Immigration Information

Students Who Hold A Non-european Passport

Non-European citizens have various steps to complete in order to be able to study and reside in Italy legally. Complying with Italian laws is essential to studying at the Rome Business School and our staff is committed to assisting our students in the process.

All non-European Union students must apply for a study visa to legally enter Italy. Once you are accepted at the Rome Business School, the Didactic and Admission Offices will provide the information and documents you need to apply for a visa. In order for our Admissions Office to issue you the necessary paperwork to apply for a visa, you must completed the required enrollment process and at least the first installment must be paid.

If you need to apply for a visa, you must request it at the Italian Consulate with jurisdiction over your home state or city before you come to Italy. It is your responsibility to start the process, so make sure you do it as soon as possible, as the visa may take up to two months or longer to obtain.

After you have obtained your visa, you will need to request a Permit to Stay (Permesso di Soggiorno) within 8 days of your arrival in Italy: the residence permit allows you to legally study and live in Italy.

Permit To Stay Request Process

European students who hold  a valid document from one of the EU/EEA countries do not have to apply for a study visa, but must provide us a valid copy of their passport or national identification document. Since you are staying for more than 90 days, you must register at the local registry office of your municipality.

Please find the list of European Union countries here.

Non-European students must apply for a study visa in their home country and then request a Permit to Stay within 8 days once in Italy. The Didactic and Admissions Offices staffs will assist you with all the steps necessary for you to make the Permit to Stay (Permesso di soggiorno) request.

Permit To Stay Steps

STEP 1 – Prepare your Documents

• Permesso di Soggiorno Kit: you have to go to a Post Office with a special window called a Sportello Amico. (A list of these is available on the Poste Italiane website). Once you got the kit, the Didactic Office staffs will help you fill and complete the kit
• Photocopies of your whole passport (every single page – from first to last page) and visa
• A bollo : a stamp with a monetary value that they will affix to one of the forms at the post office. You can get a bollo at the tabacchi nearby, it currently costs €16.00
• Five passport-sized photos
• The stamped and signed visa request letter (e.g. Acceptance letter and Registration letter) returned to you by the Italian Consulate in your country
• Proof of health insurance

STEP 2 – Apply for your permit to stay

• Go to the post office (Termini branch recommended), where you will file in your paperwork and documents, make a payment (approximately €70), and retrieve your receipt.
• You will need to hold on to the receipt, as it provides legal proof that you have followed the correct immigration procedures, and Fingerprinting Appointment details

(DO NOT lose the receipt!)

STEP 3 – Fingerprinting Appointment

All fingerprinting appointments will be held at the central police station (Questura Centrale) in Via Teofilo Patini about 1-2 months after the request at the post office.

BRING YOUR PASSPORT! During your scheduled Immigration step at Orientation, the Immigration Services Office staff will accompany you to the local Post Office, where you will be issued your Permit to Stay receipt and fingerprinting appointment letter.

The Permit to Stay receipt is the legal proof that you have applied for a Permit to Stay: it is crucial that you keep it in good conditions, and that you take note of the day of your appointment.

STEP 4 – The Permit to Stay Card

The Permit to Stay card will be sent to a local police station and the Immigration Services Office will inform you the pick-up address. Please note that processing times could take up to 60 days from the fingerprinting appointment.

Fingerprinting Appointment

The fingerprinting appointment is held at the Central Immigration Police Station (Questura Centrale) in via Teofilo Patini 1, and is usually scheduled after 3-4 weeks from the day you obtain your receipt at the Post Office. The fingerprinting is mandatory and cannot be rescheduled. Missing the appointment will result in a €250 fee and will jeopardize your Permit to Stay application.

In order to complete the appointment successfully, you must bring the following documents with you on the day of your fingerprinting appointment:

• Your original passport;
• Your original permit to Stay receipt;
• 4 passport-sized pictures.

REMINDER: Students waiting for their Permit to Stay Card must remain in Italy until they pick up their card. Students may leave Italy only if they are travelling directly to their home country with their Permit to Stay Receipt. (Students travelling under circumstances other than these do so at their own risk).

Picking Up Your Permit To Stay Card

Once the card is issued, you will be asked to pick up the card at the police station closer to where you live. You must go to the police station in person with your Passport and Receipt.

PERMIT TO STAY RENEWAL

Under Italian law, the Permit to Stay for study purposes has a maximum validity of one year. However, the expiration date of each card is at discretion of the Police, the Rome Business School cannot predict the validity of the Permit to Stay card.

Students are responsible to begin their Permit to Stay renewal three months before it expires.

The renewal process does not require a new visa, but you will have to repeat all the first request steps.

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