BEFORE YOU LEAVE
The procedure to get your visa
Before starting your adventure in Italy to study the language, you’d better be aware that to organise and regularise your stay, some essential documents are needed.
A first source of information is the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, vistoperitalia.esteri.it/, where you can check whether you need a visa to enter Italy (it’s a multilingual site, so do not worry if you do not know Italian very well).
To obtain personalised information for your profile, you will be asked to fill in a short questionnaire containing questions about your nationality, country of origin, duration and reason for your stay.
Once you have entered the information, you will be returned your profile with an indication of what you need to come to Italy.
As a general rule, non-EU students must produce the following documents:
- entry visa application form ( View )
- recent passport-size photograph
- valid travel document whose expiry date is three months longer than that of the visa requested
- proof that the applicant has accommodation in Italy: hotel booking, declaration of hospitality
- proof that the applicant has sufficient means of subsistence for their stay in Italy, for an amount not lower than that specified in Table A annexed to the Directive of the Ministry of the Interior dated 1st March 2000 ( View )
- health insurance, if the foreign national is not entitled to health care in Italy by virtue of agreements or conventions in force with their country
- enrolment or pre-enrolment in the course to be followed in Italy
Source: vistoperitalia.esteri.it/
How to get a Health Insurance
A Health Insurance is a fundamental requirement to ask for a visa, as well as a residency permit.
If you have already taken out a health insurance policy n your country, remember that it needs to be validated by the Italian Embassy or Consulate before departure.
If you don’t have any insurance, once in Italy, you will have the opportunity to register with the National Health Service (SSN), which guarantees a complete health assistance. You will be assigned a local GP, who will take care of your health, prescribe any medicines you might need, rather than check ups and any specialist examinations. This service is free of charge. The registration is valid for 1 (solar) year and it costs € 149.77.
To register with the SSN, you must follow this simple procedure:
- Go to any Post Office and fill in/pay the payment form (€ 149.77).
- go to the ASL Office (Local Health Authority), which is closer to your residence, with the documents as below:
EU citizens:
- payment receipt
- your TEAM/EHIC card - to be requested in your country before departure - or the E106 Model
non-EU citizens:
- payment receipt
- fiscal code
- passport
- receipt of your residency permit request
- self-certification proving your enrolment in a language course
- self-certification of residence
UPON ARRIVAL
How to request the Fiscal Code
The Fiscal Code is an alphanumeric code that the Ministry of Finance provides to the Italian citizens and also to those who reside temporarily in the territory. It is essential to perform some administrative tasks, such as the registration with the SSN, the opening of a bank account and the signature of a rent contract.
If you prefer to leave your country with the Fiscal Code, contact the Italian Embassy or the Consulate.
As an alternative, once In Italy you must go to “Agenzia delle Entrate” in the city where you reside.
You will only need your passport, if you are an EU citizen or a citizen of the following countries: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, (Hong Kong and Macao only), South Korea, Costa Rica, Croatia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Monaco , Nicaragua, New Zealand, Panama, Paraguay, San Marino, Singapore, USA, Vatican and Venezuela.
If you are a non-EU citizen, remember to have both your passport and the request for your residency permit.
How to get the residency permit
EU citizens
If you come from an EU country, you will be able to:
- stay in Italy up to 3 months without any residency permit, provided you have a valid ID card/passport to leave your country.
- extend your stay after the 3 months, by registering at the Civil Registry (Ufficio Anagrafe), located in the Municipality where you reside.
Non-EU citizens
If you are a non-EU citizens who wish to stay in Italy to study, you will be asked to request a residency permit within 8 days upon your arrival in Italy.
First request
To get your first residency permit, you will have to:
- Go to a Post Office of Poste Italiane
- Go to the “Welcome Desk”
- Ask for the residency permit request kit
- Fill in the forms as in the kit with the help of the staff at the Desk
Once completed, the kit must be presented to one of the Italian Post Offices displaying the “Sportello Amico” logo, together with:
- a copy of your passport (the pages with your personal data and visa only)
- a copy of your health insurance payment receipt
- a copy of the enrolment in a language course, to be validated by the Italian Embassy or the Consulate before departure
- a € 16 tax stamp (you can buy it in a tobacconist shop)
- the postal payment form you will find inside the kit, to be used to obtain the electronic residency permit (about € 30). Pay and keep the receipt as a future reference.
The kit must not be closed, so as to allow the Post Office clerk to check the content. You will be asked to pay an additional fee of € 30 for the acceptance of the application.
Once the procedure is closed, the Post Office will give you a convocation letter containing the indication on the day when to go to the Immigration Office or to the Police Station - near to the place where you reside.
On the day of the appointment, take care to have with you:
- the original documents included in the kit
- the receipts of the different payment forms
- 4 recent passport-size photographs
Renewal
To extend your residency permit - in case you want to go on with the language course you have chosen - you can ask for a renewal.
An important pre-requisite is that the reason for the renewal request must be “Study”, the same as for the first permit.
In order to get it, you will need to replicate the same procedure for the kit as above, specifying that you are applying for a renewal.
Even in this case, the kit is available in one of the Italian Post Offices displaying the “Sportello Amico” logo.
The kit has to be given back to the Post Office together with the same documents as for the first request (point 1 to 5) plus a copy of the attendance certificate and exam completion related to the course you are about to finish.
The kit must not be closed, so as to allow the Post Office clerk to check the content. You will be asked to pay an additional fee of € 30 for the acceptance of the application.
Once the procedure is closed, the Post Office will return a convocation letter containing the indication on the day when to go to the Immigration Office or to the Police Station -near to the place where you reside - to ask for the renewal of your residency permit.
For a better management of the procedure, it is advisable to start the renewal process at least 60 days before the deadline.
How to open a bank/postal account
If you are interested in opening a bank or postal account - in order to make payments or receive funds from your parents - you must meet these requirements:
⁃ minimum age: 18 years old
⁃ a valid ID card or passport
⁃ fiscal code
⁃ to deposit a small initial amount
Opening hours for bank offices are generally 8.30-13.30 / 15.00-16.00
Post Offices, however, open at 8.20 in the morning (including Saturday), but have different closing times.
To find the nearest Post Office, visit Poste Italiane website at the following link:
Information on Visa, Health Insurance, residency permit and more