Italy gives the Questura 90 days for residence permits under new single-permit rules

Legislative Decree 83 of 16 April 2026, applicable from 22 May 2026, lengthens the legal processing time from 60 to 90 days, sets a 30-day limit for the single work permit and moves the renewal deadline to 90 days before expiry.

The rules that govern a non-EU newcomer's first weeks in Italy were rewritten this spring. According to the consolidated immigration act on Normattiva, the official law database, Legislative Decree no. 83 of 16 April 2026, which transposes the EU single-permit directive 2024/1233, applies from 22 May 2026. The legal time for issuing, renewing or converting a residence permit is now 90 days, where it was 60; the term is not binding, and the applicant may stay and work while waiting.

In return the law creates a faster lane for workers. A single work permit, the permesso unico lavoro, must be issued by the Questore within 30 days of the application being complete under the new article 5(8.1-bis). For highly qualified workers the Sportello Unico must issue or refuse the work authorisation within 30 days of the application. After entry, employer and worker sign the residence contract within 15 days, with a digital or handwritten signature, and the employer sends it to the Sportello Unico.

One deadline moved the other way. Under the text in force from 4 June 2026, a renewal must be requested at least 90 days before the permit expires, instead of 60. Several official pages, including the Interior Ministry's and the university circular for international students, still say 60 days, so the safe course is to file three months ahead. The decree also added information duties to article 4-bis of the act, while the integration agreement itself is unchanged.

Maximum durations are now set out plainly: 9 months for a seasonal permit, one year for a fixed-term contract and two years for a permanent contract, with each renewal limited to three years.

What has not changed is the first step. A non-EU national entering on a long-stay visa must apply for the permit to the Questura of the province within 8 working days of entry, Sundays and public holidays excluded, in most cases by posting the kit from a post office with a Sportello Amico desk. The Polizia di Stato says the electronic permit is issued or renewed on average within 60 days of the application. A first permit of one to two years costs €80.46 by payment slip plus a €16 revenue stamp and €30 postage, a total of €126.46; the EU long-term permit costs €176.46 all in.

For someone arriving this autumn on a work visa, the sequence is: kit within 8 working days, residence contract within 15 days, then a decision within 30 days once the file is complete if it is a single work permit. Keep the post-office receipt: with your passport it lets you stay legally, and a worker who entered with a nulla osta may start work before the card arrives.

Sources: Normattiva, Legislative Decree 286/1998 (consolidated immigration act), articles 4-bis, 5 and 22, as amended by Legislative Decree 83/2026; Normattiva, Legislative Decree 16 April 2026 no. 83; Polizia di Stato, residence permit information and Questura cost tables; Portale Integrazione Migranti (Ministry of Labour), the residence permit, read 24 September 2026.

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