Instructions and Procedures

The procedures described below are reserved for the Administration

General information:

1. The entry into Italy of non-EU citizens for research purposes is not subject to the quota limits established by Ministerial Decree (“Immigration Quota Decree”).
2. The application for research clearance is submitted on behalf of a non-EU citizen, holding a doctoral degree or a higher education qualification which grants access to PhD programmes in the country where it was obtained.
   It can also be submitted on behalf of non-EU citizens legally residing in the national area with a different type of residence permit (other than: international protection, long-term stay, blue card, family members of EU citizens and other cases specified by the regulations).
3. The researcher and the research institute sign a Hosting Agreement, under which the researcher undertakes to carry out the research activity and the institute undertakes to host the researcher. Research activities must be approved by the institute’s governing bodies, which assess the subject and estimated duration of the research, the researcher’s qualifications related to the research subject, certified with an authenticated copy of the academic qualification, and verify the availability of financial resources for its implementation. The agreement establishes the legal relationship and working conditions of the researcher, the monthly resources provided to them, sufficient not to burden the social assistance system, the expenses for the return journey, and also includes indications on the title or purpose of the research activity and the estimated duration, the commitment of the researcher to complete the research activity, information on the researcher’s mobility in one or more different Member States, if already known at the time of signing the agreement, indication of the health insurance policy taken out for the researcher and their family members or the obligation for the institution to arrange for their registration with the National Health Service.
4. In the case of research activities (research grants and fellowships from our University) carried out remotely, in another country, it is still necessary to sign the Hosting Agreement with the foreign researcher before taking up the position, while there is no need to apply for the research clearance on the ALI portal.

On the other hand, the research clearance is compulsory in the event that, at some point, the presence of the foreign researcher on Italian territory is required in order to obtain a visa, the validity of which is in any case dependent on the duration of the hosting agreement.

Similarly, the issuance and duration of the residence permit will also be closely linked to the duration of the Hosting Agreement, i.e. if the researcher works 6 months in India and 6 months in Italy, the residence permit will only be issued for 6 months.

Procedure (handled by the staff of the relevant Department or Unit):

1. Ask the foreign researcher to send by email a copy of their passport (currently valid), and the qualifications held by the researcher related to the research subject, certified with an authenticated copy of the academic qualification. The documentation must be translated and legalised at our diplomatic missions abroad. More details at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.
2. Fill in the Hosting Agreement, which can be downloaded from the Cineca website. Remuneration or research grant/fellowship of at least twice the amount of the current year’s social allowance must be specified in the Agreement. The legal type of contract made to the researcher must also be indicated, but not the tax treatment (e.g.: in the case of coordinated and continuous contracts it is a self-employment contract even though the tax regime is equivalent to that of employment contracts). The research fellowship should be classified as a “research training grant” and not as a scholarship.
3. Two original copies of the Agreement, already signed by the Head of the Department, must be sent to the researcher. They need to be signed and an original copy must be sent back by e-mail and then by post. The second original is retained by the researcher and used, after the issuance of the clearance from the Prefecture of Pisa, for the request of a Research Visa at the relevant Italian Embassy or Consulate.
4. They must log in to the ALI portal of the Ministry of the Interior using the SPID identity of their legal representative, the Head of the Department (while the registration in the MIUR list is under the name of the University).
   To log in using the SPID system, interested parties will need to register with an ID provider (Identity provider). On the portal www.spid.gov.it, they can choose the ID provider.
5. After accessing the ALI portal of the Ministry of the Interior, click on “Request Forms” and choose the Form FR, to fill in the application for research clearance.
   Correctly enter the name, surname and personal details of the researcher, keeping in mind that the data must always be taken from the passport and never from other documents (do not ask for the tax code before the researcher arrives in Italy: it will be assigned by the SUI – Sportello Unico Immigrazione – at the Prefecture when submitting the documentation for the residence permit).If the researcher is already residing in Italy for other reasons (residence permit for study/job seeking), they must select “Italy” under “Country of origin” in the online application. At that point, there will be a small window in which they must enter the details of their current residence permit or any request for renewal. This will prevent the clearance, once issued, from being sent to our Embassy in the researcher’s country of origin/citizenship.Specify the name and address of the University Department.The University registration number in the MIUR list is No. 125 of 03/05/2010 (only the date is required in the online application: enter the renewal date: 05/05/2020), the INPS registration number is 6200829337, the INAIL code is 90608206, for the heading “INAIL fee” indicate 0612 (which includes research and laboratory activities), the control code is 19.Furthermore, they must have a EUR 16.00 revenue stamp and, where requested in the online application, provide their details.The online application must also specify where the researcher will be hosted. It is recommended to book a public residential facility (residence/hotel) for at least the first month of stay. If it is a private accommodation facility, they will need to provide and then attach to the online application the accommodation suitability certificate or the request for such certificate (to be requested from the Municipality where the property is located) and a copy of the rental contract duly registered with the Agenzia delle Entrate. If it is a residence/hotel instead, under the heading “property transfer” upload the reservation at the residence/hotel twice.
6. The clearance application must be submitted online. Hand delivery is not allowed.
   1. 1. a copy of the Hosting Agreement,
      2. The enrolment certificate of the University of Pisa in the List of Institutions authorised to sign Hosting Agreements with MIUR (attached at the bottom of this webpage),
      3. the contract with the researcher or the Rector’s Decree awarding research grant or fellowships (certified copy),
      4. a copy of the researcher’s passport,
      5. a copy of the rental contract duly registered with the Agenzia delle Entrate (if the researcher will be staying at a residence or hotel facility, a minimum reservation of 30 days is required)
      6. accommodation suitability of the property where the researcher will be staying (residences, hotels and university guest houses are excluded).
         When called for clearance collection, the original copies of the above-mentioned documents must be presented for verification
      7. identity document of the legal representative (Head of the Department)
      8. authorisation for clearance collection, signed by the legal representative.After submitting the application online, please send the following documentation to the Immigration Office by email (immigration.pref_pisa@interno.it):
7. The Sportello Unico, upon receiving the confirmation from the Questura regarding the absence of any impediments to the entry into Italy of the foreign national, summons the Head of the Department (who may delegate the lecturer in charge of the project or a member of the administrative staff) to collect the clearance.When summoned, they must provide the original documents listed above. They must also present a copy of the delegate’s identity document and two EUR 16.00 revenue stamps, one of which must be the one whose details have already been indicated at the time of the online application (in total three EUR 16.00 revenue stamps for the entire procedure will be required: two for the clearance application and one for the subsequent application for the residence permit).
8. If the researcher is still abroad, the Prefecture must also submit the clearance online to the relevant Italian diplomatic mission.
9. The researcher, having received the clearance by e-mail from the lecturer in charge of the project (or from the administrative staff), submits the application for a research visa to the Italian diplomatic mission in the country of residence, attaching the clearance.
10. After entering Italy, the researcher must go to the Prefecture, where the application procedure for the residence permit will begin, within the first eight working days, upon request for an appointment. They will be assigned a tax code and will receive a payment slip of EUR 70.46 (for permits valid for a year) to be paid at the central post office, near the railway station. At the post office, after the payment slip and the EUR 30 postal delivery of the application, they will be issued a receipt with the date of the appointment at the Questura (where they will also need to present a copy of the Housing Agreement and the clearance from the Prefecture) for fingerprinting and the subsequent issuance of the Residence Permit.
11. The Law (art. 27b, paragraph 7, Legislative Decree 286/98) allows research activities to start while waiting for the issuance of the residence permit for research.However, if the non-EU citizen who obtained the research grant or fellowship is already in Italy and holds a residence permit for study or research, the taking up of employment, the start of research activities and the receipt of the research grant or fellowship can only take place after the issuance of the research clearance by the Prefecture.
12. It is up to the Department to decide whether to register with the SSN or opt for a private health insurance policy with an Organisation/Company (as provided for in article 27 ter of Legislative Decree 286/98 (and subsequent amendments and integrations) and in the Hosting Agreement.It is always up to the Department to decide whether the researcher can directly take out a private health insurance policy and then claim a reimbursement from the Department offices.

    Information on voluntary registration with the SSN through the payment of an annual lump-sum contribution is available on the website of the Ministry of Health.

    As the International Office, our advice is to choose SSN registration, possibly following these steps:

    a. Contact the ASL and ask for the forms;

    b. Make sure that the researcher fills in the forms (it is the researcher who must declare the income in the previous tax year and other required data);

    c. Send the forms completed by the researcher to the ASL, which, on the basis of the data indicated, will specify the amount due and payment method;

    d. After the payment, give a copy of the payment receipt to the researcher who, whenever possible, will go to the ASL in Via Garibaldi to register with the SSN and choose a general practitioner.

13. List of documents that the researcher must present at the Questura:a. the Hospitality Agreement

    b. the research clearance issued by the Prefecture

    c. the visa or previous residence permit, if already held

    d. the post office receipt of the residence permit application

    e. the health insurance coverage that the Department has taken out (copy of the payment made and health card, if registered with the SSN);

    f. documentation of the research grant/fellowship or other documentation related to the researcher’s financial support;

    g. tax code and passport.

After the end of the research project, in order to apply for and obtain a residence permit for job-seeking or to start a business consistent with the completed research activity (paragraph 9-bis, Article 27 ter of Legislative Decree 286/98, as amended by Legislative Decree. 71/2018) the non-EU researcher attaches appropriate documentation confirming the completion of the research activity carried out, issued by the research institute (Department where the project was carried out).

In the event of an EXTENSION of the previous research project, it is necessary to renew the Hosting Agreement, specifying that it is an extension of the previous research project, and contact the Prefecture (by e-mail) attaching the renewed Hosting Agreement and a copy of the researcher’s residence permit (to be done before the researcher’s residence permit expires).

The next step will be an appointment at the Prefecture (where the original documentation must be provided), the issuance of the clearance extension, and finally the submission of the application for the renewal of the residence permit by the researcher (during the appointment at the Questura he must present the clearance extension obtained at the Prefecture and the extended Hosting Agreement).

In the event of a new research project (new grant or fellowship), a new Hosting Agreement must be signed and a new research clearance must be requested on the ALI Portal.

Note 1: To overcome the annual limit of 5 clearance applications for each University Unit, the Prefecture authorization is required. This includes filling in a form (provided by the University’s International Office) with the selected operator’s details for the unit.

Note 2: It is the University Department/Unit that signs the Hosting Agreement who must guarantee the payment of healthcare/health insurance policy for non-EU researchers with whom a Hosting Agreement is signed. Since 01/01/2015 the new Guidelines for assisting foreigners have been in force in Tuscany, requiring the payment of healthcare for researchers who do not pay IRPEF (income tax) or IRAP (regional tax), as specified in Resolution R. Toscana 1139/2014. Researchers are therefore entitled to compulsory registration with the SSN if, by contract (or in the research fellowship), additional regional IRPEF and/or IRAP taxes are paid, including healthcare contributions.

Otherwise, reference should be made to the new provision of Art. 34(3) of L.D. 286/98: “For (voluntary) registration with the National Health Service, an annual contribution must be paid as a participation fee, at a percentage rate equal to that set for Italian citizens, on the total income earned in the previous year in Italy and abroad. The amount of the contribution is determined by Decree of the Minister of Health, in agreement with the Minister of the Treasury, Budget and Economic Planning, and cannot be less than ((EUR 2,000 per year))”.

The excel file received from ASL Toscana Nordovest updated for the new voluntary contribution calculation.

For any doubts about the actual amount for each case, please contact the ASL Toscana Nordovest Registry Office at anagrafe@uslnordovest.toscana.it

Hosting Agreement (English version) – Please note: the English version has been provided solely for the benefit of the researcher; the Italian version is the official one.