First 30 days in Italy – the steps in order, from permesso di soggiorno to medico di base
Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →
Your first 30 days in Italy set up everything that follows: the residence permit, the tax code, the registry office, a doctor and a bank account. Some deadlines are counted in working days and several rules changed in 2026, so here is the order that works.
If you are moving to Italy in 2026, a few rules changed shortly before you arrived. Since 22 May 2026, a permesso di soggiorno (residence permit) must be issued within 90 days instead of 60. Paper identity cards stopped being valid on 3 August 2026, with a transition to 31 January 2027 for some uses inside Italy. And since 1 January 2026, 4 October is again a national public holiday – which matters, because your first deadline is counted in working days. The order of your first 30 days in Italy stays the same.
Almost everything hangs on a lawful right to stay, the codice fiscale (tax code) and registration at the anagrafe (registry office) of your comune (municipality). The rules are mostly national; how you file the paperwork differs from one comune to the next.
Before you arrive: which rules apply to you?
As an EU citizen you can stay three months with a valid identity document, and longer if you work, or if you study or live on your own means with health insurance. You never need a permesso di soggiorno, but you do register with the comune.
Most non-EU citizens staying more than 90 days need a national type D visa, valid for 91 to 365 days, for a specific purpose such as work, study or family – part 2 explains the routes.
One rule applies to whoever hosts you. Anyone who puts up a foreign national – even a relative – or rents or sells them a home must notify the local public-security authority in writing within 48 hours, or face a fine of €500 to €3,500.
What should you do in your first 30 days in Italy?
EU citizens skip step 1.
| Step | What | Where | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apply for your permesso di soggiorno | A post office with a Sportello Amico desk; with a nulla osta (entry authorisation), the Sportello Unico per l'Immigrazione (immigration desk) first | Within 8 working days of entry |
| 2 | Get your codice fiscale | Sportello Unico or Questura (police immigration office); otherwise the Agenzia delle Entrate (Revenue Agency), by appointment | As early as possible |
| 3 | Declare your residence | The anagrafe of your comune | Within 20 days of moving (EU citizens: see part 3) |
| 4 | Register with the SSN (national health service) and choose a doctor | The ASL (local health authority) | After steps 1 and 2 |
| 5 | Apply for the CIE (electronic identity card) | Your comune | After step 3 |
| 6 | Open a bank account | A bank or Poste Italiane | When you can show ID and your right to stay |
| 7 | Get SPID (public digital identity) | An accredited identity provider | Once you hold an Italian identity document |
Source: Ministry of the Interior, Portale Integrazione Migranti, Agenzia delle Entrate, Normattiva and AgID, read 23 September 2026.
Week one: the permesso di soggiorno and the eight-day deadline
On a long-stay visa you must apply to the Questura of the province where you are within 8 working days of entry, not counting Sundays and public holidays. This is national law.
For most first permits – study, work, family, self-employment, elective residence – you post a pre-printed kit from a Sportello Amico post office; patronati (advice centres) and some comuni help with it free of charge. Asylum and a few other permits are filed at the Questura. With a nulla osta for work or family reunion, go first to the Sportello Unico at the Prefettura that issued it.
The post office gives you a receipt, login details to follow your case and the date of your fingerprint appointment at the Questura. The receipt plus your passport lets you stay lawfully while you wait, and since 22 May 2026 the Questura has 90 days to decide – a term that is not binding. A worker who came with a nulla osta can start work in the meantime.
| Permit cost (2026) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Revenue stamp (marca da bollo) | €16 |
| Electronic permit card | €30.46 |
| Poste Italiane postal fee | €30 |
| Contribution: permit of more than 3 months, up to 1 year | €40 |
| Contribution: permit of more than 1 year, up to 2 years | €50 |
| Contribution: EU long-term permit, managers and specialised workers | €100 |
| Children under 18 | Only the €30.46 card fee |
Source: Portale Immigrazione, cost table, and Polizia di Stato, read 23 September 2026.
Asylum seekers, protection holders and family members of EU citizens pay no contribution. If you are over 16, arriving for the first time and asking for a permit of at least one year, you also sign an integration agreement – part 11 covers it.
Weeks two and three: codice fiscale and residence at the comune
The codice fiscale is a 16-character code that identifies you with public authorities. Non-EU citizens usually get it from the Sportello Unico or the Questura with their permit application; everyone else books an in-person appointment at the Agenzia delle Entrate. Codes from online calculators are not valid.
Then declare your residence to the anagrafe within 20 days of moving. The office registers you within 2 working days, and the comune checks your address – typically with a local police visit – for up to 45 days; if you hear nothing, the registration stands. Non-EU permit holders are obliged to register, and EU citizens can use a free online service on ANPR, the national population register. Part 3 has the details, including how Rome, Milan and Turin differ.
Weeks three and four: doctor, bank and digital identity
With a permit for work, family or protection, joining the SSN is compulsory and gives you the same rights as Italians. Take your ID, codice fiscale, permit and a self-certification of residence to the ASL and choose your medico di base (family doctor) on the spot. Students and elective residents need private insurance or voluntary registration, which by national law costs at least €2,000 a year, or €700 for students. In an emergency, call 112, or 118 for medical help.
Every bank and Poste Italiane must offer a conto di base (basic account) to anyone legally staying in Italy or another EU state. It is free if your ISEE (means-test indicator) is below €11,600. In guidelines published on 5 August 2026, Banca d'Italia asked banks to remove obstacles for people still awaiting a permit and to review their procedures by 30 November 2026 – supervisory expectations, not law.
SPID requires an Italian identity document, and a permesso di soggiorno does not count. Use the permit to get the CIE from your comune first – €22.21 in Rome and Turin, €22.20 in Milan – which also works as a free digital identity. Part 4 covers SPID and the IO app.
| While you wait for the permit card | Possible? | What applies |
|---|---|---|
| Stay in Italy | Yes | The post-office receipt plus your passport |
| Start the job you came for | Yes, with a nulla osta | Permit requested within the 8 working days; keep the Sportello Unico form and the receipt |
| Register your residence | Yes – in Rome, for a first work permit | Attach the receipt, the nulla osta, the contratto di soggiorno (residence contract) and your codice fiscale |
| Register with the SSN | Yes, for work and family permits | Temporary until the first permit is issued |
| Get SPID | No | An Italian identity document comes first |
Source: Portale Integrazione Migranti, Roma Capitale, the Ministry of Health and AgID, read 23 September 2026.
What to do now
| Step | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Non-EU: gather the documents for the permit kit | Before you travel |
| 2 | Remind your host or landlord of the 48-hour notification | On arrival |
| 3 | Post the permit kit, or visit the Sportello Unico first with a nulla osta | Within 8 working days of entry |
| 4 | Get your codice fiscale | In your first week or two |
| 5 | Declare residence at the anagrafe | Within 20 days of moving |
| 6 | Register with the ASL and choose a medico di base | Once you have your documents |
| 7 | Open a conto di base, apply for the CIE, then SPID | During your first month |
Source: Ministry of the Interior, Portale Integrazione Migranti and Normattiva, read 23 September 2026.
Official sources
The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.
- Normattiva – D.Lgs. 286/1998 (Testo unico immigrazione) art. 5 · normattiva.it
- Ministero dell'Interno – Visto e permesso di soggiorno · interno.gov.it
- Il visto per l'Italia (MAECI) – Turismo · vistoperitalia.esteri.it
- Normattiva – D.Lgs. 286/1998 art. 7 · normattiva.it
- Portale Integrazione Migranti (Ministero del Lavoro) – Il permesso di soggiorno · integrazionemigranti.gov.it
- Il visto per l'Italia (MAECI) – Lavoro subordinato (visto D) · vistoperitalia.esteri.it
- Portale Immigrazione – Tabelle Costi · portaleimmigrazione.it
- Polizia di Stato – Questura di Catanzaro · questure.poliziadistato.it
- Normattiva – D.Lgs. 16 aprile 2026, n. 83 · normattiva.it
- Ministero dell'Interno – Accordo di integrazione · interno.gov.it
- Il visto per l'Italia (MAECI) – Studio (visto D) · vistoperitalia.esteri.it
- Normattiva – D.L. 5/2012 art. 5 · normattiva.it
- Agenzia delle Entrate – Tax identification number for foreign citizens · agenziaentrate.gov.it
- Consolato Generale d'Italia a Parigi (MAECI) – Visto di studio · consparigi.esteri.it
- Prefettura di Roma (Ministero dell'Interno) – Assistenza sanitaria per cittadini stranieri · prefettura.interno.gov.it
- Ministero della Salute – Assistenza ai cittadini dei Paesi extra UE in Italia · salute.gov.it
- ASST Milano (Servizio sanitario regionale Lombardia) – Cittadini stranieri: accesso all'assistenza sanitaria · serviziterritoriali-asstmilano.it
- Banca d'Italia – L'economia per tutti: Il conto di base · economiapertutti.bancaditalia.it
- Banca d'Italia – L'economia per tutti: Come aprire e chiudere il conto corrente · economiapertutti.bancaditalia.it
- SPID (AgID) – Come attivare SPID · spid.gov.it
Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.