Student residence permit in Italy: how to apply, renew and work (2026)

In short. A student residence permit in Italy (permesso di soggiorno per studio) must be requested within eight working days of arriving on a long-stay study visa, using the postal kit at a Sportello Amico counter; the questura (the local police headquarters) then calls you for fingerprints. For a permit of up to one year the fees total €116.46. Renewal needs enrolment, means, insurance and exams: one for the first renewal, two for each later one. The law now says to apply for renewal at least 90 days before expiry, but official pages still give 60 or 30.

Reviewed 19 October 2026. General information from official sources, which do not always agree; each questura may apply its own practice.

What is the student residence permit in Italy, and who needs it?

It is the permit that lets you stay in Italy to attend your course after entering on a study visa. The Interior Ministry’s Immigration Portal lists it as “Codice 24 – Permesso di Soggiorno per Motivi di Studio (art. 39 TUI)”, on the basis of Article 39 of the Consolidated Immigration Act (Legislative Decree 286/1998, the “TUI”) and Articles 44-bis, 45 and 46 of Presidential Decree 394/1999. It cannot be requested from abroad: first you need the type D visa explained in our study visa guide.

You need it if you entered on that visa for a course of more than 90 days. The circular of the Ministry of Universities and Research (MUR) for 2026/2027 and 2027/2028 does not require the visa procedure of citizens of the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, San Marino and the Holy See, of people already lawfully in Italy on a permit listed in Article 39(5) TUI, or of students already in the Schengen area on a scholarship under an EU programme such as Erasmus+. Courses of up to 90 days generally need only a short-stay visa and, possibly, a declaration of presence. To compare permits, see Types of Italian residence permit.

How and when do you apply?

The request goes to the questore (the police chief) of the province where you are, within eight working days of entering Italy (Article 5(2) TUI). The Portal provides for the postal kit (kit postale, a yellow-banded pack of forms) to be handed in at a Sportello Amico counter of an authorised post office:

1. collect the kit; a patronato (a social assistance body) or an authorised municipality can fill it in free of charge;
2. complete Form 1 in block capitals with a black pen, add Form 2 only if you have income, and sign it: unsigned applications are not accepted;
3. attach the documents below and one proof of payment, and affix the revenue stamp;
4. hand in the open envelope at the counter, with your passport; the receipt carries two codes to follow the case online;
5. wait for the questura’s letter with the date for fingerprints and photograph, and bring four passport-size photographs on a white background and the second payment receipt.

According to the MUR circular, the postal receipt shows lawful presence while the case is pending, and university enrolment can be completed with reservation until you show the permit.

Which documents do you need for the first permit?

For a first issue the Portal lists:

• the signed application (Form 1, with Form 2 if you have income);
• a photocopy of the whole passport, including the visa;
• a photocopy of the course certificate endorsed by the Italian embassy or consulate when it issued the visa;
• a photocopy of a health and/or accident insurance policy valid in Italy for the whole permit.

Accommodation and proof of means, which you showed for the visa, are not on the list, but the questura may ask for more: keep your visa file and enrolment certificate. Students may also enrol voluntarily in the National Health Service (SSN), according to Integrazione Migranti; ask the local health authority for the current contribution. See our guides to the Italian health card and health insurance for foreigners.

How much does the student permit cost?

The Portal’s cost table gives these amounts:

You pay the permit and the contribution on one slip (€70.46 or €80.46); an update, conversion or duplicate needs a €30.46 slip with no contribution. The Portal’s two tables define the bands slightly differently (up to 1 year, then less than 1 year), its examples contain typing slips and the page carries a July 2024 date: check the current amounts before paying.

How long does the permit last, and how do you renew it?

Article 5(3)(c) TUI says the duration cannot be shorter than the period of attendance of the course, even a multi-year one, subject to the yearly check of results. The Portal’s procedure page and the Poste information sheet say instead that a study permit lasts at most one year and is renewed annually for multi-year courses, as does the MUR circular. Rely on the expiry date printed on your permit.

For renewal the Portal lists:

• proof of adequate means for the whole permit (a working student can show income with Form 2);
• a health and accident insurance policy valid in Italy for that period;
• a certificate of at least one exam passed for the first renewal and at least two for each later one, unless force majeure applies.

The MUR circular adds the enrolment certificate for the new year, measures exams in credits as each university decides and accepts serious health reasons or force majeure. Renewals cannot exceed the length of the course by more than three years (Portal, note 3). The permit is tied to the course in the visa, with exceptions such as a transfer authorised by the academic authority; if you give up your studies, the reason for the permit ends.

On when to ask for renewal the sources disagree:

• the law: at least 90 days before expiry (Article 5(4) TUI as amended by Legislative Decree 83/2026), without prejudice to different time limits in the TUI and its regulation;
• the MUR circular and the Portal’s procedure page: at least 60 days;
• the Poste information sheet (edition 10/20): 30 days for the remaining permit types, a group that seems to include study permits.

File as early as you can and ask the questura which limit it applies. Meanwhile the receipt generally lets you stay and work on certain conditions (Article 5(9-bis)): see working with your residence permit receipt. The general rules are in Residence Permit Renewal in Italy.

Can you work with a student residence permit?

Yes, within limits. As an employee you may work up to 20 hours a week, counted over 52 weeks, with an annual ceiling of 1,040 hours (Article 14(4) of Presidential Decree 394/1999). According to Integrazione Migranti, which cites a labour inspectorate note of 24 May 2022, work concentrated in a shorter period, such as when classes are suspended, can exceed the weekly limit if the 1,040 hours are respected; beyond that you need a work permit. The same page says the law sets no specific limit for self-employment and that curricular and non-curricular traineeships, not being employment, are outside the hour limits. Study must remain your main activity.

Can you convert it into a work permit?

Yes. Under Article 6(1) TUI a permit for study or training can be converted into a work permit outside the annual quotas, before it expires and once the residence contract for work is signed or, for self-employment, the certification of requirements issued. Decree-Law 20/2023 (converted by Law 50/2023) removed the condition tying conversion to a flows-decree quota, as the Chamber of Deputies’ dossier explains; the Portal’s study-permit page, dated July 2024, still mentions a quota. Forms and timing are in Convert a Study Permit to a Work Permit in Italy.

What can you do after graduating?

Besides conversion, Article 39-bis.1 TUI provides a permit to look for work or start a business for people who obtained in Italy a doctorate, university master’s, bachelor’s or specialist degree, academic diploma or higher technical diploma. The Chamber of Deputies’ dossier gives its duration as 9 to 12 months. You request it when the study permit expires, with proof of the qualification, means, insurance and your declaration of immediate availability for work (DID): see the job-seeking residence permit guide.

Can your family join you?

Article 28(1) TUI, as replaced by Legislative Decree 5/2007, gives the right to family reunification to holders of a permit valid for at least one year issued for work, asylum, study, religious or family reasons. A study permit counts only if valid for a year or more, and the other conditions, such as minimum income (Article 29), apply: read Family reunification in Italy.

What changed with Legislative Decree 83/2026?

Legislative Decree 83/2026 implements the EU single permit directive (Directive (EU) 2024/1233). It appeared in Official Gazette no. 115 of 20 May 2026 and applies from 22 May 2026. For student permits:

• renewal: 90 days before expiry instead of 60 (Article 5(4)), as above;
• decision time: 90 days from the application instead of 60 to issue, renew or convert a permit (Article 5(9) and (9-bis));
• single permit: the new 30-day issue time (Article 5(8.1-bis)) concerns the single work permit, and Article 5(8.2)(g) excludes people staying for study or training (Articles 39, 39-bis, 39-bis.1) from Article 5(8.1). Our reading is that the 30 days do not apply to study permits: ask the questura;
• unchanged: the eight working days (Article 5(2)) and Articles 39, 39-bis, 39-bis.1 and 6(1).

We found no transitional rule for pending applications. The current wording of Article 5(3)(c) also mentions a twelve-month prolongation after the course under Article 39-bis.1, while the dossier gives 9 to 12 months for that permit: confirm the length with the questura. The Portal and Poste pages pre-date the decree.

What problems can come up?

• Refusal or revocation. Under Article 5(5) TUI the permit or its renewal is refused, or an issued permit revoked, when requirements are missing or cease, unless new elements allow it or the irregularities can be cured. Appeals go to the regional administrative court (TAR) under Article 6(10), within short deadlines. After a notice of intent to refuse, see Notice of Refusal under Article 10-bis.
• Late renewal. Missing the deadline can leave you without a valid permit: see Expired residence permit in Italy.
• Different practices. Documents, deadlines and waiting times vary between questure.

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to apply for the student residence permit in Italy?

Eight working days from the day you enter Italy on your study visa (Article 5(2) TUI). Collect the postal kit, complete it and hand it in at a Sportello Amico counter, keeping the receipt. The questura then writes to you with the date for fingerprints.

How much does the permit cost?

For a permit of up to one year: a €16 revenue stamp, €30.46 for the electronic permit, a €40 contribution and €30 for Poste Italiane, €116.46 in total. For more than one year and up to two, the contribution is €50 and the total €126.46.

How many hours can a student work in Italy?

As an employee, up to 20 hours a week, counted over 52 weeks, with an annual ceiling of 1,040 hours (Article 14(4) of Presidential Decree 394/1999). Integrazione Migranti says the law sets no specific limit for self-employment.

What do I need to renew a student permit?

Proof of enrolment, adequate means, insurance valid in Italy and exam results: one exam for the first renewal and two for each later one, unless force majeure applies. The legal deadline is now 90 days before expiry, but official pages still say 60 or 30.

Can I stay in Italy after graduating?

Yes. With a degree, master’s, doctorate or equivalent diploma earned in Italy you can apply for a permit of 9 to 12 months to look for work or start a business, or convert the study permit into a work permit before it expires.

Official sources

• Codice 24, study permit (art. 39 TUI) – Immigration Portal, Interior Ministry (Italian text)
• Cost tables – Immigration Portal (Italian text)
• Postal kit procedure – Immigration Portal (Italian text)
• General information sheet on applications – Immigration Portal (Italian text)
• Codice 30, student job search (art. 39-bis.1) – Immigration Portal (Italian text)
• International students, circular 2026/2027 and 2027/2028 – Universitaly, Ministry of Universities and Research (Italian text)
• Official Gazette no. 115 of 20 May 2026, Legislative Decree 83/2026 – Gazzetta Ufficiale (Italian text)
• Working and doing a traineeship with a study permit – Integrazione Migranti (Italian text)
• Decree-Law 20/2023, reading file on article 3 – Chamber of Deputies (Italian text)

The sources, all in Italian, were consulted on 19 October 2026, as were the other official pages linked in the text. The Portal pages date from 2024 or earlier, so always check the latest instructions of the competent office.

How can SH Immigration Specialists help?

We can help you prepare the postal kit and the renewal evidence, such as exam results and proof of means, and follow the application through to the questura appointments. Legal advice, appeals and representation before a court are handled by the firm’s lawyers at the SH Immigration Specialists law firm. The outcome depends on the competent authorities. For an assessment, contact us.

This content provides general information and does not constitute legal advice.

Which other guides may help you?

• Study visa Italy – Official guide to study in Italy
• Convert a Study Permit to a Work Permit in Italy: Step-by-Step Guide
• Residence Permit Renewal in Italy: When, Costs and Documents (2026)
• Working with your residence permit receipt in Italy: rules for workers and employers
• Italian health card for foreigners: how to register with the SSN in 2026