date of your appointment at the Questura, and a user name and password to check the permit's progress on the Polizia di Stato's online status service.
That receipt, together with your passport, is your proof of lawful stay while the permit is produced — which can take months. Keep it safe, keep a photograph of it on your phone, and carry the original for anything official: opening a bank account, signing a tenancy, registering with the university, enrolling with the health service. A permit application that has been lodged and a permit that has been issued are treated very differently by anyone who asks, so never say "I am waiting for it" without showing the ricevuta.
The Questura appointment
On the date on the receipt, attend with your passport, the receipt, four passport photographs and the originals of everything you copied. Fingerprints are taken. Then you wait, and check the status online with the credentials from the receipt. Collection is in person when the card is ready.
Five things that go wrong
- 1Counting the 8 days from the wrong date. They run from entry into Italy, not from enrolment, not from finding accommodation, and they are working days.
- 2Going to the wrong post office. Only branches with a Sportello Amico counter accept the kit. Check before travelling across the city.
- 3Missing the revenue stamp. It is bought outside the post office, and the counter will not sell you one.
- 4Photocopying only the pages with stamps. They want every written page.
- 5Losing the ricevuta. Without it you cannot prove your stay is lawful and you cannot check the status.
Your university's international office will usually help you fill the kit, free, and often runs sessions in the first fortnight. Use them. So will a patronato or CAF office. Nobody needs to pay a private agent for this.
Renewal, and what comes after
The student permit is renewed before it expires — start well ahead, because the same kit and the same queues apply, and a lapsed permit is a serious problem. Everything else in the first weeks, from the codice fiscale to the tax number, is in personal and tax numbers in Europe, the residence permit card after arriving and your first 90 days. The stage before this one, the pre-enrolment that made the visa possible, is in Universitaly pre-enrolment step by step and, when it goes wrong, when Universitaly registration fails.
One thing worth knowing before you plan a trip: with a lodged application and a receipt you are lawfully in Italy, but travelling elsewhere in Schengen on a receipt rather than a permit is a different question — see travelling in Schengen on a student residence permit.
Official sources — check for yourself
- Polizia di Stato — foreigners and residence permits
- Study in Italy — Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Italian Embassy Dhaka
- Universitaly — international students portal
Rules and figures change. We review these articles periodically and show the date above, but always confirm the current requirement with the official source before you act on it.
Common questions
How long do I have to apply for the permesso di soggiorno?+
Eight working days from the date you enter Italy. The clock starts at the border, not at enrolment or when you find accommodation, and the application is lodged at a post office with a Sportello Amico counter rather than at an immigration office.
How much does the permesso di soggiorno cost for a student?+
For a permit of up to one year, in the region of EUR 116 in total: a EUR 16 revenue stamp, about EUR 30.46 for the electronic permit, about EUR 30 for the registered postal service and a EUR 40 contribution. The amounts are set by decree and revised periodically, so confirm at the counter and carry extra cash.
Can I stay in Italy legally while the permit is being made?+
Yes. The postal receipt you are handed when the kit is lodged, together with your passport, is proof that your stay is lawful while the permit is produced — which often takes months. Carry the original receipt, not just a photograph, for anything official.
What do I take to the Questura appointment?+
Your passport, the postal receipt with the appointment date, four passport photographs and the originals of every document you photocopied into the kit. Fingerprints are taken at that appointment, and the permit status is then checked online with the credentials printed on the receipt.
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