A study visa allows foreign nationals to come and stay in Italy for a short or long period to attend university courses, training courses or vocational training held by qualified or certified entities or as an alternative for foreign nationals performing educational and research activities. This visa requires the following:
This permit is issued pursuant to Article 26-a of the Italian Immigration Law (Legislative Decree 286/1998).
This is a special type of permit for non-EU citizens that intend to invest the following amounts within three months of their entry into Italy:
This visa requires proof of available means of support during the stay in Italy and the amounts to be invested under the obligation undertaken through the visa application.
Permits are valid for a maximum period of two years and can be renewed.
This permit is issued pursuant to Article 26 of the Italian Immigration Law (Legislative Decree 286/1998).
This permit is issued to non-EU citizens that intend to create or join an "innovative" start-up in Italy, either with the support of a "certified incubator" (a company that hosts start-ups and supports business ideas, meeting the requirements set out by the Ministerial Decree of 22 December 2016) or without.
Applicants must provide both a business model to be evaluated by the technical committee set up by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development and proof of available means to be invested in the start-up.
Permits are valid for a period of one year and can be renewed.
Starting 10 March 2012, all applicants for residence permits with a minimum of a one-year duration must sign an integration agreement. This integration requirement is a points-based system concerning permission to stay, according to which each applicant starts with 16 points and must obtain 30 points within the first two years of their residence permit.
Within 30 days of signing the agreement, the applicant is required to attend a five-hour course in English (eight other languages are also available) to learn about Italy and Italian culture. Failure to attend this course results in the loss of 15 points.
One month before the integration agreement expires, the prefecture will carry out an audit to verify the number of points the applicant has obtained. The applicant may take a test to demonstrate their degree of knowledge of the Italian language, civic culture and civic life in Italy. The result of the audit can be a finding that the requirement has been completed (if more than 30 credits are obtained), a one-year extension (if fewer than 30 credits are obtained) or a final resolution (if zero credits or fewer are obtained, resulting in permit of stay revocation and expulsion from Italy).