Italy Permesso di Soggiorno for Pakistani Students: Postal Kit, Fees and Renewal (2026)

What is the permesso di soggiorno and why do you need it?

The permesso di soggiorno is the Italian residence permit. It is a plastic card issued by the Questura, the provincial police headquarters, and it proves you are legally allowed to live in Italy for a stated period. A Pakistani student does not need it to reach Italy, because the type D national visa issued by the Italian embassy handles entry. The permit is what covers you once you are inside.

Many students mix these up. The visa is a travel document that expires with your first stay. The permit is the document you show to open some accounts, register with the health service, sign certain contracts and prove your status to a landlord. Without it, the visa alone cannot carry you through a whole degree.

This article starts where our guide on Universitaly pre-enrolment and CIMEA documents ends: you have been admitted, you have your visa, and you have just landed. If you are still comparing countries, our overview of studying in Italy from Pakistan covers tuition and scholarships.

How soon after landing must you apply?

Under Article 5 of Italy's immigration law, the permit must be requested within eight working days of entering the country. The text covers a foreign national who enters the country and asks the questore of the province where they are staying.

You will see "8 days" on several university pages, including Pisa and Milano-Bicocca, and "8 working days" on others, including Rome Tor Vergata and Bocconi. The law is the reference, and it says working days. Treat the shorter reading as your internal target anyway, because a weekend or a public holiday in the middle of your first week is easy to lose. Aim to file within your first three to four working days.

What does it cost?

As of 14 October 2026, the University of Pisa permit page lists EUR 16 for the revenue stamp, EUR 30 when the application is posted, and EUR 70.46 for the postal slip that comes with a one year permit, which adds up to EUR 116.46. Milan and Bocconi publish the same three figures: EUR 16 for the marca da bollo bought at a tabaccheria, EUR 30 for the posting of the application, and EUR 70.46 for the electronic permit slip.

The total is our own addition of the three published figures. The slip amount depends on the length of the permit, and the Pisa page ties EUR 70.46 to a one year permit, so a permit of a different length can carry a different slip. Read the amount printed on your own paperwork before you pay. Pisa also states that renewal costs the same as the first application, so budget the same sum every year.

Other costs sit around it. Health coverage, a registered lease or hosting declaration, photos, photocopies and sometimes help from a patronato can all add up. Our guide to health insurance for students abroad explains what to buy for the permit file.

What is the postal kit and how does it work?

Italy does not let students walk into the Questura and apply. The first step happens at a post office. Here is the path.

Step 1: Collect the yellow kit

Go to a Poste Italiane branch marked Sportello Amico and ask for the kit for a first permit for study. Bocconi advises showing your passport to collect it. The form is in Italian only, and the form is "Modulo 1".

Step 2: Fill the form with help

The University of Pisa strongly recommends free help from a patronato or CAF, which are assistance offices that complete the form for you at no charge. A mistake on this form can delay everything, so use that help.

Step 3: Buy the stamp and prepare copies

Buy the EUR 16 stamp, stick it on the form, and photocopy the pages of your passport that show your details, your visa and your entry stamp.

Step 4: Post the application and pay

The post office checks the envelope and takes the payments. You receive two receipts. One shows the date, time and place of your Questura appointment. The other carries the username and password for the immigration portal, where you can follow the case.

Step 5: Keep the receipts safe

Milano-Bicocca notes that the submission receipt is your proof of status until the permit is issued. Keep the originals and a photocopy.

Which documents do you bring?

Documents are asked for twice: at the post office, and again at the Questura. The exact list varies a little by city and university, so treat the list below as the common core drawn from Pisa, Milan and Bocconi, and confirm it with your own international office.

• Passport, with photocopies of the personal data page, the study visa and the entry stamp.
• The completed Modulo 1 from the kit, with the EUR 16 stamp attached.
• Your university acceptance or enrolment certificate. Pisa asks for a certificate downloaded from its own system at the appointment, and says self declarations are not accepted.
• Proof of accommodation, such as a registered lease, a hosting declaration or a university housing document.
• Health insurance, either the policy used for the visa if it is still valid or the cover the university requires.
• An Italian mobile number, which Pisa lists among its requirements.
• Two identical passport photos for the Questura appointment.
• For some universities, a financial statement. Bocconi asks for one at first issue, while Pisa does not list a minimum for the first permit.

Your Pakistani degree papers should already be in order from the visa stage. If they are not, our guide to apostille and attestation of Pakistani documents explains how to fix them. Accommodation is often the hardest item for a new arrival, so read our piece on finding student accommodation abroad before you land.

What happens at the Questura appointment?

A few weeks after you post the application, you are called to the Questura. The visit is short but it matters. Officers take your fingerprints and photograph, check the originals of your documents against the photocopies, and confirm your address.

Bring everything in two sets, originals and copies, in the order the post office receipt lists them. Milan's Bocconi guide separates the documents into a post office set and a Questura set, which is a good habit. Arrive early, because queues can be long, and take both the post office receipt and the proof that you paid the postal slip.

Afterwards you wait. Several universities report that you receive an SMS when the card is ready, and you collect it at the Questura. Make sure the phone number you gave stays active.

How long does the permit take and can you travel meanwhile?

Times differ by city. Pisa says processing takes about three to four months there and about two months in other cities, counting from the point where no documents are missing. Milano-Bicocca says issuance after fingerprinting can take several weeks to several months. Those are university estimates, not government promises, so plan for the long end.

The statute says a study permit cannot be shorter than the course of study, subject to a yearly check on progress, and it may be extended by up to twelve months after the course ends. In practice, universities report that students receive one year permits and renew them.

On travel: the post office receipt confirms you are present in Italy lawfully while you wait, but we advise against planning trips abroad on a receipt alone without checking first. Ask your international office and the airline in writing before you book, because re-entry rules are not something to test at a border.

How many hours can you work?

As of 14 October 2026, the University of Pisa page says a permit holder may work as an employee for no more than 20 hours a week, within an annual limit of 1,040 hours. Milano-Bicocca also states that permit holders may work up to 20 hours a week, which matches. The hours are counted as a yearly pool, so the weekly figure is not a strict ceiling in every week, but the annual total is the hard line.

Italian student wages are modest and part time jobs for non-Italian speakers are not easy to find, so treat the allowance as a supplement. For a country comparison, see our guide on part time work rules while studying abroad.

How do you renew, and how many exams do you need?

Renewal is not automatic. You file a new postal kit before the permit expires and show that you are making progress. Deadlines vary by university: Pisa says at least 90 days before expiry, while Milan and Milano-Bicocca say 60 days. Use the longer window and never let the permit lapse.

• Pisa asks for at least one exam passed in the first year, and at least two exams a year after that.
• Milano-Bicocca says that at the second renewal you must show at least two exams passed during the permit's validity.
• Milan asks for an enrolment certificate listing the exams you have taken.
• Pisa notes that serious health problems or force majeure can allow renewal with fewer exams.
• Pisa also says renewals cannot run more than three years beyond the length of the course.

These numbers are university practice drawn from three institutions, and they are not identical. Ask your own office for its renewal checklist in your first term, and plan your exam calendar around it.

What funds do you show at renewal?

As of 14 October 2026, the University of Milan mentions about EUR 5,400 of financial resources for a renewal, while Bocconi asks for roughly EUR 6,540 a year in its own guide, so universities quote different amounts.

Pisa asks renewal applicants for a printed bank statement covering the last two months, from an Italian account, or a scholarship notice from the regional DSU agency showing the student is a winner or beneficiary. The point for a Pakistani family is simple: open an Italian account early and keep the money visible in it. Because the amounts vary, we treat any single number as a guide and not a promise, and we advise you to confirm the exact figure with your own university in writing.

Which mistakes cause trouble?

Missing the window

Eight working days passes quickly with a weekend, a holiday and a move into new housing. Go to the post office in the first days.

No registered housing

An informal rental without a registered contract or hosting declaration is a frequent obstacle at the Questura. Sort the paperwork with the landlord before you rely on the room.

Wrong or unsigned form

The Italian-only form is easy to get wrong. Use the free patronato help.

Self-declared enrolment where a certificate is required

Pisa says self declarations are not accepted for the enrolment certificate. Download the real one.

Neglecting exams

A student who skips exams for a year faces a harder renewal. Treat the exam target as a visa condition.

Letting the phone number go dead

The SMS that tells you the card is ready goes to the number you registered.

A worked example with dates

This is an illustration, not a real file. Take Hamza, a Lahore graduate starting a two year master's in Bologna, who lands on Sunday 26 September 2027.

• Sunday 26 September. He lands, clears immigration, and checks that his passport has the entry stamp.
• Monday 27 September. He visits the international office, collects his enrolment certificate and housing confirmation, and buys the EUR 16 stamp.
• Tuesday 28 September. He collects the yellow kit at a Sportello Amico, and a patronato volunteer helps him fill in Modulo 1.
• Wednesday 29 September. He posts the application, pays EUR 30 and the EUR 70.46 slip, and receives his two receipts, one with his Questura appointment.
• Late October. He attends the appointment with originals and copies, gives fingerprints, and is told to wait for an SMS.
• Early the next year. The SMS arrives. He collects the card and notes the expiry date, then puts a reminder 90 days before it.

The week one filing is four working days after arrival, inside the legal window with room to spare. Now the version that goes wrong: another student waits two weeks for a better lease, files late, and arrives at the Questura with a self-declared enrolment paper. Same city, same course, a much slower start. Border and Bridges prepares students for exactly these steps before departure.

Key takeaways

Frequently asked questions