The numbers
Start renewing
OfficialFrom 3 months before expiry
The university's Italian renewal page, the legally valid one, says to start from three months before the permit expires (its English page says two). Starting at three is safe either way: the new card takes months.
Exams a renewal asks for
Official1 exam for the first renewal, 2 for each later one
Shown with a certificate of enrolment and exams from Uniweb. Serious illness or force majeure can be explained in a letter to the Immigration Office.
Total to budget
Official≈ €116.46
Bring cash. Plus 4 passport photos and photocopy costs.
How it goes
Set the reminder the day you collect the card
You can start the renewal from three months before the permit expires. Processing takes months, so starting at the first possible moment is the whole strategy. While you are holding the new card, put the date in your calendar.
Start renewing:From 3 months before expiryMake sure the exams are there
A study permit is renewed for study, and the renewal asks for proof of it: one exam passed for the first renewal, two for each one after that, shown with a certificate of enrolment and exams downloaded from . If illness or something beyond your control stopped you, a letter to the Immigration Office explaining it goes in the envelope.
Exams a renewal asks for:1 exam for the first renewal, 2 for each later oneFill the same yellow envelope, with this year's papers
The kit is the same as the first time, from any post office or from the university's SAOS desk. Inside: proof of where you live (the residence's certificate, or a registered ), proof of money (a scholarship letter or recent bank statements), and health cover valid in Italy. The fees are the same too.
Total to budget:≈ €116.46Say this at the counter
“Vorrei rinnovare il permesso di soggiorno per motivi di studio.”
I would like to renew my residence permit for study.
Keep the receipt with your passport
The post office receipt is your document until the new card arrives: its pages are what the and the health service ask for. With a renewal receipt you can travel home and come back, provided you leave and re-enter Italy through the same border crossing and your trip does not pass through another Schengen country. Carry the passport, the receipt and the old permit.
Collect the new card when the text message comes
A renewed study permit is issued for up to a year, so the cycle starts again almost at once. Check the dates on the card before you leave the counter.
A renewed study permit lasts:Up to 1 year
What actually goes wrong
Collected from students who hit these. This section is the reason to read the page twice.
A year without exams
It is the usual reason a student renewal becomes difficult. If you know a semester will be empty, plan at least the exam the renewal needs, or talk to SAOS early about the letter.
Changing planes in Frankfurt with only a receipt
The receipt is accepted for a direct trip home and back through the same Italian border crossing, not for a connection in another Schengen country. Book a route that leaves the Schengen area straight from Italy.
An address that does not match the contract
If you have moved, update your before you renew, so the address on file and the contract in the envelope agree.
Where this comes from
Reviewed every 120 days. Something changed? Tell us.