Traveling outside Italy:EU long-stay permit: Working and studying outside Italy

If you have subsidiary protection or refugee status (5-year permesso di soggiorno) or a work permit in Italy, but want to work or study in a different EU country legally, you will need a “Permesso di soggiorno UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo.” In English, this means an EU permit for long-stay residents, and was previously called a "carta di soggiorno" in Italian.

Without this permit, if you leave Italy to work or study, you will probably lose your status in Italy. But once you have this kind of permesso di soggiorno, you become eligible to take work or study opportunities in other EU countries without losing your right to live and work in Italy.
The permesso is valid for an undetermined period of time. You will need to update the basic information on your permesso, such as your photo and address, every 5 years for it to remain valid as an ID document. You can update the permesso at the post office which issued it to you.
Note: If you have humanitarian protection, you can’t apply for the EU long-stay permit. However, if you convert your humanitarian permit to a work permit in the future, you may become eligible.
Here is how you can get this permesso, and what rights it gives you.

Who can apply

If you have either subsidiary protection or refugee status (5-year permesso di soggiorno), or a work permit, you will need the following before you can apply for the Permesso UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo:

1. You’ll need uninterrupted residency in Italy for at least 5 years, meaning you lived in Italy for 5 years without leaving for more than 90 days. If you have subsidiary protection or refugee status, this time is calculated from the moment you submitted your C3 form. If you have a work permit, this time is calculated from when you received your first regular permit, such as a humanitarian permit. If you had a humanitarian permit and converted it into a work permit, you can apply for the EU long-stay permit 5 years after having received your humanitarian permit.
2. You need to have a yearly income equal to or higher than Italy’s yearly social insurance income. (In 2018, it was set at €5,746.91). That number goes up by 50% for each additional family member you have. For example, if you have 2 children, you need to earn twice the yearly social insurance income.

The government will calculate your income by reviewing your “dichiarazione dei redditi,” or declaration of income. Once you do this, you will receive a “certificazione unica,” which you can include in the packet you submit to apply for the permesso.
You can get help with completing your declaration of income, doing your taxes, and getting a “certificazione unica” at a patronato or union office. The most commons ones are called the CGIL, INAS or ACLI.

Additional requirements for holders of work permits

If you apply as a holder of a work permit, you will need to meet other requirements that people with subsidiary protection or refugee status do not need to meet.
In addition to 5 years of continuous residence in Italy and a minimum income, you need the following:

1. In general, you’ll need a clean criminal record. However, if you have been convicted of a crime, you may still be able to get the permit. It just means that your application will get a special, additional evaluation.
2. You need to be able to speak Italian at an A2 level. You can take a test to prove your level. You can also show either an Italian high school diploma, or an equivalency diploma from a CPIA.
3. If you apply for family members, you have to show that your housing is suitable for the number of people living there. After you apply for your EU long-stay permit, someone from the comune will visit you. If your housing meets their standards, your comune will give you a “certificato di idoneità alloggiativa,” or certificate of housing suitability.

How to apply

If you fulfill the requirements and are ready to apply, you’ll need to go to your local post office and bring:

• Photocopy of your passport or other valid identification document
• Photocopy of your valid permesso di soggiorno
• “Certificato di carichi pendenti,” which is a certificate of judicial exemption, demonstrating you have no pending criminal cases. You can get this from the courts.
• Photocopy of your codice fiscale
• Photocopy of proof of income, like a certificazione unica (tax summary), or pay stubs. You get a certificazione unica after paying your taxes, or ask your employer for your pay stub.
• Photocopy of dichiarazione di ospitalità, or contract of purchase of your own home, if you have one
• Postage stamps for administrative costs
• “Certificato di idoneità alloggiativa,” or certificate of housing suitability, if you’re applying with your family, whether you have refugee or subsidiary protection, or a work permit.

How much it costs

When you present these documents at the post office, you will also need to pay:

• €30.46 for printing of the document itself
• €16 marca da bollo
• €100 for government costs associated with this kind of permesso di soggiorno