Residence permit in Italy: how to apply

What the residence permit is

The residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) is the document that lets you live legally in Italy after entering with a visa. It is issued by the police immigration office (Questura) of the province where you live: if you live in Milan or its metropolitan area, it is the Questura of Milan.

The visa lets you in. The permit lets you stay. They are two different things: the visa is issued by the Italian consulate in your country, the permit is issued by the Questura in Italy (Art. 5 of Legislative Decree 286/1998, the Consolidated Immigration Act).

The type of permit follows the reason on the visa: employed work, self-employment, family, study and others. The reason matters because it decides what you can do in Italy and how you will be able to renew or convert the permit.

The deadline to apply

You must apply for the permit within 8 working days of entering Italy. Sundays and public holidays are not counted.

Do not wait until the last day. If you have to go through the One-Stop Shop for Immigration (Sportello Unico) of the Prefecture (for example after a work or family reunification clearance, called nulla osta), the appointment letter arrives through its own procedure. We help you understand which deadline applies to you.

How it works in Milan: postal kit, One-Stop Shop and Prenota Facile

In Milan there are three main routes, and the choice depends on the type of permit.

• Postal kit (kit postale). For many permits the application is made with the postal kit. You collect it and send it at post offices with the Sportello Amico logo. The envelope is handed in open. The post office gives you a receipt with an appointment at the Questura and the login details to follow your case online.
• One-Stop Shop for Immigration (Sportello Unico per l’Immigrazione). If you entered with a work or family reunification clearance (nulla osta), you usually go first to the One-Stop Shop of the Prefecture of Milan.
• Prenota Facile. For some permits that do not go through the postal kit, the appointment at the Questura is booked on the Prenota Facile portal of the State Police.

At the appointment at the Questura they take your fingerprints and check your original documents. Then the Questura tells you when the electronic permit is ready to collect.

How long it takes

By law the Questura must issue the permit within 90 days of the application. The limit used to be 60 days and was raised to 90 by Legislative Decree 83/2026, which brought the European single permit directive into Italian law.

In reality the waiting time can be longer. This is why the receipt is valuable: while you wait, with the receipt and the other legal requirements you can stay in Italy and work (Art. 5, paragraph 9-bis). Always keep the original and make a copy.

Common mistakes

• Going over the 8 days without a serious reason.
• Choosing the wrong type of permit on the form: the reason must be the one on the visa.
• Sending incomplete copies of the passport: all the pages with data, visas and stamps are needed.
• Losing the receipt or the letter with the appointment.
• Not reporting a change of address: the Questura’s letters go to the address you gave.

How we help you

We follow you from the first check of the visa to the collection of the permit. We check your documents, fill in the application with you and prepare you for the appointment at the Questura.

• First consultation: 60 €, about 30 minutes, in the office or online on WhatsApp.
• Sofia, the office’s assistant, answers on WhatsApp in 8 languages and books your appointment: use the booking button on this page.