Residence permit for students and doctoral scholars

• Patronato ACLI, Via Francesco da Buti, 20 (near Piazza Guerrazzi), phone 050 913108, e-mail: pisa@patronato.acli.it
• Patronato INCA, Viale Bonaini, 71 – 1st floor (near the railway station), phone 050 515217, e-mail: pisa@inca.it
• Patronato UIL, Via Cisanello, 145 – phone 050 25000, e-mail: cafuil.pi0@cafuil.it
• Patronato ENAC/CAF UCI, Via Catalani, 37 (side street of Via C. Battisti), phone 050 5205494, open without appointment (Mon-Fri 09:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. / 02:00 p.m.–05:00 p.m.).

Search for other Patronati/Caf in Pisa or other towns.

1. Passport
2. Copy of the passport pages containing personal data, the study visa and the entry date stamp and the name of the Italian airport placed on your passport at the border upon entering Italy. The residence permit validity will start from the day of entry in Italy
3. A EUR 16 revenue stamp – to be purchased at tobacconists or Post Offices
4. The application form (form 209 module 1 found in the yellow kit) duly filled. The yellow kit is also available at the Patronages/Caf
5. An unexpired type D study visa is sufficient to send the application at the Post Office. Instead at the Questura (Police) appointment you must bring the Enrolment/registration certificate (certificato di iscrizione). You can download it from Alice Portal (Menu – Secretariat – Certificates) once completed your enrolment at the University of Pisa. The “autodichiarazioni” that you find on ALICE are not accepted by the Police. In case you are a non-EU Erasmus, exchange or visiting student, you must obtain a letter of acceptance – in italian language – from your department with the period of stay
6. Health insurance coverage
7. Certificate of scholarship allocation (if obtained) or proof of having adequate financial resources
8. Tax code
9. Accommodation in Pisa: when submitting your application at the Post Office you can attach a temporary document, e.g. a hotel reservation, but at the Questura appointment you must bring the rental contract and its registration at the Tax Office (Agenzia delle Entrate) OR the declaration of hospitality sent by PEC e-mail to the Police by who is hosting you OR a document issued by the DSU accommodation, if you have won it.
10. Italian mobile phone number (if you have) where you can receive any messages from the Police regarding your application.

Please note: copies of the above documents and the hard copy of the application Form (mod 209 module 1) must be included in the application at the Post Office.

At the appointment with the Police (Questura) Officers, you will have to bring all documents already indicated and 2 recent (passport size) photographs on a white background.

For the first release of the residence permit you must submit the same documents as a student, indicated above – enclosed the registration certificate (certificato di iscrizione), downloaded from Alice Portal (Menu – Secretariat – Certificates).

If your PhD Programme is officially registered in another University (for instance Florence) but your doctoral activities are in Pisa, the Police requires that the University where you are registered issue a registration certificate where it is stated that activities are carried out at the University of Pisa.

For the renewal of the residence permit, follow instructions below but please notice that if you do not have the italian doctoral scholarship (for instance you have a CSC scholarship), the Police requires also your actual italian bank account balance with the list of movements in the past couple of months (Online banks, for instance the Revolut, are admitted).

Also the Police requires an official statement about the extension of the Phd, in case you have obtained it: the Police ask for official document stating the date of the thesis defence.

After sending your residence permit application to the post office, if you wish to move up the fingerprints appointment with the Police at Saint Anna Immigration Desk, send an email to: permessodisoggiorno@unipi.it. Please notice that Saint Anna Desk can just help you in providing fingerprints in advance. Once taken the fingerprints at Saint Anna, if all documents are fine, the Police will release the residence permit in about 60 days.

In case you are a visiting doctoral student, you must submit a letter of acceptance – in italian language – issued by your department with the period of stay, instead than the registration at the University of Pisa

Once filled the application, it must be sent by post through a Post Office which will issue two receipts:

• one with the date of the appointment at the Questura for fingerprinting and document review
• the other where personal usernames and passwords are provided.

The two receipts are very important because they prove that the residence permit application has been submitted correctly and ensure the legality of the stay in Italy even it the visa is expired.

By logging in to the Immigration Portal, with the password and user ID (nome utente) found on your postal receipt (do not include the hyphen), you can view the status of your application for a residence permit and any missing documents. Please notice that the Immigration Portal is updated very late.

About the costs:
EUR 16.00 for the revenue stamp;
EUR 30.00 when sending the Application to the Post Office;
EUR 70.46 for the payment slip enclosed with the application for a residence permit issued up to a year.

The residence permit post office receipt and the receipt for the payment of public (not private) health insurance allow you to go to a Health District to choose a general practitioner, so you will be entitled to all services for free and then you can collect your italian health card. For further information please see the chapter Healthcare.

At the appointment with the Police (Questura) Officers, you will have to bring all documents already indicated and 2 recent (passport size) photographs on a white background.

For the first release of the residence permit at the appointment the Police Officer will ask for your electronic signature on a special tablet and will take the fingerprinting of each of your fingers and the palm of your hands.

After the fingerprints, if all documents are fine, the Police issues the residence permit (in about 3-4 months in Pisa, because there are many requests – in a couple of months in other cities).

The residence permit for study purposes allows, for its validity period, the performance of subordinate work activities (as employee, not self employed) for a period not exceeding 20 hours per week, which may be cumulated for fifty-two weeks, without prejudice to the annual limit of 1,040 hours.

The renewal request must be submitted at least ninety days before the residence permit expiration. You can apply for the renewal only if you have the previous permit. The costs for renewal are the same as for the first application for the residence permit.

To renew a residence permit for study purposes (university enrollment), the Police Headquarters considers two main factors: the student’s current student status (whether or not the student is regularly enrolled in the current academic year) and the student’s situation in the previous academic year (whether the student was enrolled and passed the minimum number of exams required by Italian law).

Residence permits for study purposes are renewed for students who:

• have passed an assessment (verifica di profitto – an exam with credits) during the first academic year of the course
• have passed at least two assessments (two exams each academic year) during the following years.

Please note: the “idoneità” are not assessments (performance test – verifiche di profitto); academic years normally begin in September and end in September of the following year.

For the renewal of the permit and its expiration, the Police consider the number of passed exams, the financial status and the duration of the health coverage.

For serious health reasons or reasons of force majeure, duly documented, the permit can also be renewed for a student who has passed only one assessment, without prejudice to the total number of renewals.

Residence permit renewals cannot be issued for more than three years beyond the duration of the study course. The residency permit can be further renewed to obtain a postgraduate or a doctoral degree, for the entire duration of the course, renewable for one year.

Some tips to avoid permit delays:
1) Always apply through the Patronati (Caf) and attach ALL the documentation required by the Police in the yellow kit at the post office. If anything is missing, the process will be halted. Don’t forget any of the documents listed below;
2) Apply for renewal three months before your residence permit expires;
3) After applying at the post office, check your application on the Immigration Portal, using the password and user ID (nome utente) from your postal receipt.

1. expiring residence permit
2. 1 revenue stamp (marca da bollo) of EUR 16.00 – to be purchased at tobacconists or Post Offices
3. valid passport
4. copy of the passport pages containing personal data
5. The application form (form 209 module 1 found in the yellow kit) duly filled. The yellow kit is also available at the Patronages/Caf
6. the 2026/2027 registration certificate with exams and dates (certificato d’iscrizione con ESAMI e DATE) for those enrolled in Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree courses. You can download from ALICE (Menu – Secretariat – Certificates) by logging in with your credentials. The “autodichiarazioni” on ALICE are not accepted by the Police. PhD students can download the Certificate of registration from Alice Portal for the current academic year (without the exam list).
7. health insurance coverage: Italian health card OR private insurance policy accepted by the Police Headquarters. For the renewal of the residence permit and its expiration, the Police consider also the duration of the health coverage.
8. at the Police appointment you must bring a printed copy of your italian bank account balance with the list of movements in the past couple of months. Online banks, for instance the Revolut, are admitted. Poste Pay bank balance is accepted. Also is fine the DSU message of scholarship allocation to the current academic year where it is stated that you are a winner (“vincitore” or “beneficiario“, not “idoneo” that means eligible).
9. accommodation in Pisa (rental contract, and its registration at the Tax Office, OR the declaration of hospitality sent by PEC e-mail to the Police by who is hosting you OR a document issued by the DSU accommodation, if you have won it).
10. Italian mobile phone number where you can receive any message from the Police regarding your application.

At the appointment with the Questura Officers, you will have to bring all documents above indicated and 2 recent (passport size) photographs on a white background. The Police Officer will ask for your electronic signature on a special tablet and will take the fingerprinting of only your index fingers (both hands).

After the fingerprints, if all documents are fine, the Police issues the residence permit (in about 3-4 months in Pisa, because there are many requests – in a couple of months in other cities).

By logging in to the Immigration Portal, with the password and user ID (nome utente) found on your postal receipt (do not include the hyphen), you can view the status of your application for a residence permit and any missing documents.

Also in the event of a change of course of study, with a transfer from one course to another (Passaggio di Corso), residence permits for study purposes are renewed for students who:

• have passed an assessment (verifica di profitto – an exam with credits) during the first academic year of the course
• have passed at least two assessments (two exams each academic year) during the following years.

To travel to your Country and then return to Italy you must have a valid and unexpired Italian multi-entry visa,

OR

1. the expired Italian residence permit;
2. The post office receipt for the renewal of the residence permit not expired;
3. Do NOT transit through European countries (Schengen Countries)

To travel to a European Country (Schengen) you must have a valid and not expired residence permit. If you need to go to another country for a mobility period (Erasmus or thesis abroad, or other) and your residence permit expires while you’re abroad, apply for renewal at least ninety days before departure.

For any questions, you can contact the Border Police (Polizia di Frontiera) at Pisa Airport or at other Italian airports