Entry Visa & Stay/Study Permit

Who requires a visa?
A study visa will likely be required to study in Italy, for any length of time for candidates from non EU-Member States.

This type of visa allows entry for a short visit (not exceeding 90 days) or a long visit of fixed duration (not exceeding 365 days) to applicants intending to study at an Italian university, attend courses, or carry out research activities of an occasional or permanent nature.

Please contact the nearest Consulate for further information about necessary visas and documentation.

What documents will be required?

  • One passport size photograph
  • A letter of acceptance from school or University in Italy indicating place, duration of the course and dates of attendance
  • Passport valid three months over planned stay in Italy
  • A letter addressed to this Italian Consulate, stating that you own private means of support
  • If you are a recipient of financial aid, you will need to submit a statement
  • A letter from your bank indicating your financial status, and balance. The letter must be signed by a bank official
  • Flight reservations (round trip)
  • One application form duly completed and signed at the Consulate
  • Please note: the above list is not exhaustive. Applicants need to contact their nearest consulate or embassy to inquiry about the Visa requirement to study in Italy.

Time required to issue visa:
Average 7 days, up to max. 30 days; varies depending on nationality.

What is the cost of a visa?
The prices do vary from country to country. Please inquire at your local Italian representation to determine the costs for a study visa.

How long is the visa valid for?
Varies depending on type. A study visa for SSM Candidates is of one year. But, once you have applied and obtained your study permit in Italy, you can renew it each year.

Other information:

Postal applications are not acceptable.
Travelers visiting just one Schengen country should apply to the Consulate of that country;
travelers visiting more than one Schengen country should apply to the Consulate of the country chosen as the main destination or the country they will enter first (if they have no main destination).

Minors (under 18 years of age) who will not be travelling with their parents and wish to apply for a visa, in addition to the documentation required for the particular visa, must produce a declaration from both parents or legal guardian, authorizing them to travel and stay in a Schengen country and appointing the person who will be responsible for them. This declaration should be in the form of an affidavit duly authenticated by the solicitor or the appropriate official of your Embassy or Consulate.

For a long duration National visa (VN): Proof of payment exclusively of an Italian medical insurance policy. Documentation regarding the applicant's professional and economic status and academic background. Photocopies of all supporting documents must be submitted along with the application. The originals must also be presented with the photocopies and will be returned after verification.

Stay Permit (Non - EU citizens and residents)
The stay permit application form is available at the local Post-Office (Poste-Italiane) Sportello Amico (Questura - Ufficio Stranieri) in the area of your residence in Italy. To apply you are required to submit the following documentation:

  • A valid passport bearing a study visa for Italy;
  • Proof of sufficient financial means to support yourself while studying in Italy;
  • A document giving evidence of your right to medical care in Italy. (Health Insurance)

Stay permit - Application Process
Within 8 days from arrival, all non-EU citizens who hold an Italian study visa must apply for a stay permit for study purposes. After your arrival, SSM will inform you about the application process and will guide you through the current laws.

Costs for a stay/study permit in Rome:

  • 27,50 € with a current post bank account form if you apply for the stay permit longer than 90 days. The form can be found at the Post Office Sportello Amico;
  • 14,62 € for the stamp (la marca da bollo);
  • 30 € to deposit to the Post Office clerk upon submission of your application. If you are a family member of an Italian citizen or a citizen of the European Union, you don't have to attach neither the stamp (la marca da bollo) nor the form for the payment of the electronic stay permit.

Remember

  • When candidates to matriculation decide to move, even if temporarily, to another Italian city (e.g. to attend programs in the Italian language), within 15 days they will have to apply to the competent police station (Questura) to report their change of address.
  • Those students who leave the Italian territory are allowed to enter again only if they already hold a stay permit.

Renewals

After matriculation, and at least 60 days before the expiration of their stay permits, all non-Eu students coming from abroad have to apply to the Questura for such permits to be extended for the whole year. On the occasion, each student must demonstrate to have the necessary financial resources to support herself/himself, a certificate of enrollment issued by SSM, as well as to meet all the other requirements needed for the issuing of the stay permit.
Both study visa and stay permits are renewed to the students who have passed the Final Examination in the first or second year of their degree programs.

The stay permit may be renewed also to a student who has not passed the final examination upon submission of documented evidence of a state of very poor health or of other serious reasons. All that without prejudice of the dispositions concerning the global number of possible renewals; in fact, stay permits cannot be issued for more than 3 years beyond the legal length of the degree course concerned (Art. 46, 4 of the Presidential Decree No. 394 of 31st August 1999).

For more information in this regard, please contact the local Help-desk featuring international languages:

Call Center
800.309.309
general information, 24/7

Contact Center
848.855.888
information on the actual 'standing' of your file. From Monday to Friday 08:00 - 20:00

Numero Verde
803.160
information about the nearest Sportello Amico of the Italian Postal Office. From Monday to Friday 08:00 - 20:00

Note: SSM is not responsible for the correctness of the above information. Information is subject to change pending changes in the laws of the country.