Italy — Permanent residency
Permanent residency in Italy: Eligibility, Process and Benefits
What are the requirements and the procedure to obtain a permanent residence permit?
PERMANENT RESIDENCY: the correct name of this permit is Permesso di soggiorno UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN: This is a residence permit with indefinite duration.
AFTER HOW MANY YEARS: it can be applied for after 5 years of legal residence in Italy. The 5 years will start from the date when the first permit of stay (permesso di soggiorno) was applied for.
WHO CANNOT APPLY: the permits below do not allow to apply for permanent residency
- Elective Residence Permit (conversion it is not certain because it can be subject to proving of having produced and declared an income in Italy)
- study permit
- intra-company permits
- humanitarian permits
- short term residence permits
- diplomatic and mission permits
VALIDITY: the right to stay in in the country is permanent but the permit must be renewed every 10 years (adults) and 5 years (minors).
LIMITATIONS: the permit is revoked if the holder leaves the Euroean Union for 12 consecutive months or leaves Italy for more than 6 years.
BENEFITS: right to stay indefinitively in Italy, right to move to another European Union country (each countries have different requirements), right to apply for citizenship after 10 years of residency.
REQUIREMENTS:
- have a valid residence permit (permesso di soggiorno)
- have been in possession of a residence permit since at least 5 years
- have a yearly income not lower than the social allowance amount (approx. € 6.542,51 for one individual )
- have passed an Italian language test with a licensed institution (1). It is advisable to sit for the test before filing the residence permit application so that at the time of police appointment the result is available. Some people can be exempted (2).
ALERT: the application for Permesso di soggiorno UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo must be filed while the current permit is still valid (you do not have to wait for it to expire).
PROCEDURE: the application is filed through the Post Offices with Sportello Amico service by filling out the “yellow postal kit” and including copies of supporting documents. Upon filing the application, the applicant receives a receipt (assicurata) and an appointment for fingerprints and identification at the relevant police office.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS: the application kit must include copies of the following documents (original must be provided at police appointment):
- passport ID page, pages with stamps, observations and visas
- valid residence permit + previous permits
- “casellario gudiziale” certificate (police clearance) + “carichi pendenti” certificate (police clearance)
- Residency and family status certificate (certificato di residenza e stato di famiglia)
- income tax statement (tax return) proving that you have a minimum income higher than the social allowance
- if applicable, certificates/documents exempting from sitting the language test
- tax code
- house lease/property deed and declaration of hospitality/cession di fabbricato
- documents proving your employment in Italy if applicable (such as paysplips etc.)
RED FLAG: By law, the permit should be issued within 90 days from application, but the actual issuance can take much longer.
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(1) The certificate must have been issued by one of the entities certified by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry for Education, University and Research (currently these are the “Università degli Studi di Roma Tre”, the “Università per Stranieri di Perugia”, the “Università per Stranieri di Siena”, the “Società Dante Alighieri” and Universita' per stranieri «Dante Alighieri» di Reggio Calabria)
(2) The following applicants are exempt from sitting the Italian language test: (i) minors under the age of 14 years; (ii) foreign nationals who have serious learning difficulties due to age, illness or disability; (iii) those who already have a certificate proving knowledge of the Italian Language at A2 Level.(iv) applicants who have attended an Italian language course at “Centri Territoriali Permanenti” (CTP) and have a certificate attesting that they have reached level A2; (v) applicants who have a middle school/high school diploma from an Italian school or who are enrolled with an Italian University; (vi) applicants who entered Italy as intra company highly skilled manager, professor, researcher, translator, journalist; (vii) applicants who have A2 level language knowledge within the Integration Agreement framework
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Disclaimer
The information provided on this article (i) does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; (ii) are for general informational purposes only and may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information; (iii) this article may contain links to other third-party websites. Such links are only for the convenience of the reader; (iv) readers should contact their attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular legal, tax or other matters.
