In short. If you applied with the postal kit, you can follow your file in the Immigration Portal’s reserved area, using the codes on the Poste Italiane receipt. After the appointment at the Questura (the provincial police headquarters), the Polizia di Stato website may help too. The law sets 90 days from the application for issue, but real waiting times vary. You usually collect the permit at the Questura’s Immigration Office.
Here you will find where to check your file, what the online statuses mean, the steps to collection, the legal deadline and the remedies if the permit is late.
Reviewed 5 November 2026. These are general rules, not personalised advice: procedures and waiting times differ from one Questura to another. Sources consulted on 5 November 2026: check them again before you act.
Where can I check the status of my application?
With the postal kit, the official channels we could read start from the Poste Italiane receipt and its codes.
- Reserved area of the Immigration Portal. The login page (Italian) lets non-EU citizens see the “status of applications filed” (stato delle pratiche presentate). The procedure page mentions two receipt codes, the Codice Assicurata and the Codice Ologramma; other pages mention a UserID and password.
- Comune, Patronato or toll-free line. You can show your receipt at a Comune (town hall) or an authorised Patronato, an assistance body (FAQ), or use the free number on the Portal’s contacts page.
- Polizia di Stato website. Poste Italiane’s instructions point to it for the processing status after your Questura appointment. The residence permit page of the Questure website asks for the file number (10 characters) or the Assicurata number (12 characters).
If your file does not appear, write to the Immigration Office (contact details are on your Questura’s website). A nulla osta, for example for family reunification, is checked differently: see our guide to checking your nulla osta.
What do the statuses I see online mean?
The Portal’s user manual lists the “processing states” of a file filed at the post office; the wording on your screen may differ.
| Status | What the Portal says | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Accettata post office stage |
File accepted at Poste Italiane. | Taken in charge by Poste. |
| In preistruttoria post office stage |
File being processed at Poste Italiane’s CSA. | Poste is still working on the file. |
| In istruttoria Questura stage |
File under examination at the Questure. | The Questura is examining it. It does not mean the permit is ready. |
| Anomala to check |
File with anomalies, described in the detail. | Read the description; ask a Patronato, an authorised Comune or the Questura. |
| Chiusa end of processing |
File closed. | The manual does not give the outcome: alone, it does not prove the permit was issued. |
What are the steps from application to card?
For permits requested with the kit, the Portal and the Consolidated Immigration Act (Testo unico immigrazione, TUI, Legislative Decree 286/1998) describe these steps.
- You file the application at a post office counter in the Sportello Amico network. The applicant must go in person, with a passport or an equivalent document (FAQ); minors follow specific rules.
- You receive the receipt, which the Portal says has legal value. If the Questura has a free slot, you get your appointment date and time immediately; otherwise a registered letter follows, so the residence address on the application must be exact (FAQ).
- At the Questura you are photographed and fingerprinted (Article 5(2-bis) TUI). Bring four passport-style photos on a white background and the second payment receipt.
- The Questura examines the file and the permit is issued as an electronic document with anti-counterfeiting features (Article 5(8) TUI).
- The Immigration Office normally summons you for collection (the Portal’s general information sheet: it speaks of a registered letter, but shows forms from 2019–2020). According to the Polizia di Stato page, besides the online notice you receive a text message with the day, time and place to collect a permit that is ready. If you fill in the kit by hand, you can register on the Portal beforehand and receive text messages, including for the appointment.
How do I collect the permit, and what should I check?
Where and with what. It is usually collected at the Questura’s Immigration Office: look on your Questura’s website for days, hours and booking. Bring what your summons asks for, and your passport and receipt as a precaution. The implementing regulation (Article 11(3) of Presidential Decree 394/1999) says that on collection you must show the documents on the health obligations of Article 34(3) TUI: see our guide to the health card. For work or family reunification permits, paragraph 2-bis of the same Article gives the summons for collection to the one-stop immigration desk (Sportello unico per l’immigrazione).
Who can collect. For collection by proxy, or for minors, we found no uniform official rule: ask the Questura.
What to check on the card. At the counter, check name, surname, date of birth, permit type, expiry date and notes. A permit that authorises work normally carries the wording “perm. unico lavoro” (Article 5(8.1) TUI). If something is wrong, tell the Immigration Office: we found no uniform official procedure for correcting a mistake. If your details change after issue, see updating your permit; if the card is lost or stolen, see the duplicate guide.
How many days does the Questura have to issue the permit?
Article 5(9) TUI says that the permit “is issued, renewed or converted” within ninety days of the date of the application, if the requirements are met. It used to be sixty: Legislative Decree 83/2026 changed the number and, under its Article 4, applies from 22 May 2026, with no transitional rule for applications already filed; if yours is earlier, ask for confirmation. The Portal’s FAQ still gives 60 days as the average time: that is not the legal deadline.
| Procedure | Deadline | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Issue, renewal or conversion Art. 5(9) TUI |
90 days from the application (60 before 22 May 2026). | Applies if the requirements are met. |
| Issue of the single work permit Art. 5(8.1-bis) TUI |
30 days from completion of the application (from 22 May 2026). | For permits marked “perm. unico lavoro”, by derogation from paragraphs 9 and 9-bis; paragraph 8.2 excludes some categories. The text speaks only of issue: for renewal, the Government’s technical report on the draft decree indicates 90 days. |
| General rule Art. 2(2), Law 241/1990 |
30 days. | Only if no law sets a different deadline. |
The deadline does not guarantee issue: integrazionemigranti.gov.it (Italian) calls it “purely indicative”. It is not the deadline for applying for renewal: see our renewal guide.
What can I do if the deadline has passed?
If the deadline has passed, you can go step by step.
- Check the status, appointments, anomalies and any requests from the Questura.
- Write to the Immigration Office with your receipt details and ask where the file stands, through the channel your Questura indicates; keep proof of sending.
- Contact the official with the substitute power (potere sostitutivo): under Article 2(9-bis) and (9-ter) of Law 241/1990, once the deadline has passed you can ask that official to conclude the procedure within half of the original deadline.
- An appeal to the regional administrative court (TAR) against the administration’s silence (Articles 31 and 117 of the Code of Administrative Court Procedure, review by the administrative justice office) needs no prior formal notice and can be brought within one year of the deadline. The judge sets a term for the administration to decide, normally not above 30 days, and rules on the merits only if the activity is bound, or if no discretion and no further investigation remain. As a rule, you need a lawyer, who will also check which court has jurisdiction for your permit.
If the permit is refused or revoked the path is different: see refusal, revocation and appeal.
What can I do with the receipt while I wait?
The receipt proves that you have applied; it is not the permit. Article 5(9-bis) TUI, rewritten by Article 3 of Decree-Law 146/2025 (converted by Law 179/2025) and updated to 90 days by Legislative Decree 83/2026, says that while issue, renewal or conversion is pending, even after the deadline, a foreign national may lawfully stay and work temporarily, if the other legal requirements are met, until the public security authority communicates the grounds for refusal (also notified to the employer). Work requires that the competent office has issued the receipt.
Details: our guides on working with the receipt and travelling with the receipt; for a notice of refusal, see Article 10-bis.
Which permits follow this route, and which do not?
The Portal’s page on requests for non-EU citizens, updated on 4 November 2024, separates applications sent to the post office from those filed at the Questura. The list can change: check it. For an overview of permits, see Italian residence permit types.
- With the kit: among others employed, self-employed and seasonal work, waiting for employment, study and research, family, EU long-term permit, conversion, update and duplicate. This includes workers who entered under the annual quotas (Ministry of the Interior note of 2 September 2025). For the steps after arrival see the residence contract and the integration agreement.
- Questura only: among others medical treatment, asylum request, temporary protection, special cases, investors, digital nomads, working holiday, minor age and a permit expired for more than 60 days (see expired permit).
- Asylum seekers: their documents follow their own rules, changed in 2026: see international protection and the new asylum rules.
- Family members of EU citizens: the Portal lists them in both groups (the electronic card is among the postal applications): ask which channel applies to you and see our guide to the residence card.
Frequently asked questions
How can I find out where my residence permit application stands?
If you used the postal kit, log in to the Immigration Portal’s reserved area with the codes on the Poste Italiane receipt, or show the receipt at an authorised Comune or Patronato. After the Questura appointment, Poste Italiane’s instructions also point to the Polizia di Stato website.
How many days does the Questura have to issue a residence permit?
Article 5(9) of Legislative Decree 286/1998 sets 90 days from the application, if the requirements are met; it was 60 before 22 May 2026. For the issue of the single work permit it is 30 days from completion of the application. Real waiting times vary and the deadline does not guarantee issue.
Can I work with the receipt while I wait for the permit?
Under certain conditions, yes. Article 5(9-bis) of Legislative Decree 286/1998 allows you to stay and work temporarily while issue, renewal or conversion is pending, if the competent office has issued the receipt and the other requirements are met, until grounds for refusal are communicated. Check your case.
Do I have to pay anyone to check my application or collect the permit?
The official pages we read show costs only for filing the application; the Portal’s toll-free number and the help of authorised Comuni and Patronati with the kit are free. Be wary of anyone who asks for money to unblock your file.
Official sources
- The postal kit procedure – Ministry of the Interior, Immigration Portal (Italian text)
- User manual: statuses of the application – Ministry of the Interior, Immigration Portal (Italian text)
- Requests for non-EU citizens – Ministry of the Interior, Immigration Portal (Italian text)
- General information on applications – Ministry of the Interior, Immigration Portal (Italian text)
- Legislative Decree 286/1998, Consolidated Immigration Act, Article 5 – Normattiva (Italian text)
- Legislative Decree 16 April 2026, No. 83, Articles 1 and 4 – Gazzetta Ufficiale (Italian text)
- Presidential Decree 394/1999, Article 11 – Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Italian text)
- Silence between administrations and private parties, Articles 31 and 117 – Administrative Justice (Italian text)
How can SH Immigration Specialists help?
SH Immigration Specialists offers administrative help to understand where your file stands, prepare a request for information to the Questura and organise your documents for collection. Legal advice, appeals and representation are handled by the lawyers of SH Immigration Specialists. The outcome depends on the competent authorities. For an assessment, contact us.
This content provides general information and does not constitute legal advice.
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Which other guides may help you?
- Residence Permit Renewal in Italy: When, Costs and Documents (2026)
- Working with your residence permit receipt in Italy: rules for workers and employers
- Travelling with a Residence Permit Receipt in Italy: Full Guide
- How to Check Your Family Reunification Nulla Osta Status in Italy
- Italian residence permit refused or revoked: what happens and how to appeal
- Italian residence permit types
- Contratto di soggiorno (residence contract): who signs and what next
- Integration agreement in Italy: points-based permit, credits and checks
