PASSPORTS, VISAS AND PERMITS

Legal Documents for Study in Italy

SJIU strongly advises non-EU citizens planning to study in Italy to inquire with their local Italian Consulate/Embassy well in advance of their departure about all the required legal documents. SJIU will help students through all steps necessary to obtain a Permit to Stay (if required), but it is the student’s responsibility to go through all the necessary procedures to obtain a Student Visa at the Italian Consulate in their home country before departure.

Passport

All students are required to have a valid passport. To have a valid passport, students must contact their country's passport authority. It is important to remember that the processing time may take some weeks or even months. Students are advised to make several photocopies of the front page with their picture and signature, as well as of their Student Visa. These will be very useful in the event the passport is lost or stolen.

Student Visa

Students from nations other than members of the European Union are required to have a Student Visa before entering Italy. Without a valid passport students will not be able to submit an application for a Student Visa. Visas are issued by the Italian Consulates and Embassies in the home country. Students are responsible for contacting their local Italian Consulate or Embassy for more information. SJIU staff is available if students need assistance with this process.

Permit to Stay

Upon arrival in Torino, all students, including E.U. citizens, must obtain a Permit to Stay (Permesso di Soggiorno per Studio), which is issued by the local authorities (Questura). According to the recent Law No. 68 of May 28th, 2007, all students studying at SJIU for a period of less than 90 days no longer need to acquire a permit of stay (Permesso di Soggiorno). This applies, therefore, to all students attending summer sessions. For periods of less than 90 days, it is now only required that the presence of each student be declared at the Questura. Students will be assisted in this process by a staff member of SJIU. For the semester students, the Permit to Stay is required, as the period of study exceeds 90 days. The documents to be provided are many of the same ones that students provide for the Italian Consulate when applying for the Visa. Students must be sure to bring both the originals and the copies of the papers submitted to the consulate (see the Visa section above).

The following documentation is required for the Permit to Stay application (this list is subject to change as regulations change):

You may find the following link to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, useful:

Ministero degli Affari Esteri, Italia