Non-EU students are required to apply for a Permesso di Soggiorno per Studio within 8 working days of arriving in Italy, counted from the border stamp rather than from enrolment. Treat that as the target, but do not panic if you miss it: in practice the deadline is rarely enforced, and late student applications are normally accepted and processed as usual. What matters is applying as soon as you reasonably can instead of putting it off further.
Get free help first
Before you fill in anything, book the PoliTo Immigration Desk. It is staffed by people who process these applications daily, it is free, and it will save you a rejected envelope.
- Where: ground floor, Corso Castelfidardo 39 (Cittadella Politecnica)
- General information: Monday–Friday, 09:00–12:00
- Residence permit support: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 09:00–12:00
- Booking: by appointment through the Teaching Portal
- Email:
immigration.desk@polito.it
A patronato (an authorised advice office) is the other option, and also normally free.
Step 1 — Collect the yellow kit (Kit Giallo)
Pick up the free Richiesta di Soggiorno envelope from a post office with a Sportello Amico counter, or from the Immigration Desk above. Fill in Modulo 1 in black ink, in block capitals.
Step 2 — Assemble the documents
Photocopies, all on A4:
- Passport — photo page, visa page, and the Italian entry stamp (two copies of each).
- Politecnico admission letter.
- Certificate of Enrolment, downloaded from the Teaching Portal.
- Health insurance valid for your stay — see Health Insurance & Seeing a Doctor.
- Proof of sufficient financial resources (scholarship letter, bank statement, or block-account receipt).
- Codice Fiscale — see Codice Fiscale.
- A €16 marca da bollo duty stamp from any tabaccheria.
Step 3 — File it at the post office
Take the open envelope and all originals to a Sportello Amico counter. The clerk seals it and takes payment:
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Electronic permit + government contribution (one postal slip) | €70.46 |
| Poste Italiane handling | €30.00 |
| Marca da bollo | €16.00 |
| Total | €116.46 |
The €70.46 is €30.46 for producing the card plus a €40 contribution for permits of up to one year. If yours is issued for one to two years, the contribution is €50 instead.
Step 4 — Guard the receipt
You are given a ricevuta with a hologram, carrying a User ID and password for portaleimmigrazione.it where you track progress.
This receipt is your legal proof of residence while you wait. It lets you stay, re-enter Italy from your home country, and enrol. Do not lose it, and carry a photocopy rather than the original day to day.
Step 5 — Fingerprinting at the Questura
You will also receive an appointment slip.
The office moved. Fingerprinting is now at the Questura di Torino – Ufficio Immigrazione, Via Fratelli Ruffini 11, on the corner of Corso Bolzano near Porta Susa. The old Corso Verona 4 office closed on 10 March 2025 — older guides and printed handouts still send students there.
Bring:
- Your original passport
- 4 identical passport photographs, white background
- The original postal receipt
- Your original enrolment certificate
Renewals — the part that depends on your exams
Start your renewal at least 60 days before expiry. Beyond the documents above, the Questura checks academic progress:
- First renewal: at least one exam passed.
- Every renewal after that: at least two exams passed in the year.
Students who fail this are the ones who get into trouble, so treat your exam record as part of your immigration paperwork.
After you graduate
A study permit can be converted into a work permit at the Sportello Unico per l’Immigrazione once you have a job offer. Without one, you can register with the Centro per l’Impiego and apply for a temporary permit to look for work. Rules here change often — take advice from the Immigration Desk or a patronato rather than from a forum.
Verified August 2026 against Politecnico di Torino’s Residence permits and stay requirements page, Poste Italiane’s residence-permit guide, and the Questura di Torino / Prefettura announcements of the March 2025 office relocation.