Requirements for immigrants leaving Italy temporarily

Requirements for immigrants leaving Italy temporarily

Foreigners awaiting renewal of their residence permits can leave and re-enter Italy if they hold:

• the receipt issued by Italian Post offices (Poste Italiane S.p.A) certifying the submission of the application for renewal of their residence permit or EC residence permit for long-term residents;
• the expired residence permit;
• their passport or other equivalent travel document .

The same facilitated procedure is granted to foreigners who have submitted their application for their first residence permits for employment, self-employment, or family reunification, provided that:

• they leave and re-enter Italy through any Italian external border crossing point (cicular letter 11th March 2009);
• they show their passport or other equivalent travel document, along with the entry visa specifying the reasons of their stay (employment, self-employment, or family reunification ) and the receipt issued by Italian Post offices (Poste Italiane S.p.A.);
• they do not transit through other Schengen countries, as this is not allowed.

The circular letter (pdf 35 Kb) of 27 June 2007 states that foreigners who have children under the age of 14 may request the Questura to issue a temporary residence permit with limited validity. This document will contain the personal details of the children who will then be allowed to leave Italy temporarily.

Residence permit

Residence permit

If you are a non-EU national and plan to come to Italy for a period exceeding three months, you must apply for a residence permit.If it is your first time in Italy, you have 8 days to apply for a residence permit.

To obtain the issue of a residence permit you need:

• The application form;
• Your valid passport or any other equivalent travel document bearing an entry visa, if required;
• A photocopy of your passport or another valid travel document bearing an entry visa, if required;
• 4 recent and identical passport-size photographs;
• A €14.62 electronic revenue stamp;
• Documents supporting your request for the type of residence permit you are applying for.

If you are already in Italy and your residence permit is close to its expiry date, you must apply for renewal at least:

• 90 days before expiry date if your residence permit is valid for 2 years;
• 60 days before expiry date if your residence permit is valid for 1 year;
• 30 days before expiry date in all other cases.

The validity of your residence permit is the same as that indicated on your visa, i.e.:

• Up to 6 months for seasonal work or up to 9 months for seasonal work in the specific sectors requiring this extension;
• Up to 1 year if you are attending a duly documented course of study or a vocational training course;
• Up to 2 years for self-employment, open-ended employment and family reunification.

If you are planning to come to Italy for short visits, business, tourism or study for a period not exceeding 3 months you are not required to apply for a residence permit.

Entering Italy

Entering Italy

Non-EU nationals who wish to enter Italy must:

• enter through an official border crossing point;
• hold a valid passport or equivalent travel document authorizing them to cross the border;
• hold an entry or transit visa, if required;
• not be listed in the Schengen Information System as an inadmissible person;
• not be considered to be a threat to public order, national security, public health, or international relations;
• have sufficient means of subsistence to cover their intended stay and return to their country (showing a return ticket is sufficient proof).

Foreigners seeking to enter Italy are subject to checks by border, customs, currency, and health authorities.Entry may be refused at the border, even if a valid entry or transit visa is held, if all of the above requirements are not met.Foreigners who stay in Italy for visits, business, tourism or study for periods not exceeding 3 months are not required to apply for a residence permit.

If foreign citizens have arrived from non-Schengen states, they should report their presence to the border authorities when entering Italy and the border authorities will put a uniform Schengen stamp on their travel documents.If foreign citizens have arrived from other Schengen states, they should report their presence to the local Questura (central police station in the province) filling out the relevant form within 8 days of their arrival in Italy.

For foreigners staying in a hotel, evidence of their presence is the registration form submitted to the hotel management and signed by the foreign guests on arrival. The hotel will provide a copy of this form to the foreign guest who can show it to police officers, if requested.

As from 8^th August 2009 a new bill (Law no. 94 of 15 July 2009) makes it a crime to enter or stay in Italy illegally. Therefore, foreign nationals caught entering or staying in Italy without permission commit the offence of illegal immigration, which is punishable by a fine ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 euros, and they are brought before the Justice of the Peace (Giudice di Pace) and repatriated. Hence, the Questore, after having expelled or rejected the foreigner, informs the Justice of the peace who passes a non-suit decision.

Table for establishing the means of subsistence required for admission to Italy
(for business, medical treatment - and an accompanying person in this case - sports competition, or

for religious reasons, for study, transit, transport or tourism) by showing:
• liquid cash
• bank guarantees
• insurance policy guarantees or equivalent credit instruments
• vouchers for prepaid services or other documents demonstrating access to sources of income in Italy.

Length of stay One member Two or more members

1-5 days: overall fixed amount € 269.60 € 212.81

6-10 days: per person per day € 44.93 € 26.33

11-20 days: overall fixed amount € 51.64 € 25.82

Daily amount per person € 36.67 € 22.21

Above 20 days: fixed amount € 206.58 € 118.79

Daily amount per person € 27.89 € 17.04

29-03-2010