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If you are a non EU national you have to apply within 8 working days from your arrival either for a declaration of presence or for a stay permit depending on the length of your stay.

N.B.: the following procedures do not apply to citizens from Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and the Swiss Confederation.

Short term stays (less than 90 days)

Declaration of presence

If you are staying in Italy no longer than 90 days, you have to make a Declaration of presence to the Immigration office within 8 days from your entrance in the Schengen Area. 
The declaration of presence is mandatory only if you have got your passport stamped in another Schengen country (not Italy) at your arrival or if you do not have any stamp at all. In this case please submit to the Immigration Office the following documents:

  • original of your passport;
  • copy of stamped and written pages of your passport (no blank ones);
  • housing contract in Italian language on your name (or owner's consent declaration + housing delivery declaration if you are hosted by relatives/friends or you stay in an Airbnb - see Download box);
  • if you have a currently valid stay permit from another European country you need to submit the original + a copy.;
  • train/bus/flight ticket to Italy
  • valid health insurance (original and copy)

Remember that you have to go personally to the Immigration Office either at:

  • Questura di Trento, Viale Verona 187 (opening times from Monday to Friday, from 8:30 to 12:30 and Thursday afternoon from 15:15 to 17:45), if you live in Trento.
  • Police Station, Via Sighele 1 (opening times from Monday to Friday, from 8:30 to 12:30 and Thursday afternoon from 15:00 to 17:30), if you live in Rovereto.

For those staying in hotels and other reception facilities, the declaration of presence is handled by the reception facility upon check-in, a copy of which is supplied to the guest to be displayed to authorities upon eventual request.

Long term stays (more than 90 days)

I have a visa and this is my first stay permit application

If you have a valid type D visa for study reasons you have to mandatorily submit your stay permit application within 8 working days from your arrival in Italy or in any other Schengen country. The International Mobility Office will support you in every step of your first application that you can find explained below.

1. Complete the stay permit application

In order to fill the stay permit application you need to get the "kit permesso di soggiorno" at the International Mobility office at your arrival. In the envelope you will find:

  • The application form ("Modulo 1"): to be filled in capital letters and with a black pen with your personal details and visa details
  • A postal payment slip of 70.46 euro to be filled with your personal details and address in Trento

You also have to add to your application the following documents (for a summary please check "Required documents for study reasons_First Application" in the Download box):

  • copies of all the stamped/written pages of your passport (NOT the blank ones);
  • copy of the invitation letter or other document stamped (only if possible) by the Italian Embassy/Consulate in your Country, declaring your visit purpose and according to which your visa was issued, ALTERNATIVELY a copy of your enrolment certificate to the University of Trento or similar declaration;
  • copy of the health insurance policy (or payment receipt), valid in Italy and for the entire duration of your stay;
  • copy of a housing contract on your name (alternatively the owner's consent declaration + Cessione di Fabbricato if you are hosted by relatives/friends or the Comunicazione di ospitalità if you are hosted directly by the owner's of the apartment - see Download box);
  • a revenue stamp of 16 euros (to be bought in any tobacco shop).

Please notice: do not close the envelope!

2. Go to the Post Office

You must personally hand in the open envelope to one of the authorized Post Offices (see list in the Download box).

At the desk you will:

  1. show your passport;
  2. sign the application form;
  3. pay the postal bulletins of 70.46 euros (or alternatively if your stay is more than one year long 80.46 euros);
  4. pay post charge of 31.50 euros so that your kit can be sent to the Immigration office (Questura).

You will then receive:

  • a postal receipt;
  • payment receipt of the postal bulletin of 70.46 euros/80.46 euros;
  • an appointment letter with day and time when you must be at the Immigration office for the stay permit application.

Please notice: keep the receipts in a safe place! You will need them to pick up the stay permit when ready!

3. Go to the Immigration Office (Questura)

Please attend the mandatory appointment with the Immigration Office (Questura) indicated in the appointment letter received at the Post Office. Before going to the Questura make a copy of all the documents mentioned below.

At the appointment you will be fingerprinted and asked to submit the following documents:

  • your passport (only original is needed);
  • the appointment letter (received at the Post Office);
  • the postal receipts (received at the Post Office);
  • 4 passport-sized photographs (only 3 if you are applying in Rovereto) with white background;
  • updated original (and copy) of all documents you put in the envelope, that is to say:
  • UniTrento enrolment certificate if applicable, in all the other cases the invitation letter;
  • health insurance policy (or payment receipt), valid in Italy and for the entire duration of the stay permit (you can pay in advance the enrolment to National Health Service for the following calendar year);
  • documents showing economic means for the entire duration of the stay permit (i.e. 500.00 euro/month for at least 6 months or UniTrento scholarship statement or the economic statement submitted at the Embassy to obtain the visa);
  • housing contract.

In order to get a stay permit with the same duration of your stay (if you are an exchange student) or for 12 months (if you are a degree-seeking student), make sure all the above documents are also valid for the whole duration of your stay (or alternatively one year). The Questura will however decide the duration of your stay permit. Once the stay permit is issued, no change of any kind is possible. In case your stay permit is shorter than your study period, you will have to apply for a renewal.

4. Check the status of your stay permit and pick it up

Please check on the Questura's web site if your stay permit is ready by entering the number ("numero pratica") you will find on the receipt given you by the Questura at the appointment.

If you had written your Italian mobile phone number on the application form, you should receive a text (see below how it looks like) when your stay permit is ready. However please check online to be on the safe side.

 Translation: "Please go on DD/MM/YYYY at hh:mm to collect the stay permit at the Immigration Office"

When your stay permit is ready, go back to Immigration Office (desk 6 in Trento) during their opening hours, with: your passport, all the postal receipts and the receipt issued by the Questura. Before leaving the Immigration Office, carefully check all your details and the stay permit expiry date. If something is wrong, immediately report it to the Immigration Office staff. Complaints are accepted only immediately before collecting the stay permit.

Traveling during your first stay permit application

You can travel to the other Schengen Countries for up to three months in any six-month period while your MULTY-ENTRY visa is still valid, even if you have not received the Italian stay permit yet.
This opportunity only applies to the countries that are part of the Schengen Area. Check carefully which countries belong to the Schengen Area, and which don't.
Always carry the passport and the postal receipt of stay permit application while travelling

Integration Agreement ("Accordo di Integrazione")

If you are a new incoming international student staying in Italy at least one year and you are applying for the first Italian stay permit, you must undersign the ‘Integration Agreement' when you attend the appointment with the Immigration office. The agreement would normally imply that you commit yourself to acquire within 2 years from your arrival: knowledge of Italian language (level A2) and some basic knowledge of Italian civics. However non-EU students regularly enrolled in an Italian University are now exempted from achieving these requirements. Nonetheless the Integration Agreement gives you the possibility to attend Italian courses free of charge at the CLA (the University of Trento Language Centre), up to A2b level. Remember to submit a copy of the Integration Agreement at the time of registration. For further information about courses at CLA please see http://www.cla.unitn.it
Please notice that the Integration Agreement of course does not exempt students from taking any language test required by UniTrento.

I have to renew my stay permit

Renewal application must be posted before the expiry date of the permit. In order to always have a valid stay permit, we suggest you apply for the renewal 3 months before the expiry date.
Please make sure you do not leave the country without having applied for the renewal, since you will not be able to re-enter Italy.
Please consider that the maximum validity for each stay permit for study reasons is 12 months, provided that all the requirements are fulfilled. The stay permit can be renewed up to 3 years beyond the standard length of the study course. If you are enrolled in a PhD programme, the stay permit can be renewed for a maximum of 1 year beyond the length of the course.

Renewals for study reasons

The stay permit kits are available both at the Post Office and at the International Mobility Office that can offer you support in filling the forms and checking the documents. Please follow the same procedure described above for the first application but submit the following list of documents in the application:

  • The application form ("Form 1") with revenue stamp of 16 euros (also form 2 if you are working as well as studying);
  • copy of all the stamped/written pages of your passport (NOT the white ones);
  • copy of the UniTrento enrolment certificate proving that you have passed at least 1 exam for the first renewal and at least 2 exams for any further renewals or, in other cases, a declaration that you are attending a course, specifying its duration or the duration of the research you are carrying out;
  • copy of the health insurance policy (or payment receipt), valid in Italy and for the entire duration of the stay permit;
  • copy of documents about economic means for the entire duration of the stay permit (i.e. 500.00 euro/month for at least 6 months or UniTrento Scholarship statement);
  • copy of a housing contract on your name (alternatively the owner's consent declaration + Cessione di Fabbricato if you are hosted by relatives/friends or the Comunicazione di ospitalità if you are hosted directly by the owner's of the apartment - see Download box)
  • receipt of the postal bulletin of euro 70.46 

Please consider that if you are abroad for a study/internship period (e.g. Erasmus/Internship) at the time of the stay permit renewal, you have to submit these extra documents (in addition to the usual documents listed in the Download box):

  • a certificate stating that the study period abroad is part of your curriculum of your study course (certificate to be asked to the relevant office at UniTrento);
  • a copy of the foreign stay permit or declaration of presence that proves your regular stay in the host country.

If you are abroad and come to Trento just for the appointment, plan to stay at least 3 working days so that any problems can be discussed with your referent at UniTrento and Questura before you leave.

Renewals for work reasons

A stay permit for study reasons can be converted into a work permit as long as it remains within the rates ("quotas") set by the Government every year.

If you have an Italian degree (bachelor-laurea triennale, master's degree course-magistrale, PhD, Master I or II level), and all the requirements are fulfilled, the stay permit for study reasons can be converted into a work permit despite the quotas of the current year. You have 2 months' time after the expiry of the study stay permit to apply for the authorization ("nulla osta") to the conversion. Please notice that a work permit cannot be converted back to a study permit.

For further details about the conversion from study into work permit please ask directly information to Cinformi.

If you have an Italian degree (bachelor-laurea triennale, master's degree course-laurea magistrale, PhD, Master II level), you can convert your student permit into a "searching for a job" 12 months permit (permesso per "attesa occupazione") provided that you have sufficient certified financial means. For information and assistance on work permits or on searching for a job permits please ask Cinformi. 

Traveling during renewals of your stay permit

While renewing your stay permit you can always travel back and forth your country even if the permit is already expired. In order to leave and re-enter Italy you will have to show:

  • your passport,
  • the postal receipts of the renewal application submitted before the expiry date of the permit, 
  • the expired/going to expire stay permit.

Be aware that there is no short-term stay permit which allows you to cross Schengen countries while renewing the permit.
Please consider that while your stay permit is valid you can:

  • go back and forth from your country 
  • circulate within the Schengen area up to a maximum of 90 days every six months as a tourist. After 3 working days you should however report to the competent Public Security Authority abroad. In this case make sure the border police make an exit stamp both on your passport and on the postal receipts. Transits in non-Schengen areas are allowed but always check beforehand whether a transit visa is required by the non-Schengen country. To do so you can contact the foreign competent diplomatic Representation in Italy.

You are not allowed to leave Italy for longer than 6 months.

If you plan any trips outside the Schengen area while your stay permit is valid you are advised to contact the foreign diplomatic representation in Italy in order to get the necessary information for the entry visa. Usually, beside health insurance coverage, return ticket and economic and housing guarantees, a valid Italian stay permit is necessary in order to apply for a visa.
If you are an international student at UniTrento with a study stay permit and you want to join an exchange moblity program, please read carefully the information about the renewal application in the previous paragraph and contact for further information the International Mobility Office.

Working with a study stay permit

A stay permit for study purposes allows to work for a maximum of 1040 hours per year with a contract as an employee, in Italian "lavoro subordinato". Working contracts defined as "lavoro subordinato" are the following: dipendente, somministrazione, apprendistato, contratto di lavoro ripartito, contratto di lavoro intermittente, lavoro accessorio.
Students are allowed to work full time for a few months or part-time for the whole year, provided that the job does not imply more than 1040 hours/year.
Also 150 hour students collaborations are possible with this kind of stay permit.