You need to apply for a temporary or permanent residence status in Italy if you plan to stay in the country for more than 3 months. At the first entry into the country, an “Immigration Agreement” is signed. This is a kind of contract between an immigrant and the state, which guarantees compliance with all obligations on both sides.
Foreign citizens over 16 years of age can sign such an agreement and obtain a residence permit in Italy . According to the conditions specified in it, it is necessary to learn the language, traditions, fundamentals, rights and obligations, the principles of the economic and political structure of the country during the first two years of your stay. You also need to have an understanding of how the health and welfare system works.
The acquired knowledge and skills are evaluated according to a point system, which takes into account: language level, education, behavior, housing, family doctor, professional activities. After 2 years, the residence permit will be reviewed by the Unified Immigration Service and will decide whether to extend it or to apply for Italian citizenship in the future.
Temporary residence permit in Italy
To apply for an Italian residence permit, the applicant must have good reasons to stay in the country for a period longer than the Schengen visa allows (90 days). If the period of stay is less than 3 months, then it is not necessary to issue it. A residence permit in Italy can be issued if a foreigner comes for:
- seasonal work (9 months);
- study (12 months);
- independent work (2 years);
- employment (2 years);
- family reunification (2 years).
If after the specified time the reasons and circumstances for obtaining it persist, and the immigrant did not violate the laws of Italy, then the residence permit is allowed to be extended. After 5 years, you can apply for permission for permanent residence in Italy.
All documents for a residence permit must be submitted within eight days after entering the territory of Italy. It is issued on the basis of a D visa (long stay). It is not possible to obtain a residence permit on a visitor or tourist visa. Persons with a residence permit in Italy can freely stay in the Schengen area, but not more than 90 days in six months. It is not allowed to be absent from the country for more than 180 consecutive days.
Obtaining a residence permit is the initial stage of the immigration process, being in the status of first temporary and then permanent residence for 10 years, it will be possible to eventually apply for citizenship and become a citizen of Italy .
Permanent residence in Italy
A candidate for obtaining permanent residence in Italy must meet the requirements of the Ministry of the Interior (immigration department of the Questura on a territorial basis) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Consulate in the immigrant country). Each of these instances makes its own decision on granting the status, guided by the laws of the Republic of Italy and international norms.
Permanent residence is not granted:
- having a residence permit in Italy for study, internship, research work;
- persons staying in the country for humanitarian reasons who cannot obtain or are awaiting refugee status;
- diplomatic workers;
- persons who have violated the rules of stay or the laws of Italy.
It is not allowed to extend the status if the immigrant has been absent from the country for more than 6 years, has received permanent residence in another state during this time, if the information provided turned out to be a fraud. In the latter case, the decision on deportation is made in a very short time.
In order to obtain Italian citizenship, you must have:
- 10 years of legal residence;
- 2 years of residence in Italy after marriage and 3 years of marriage if the spouses live in another country;
- 4 years of residence for residents of the European Union.
For foreign citizens working in the civil service in Italy for more than 5 years, no other mandatory period of residence is required.
Permanent residence in Italy allows an indefinite stay, but obtaining it is not mandatory for a permanent presence in the country, you can simply periodically renew a regular residence permit. To obtain citizenship, you need to declare your desire to become an Italian citizen and go through a procedure that takes a total of 730 days.
