EU Long-Term Resident Permit in Rome: The Complete Guide
After five years in Italy you can get a permanent residence status that never expires. Requirements, documents, costs, and realistic timelines at the Rome Questura.
In a nutshell
The EU long-term resident permit — formerly known as the carta di soggiorno — is the open-ended residence status available to non-EU citizens who have lived lawfully in Italy for at least five years. The status never expires, gives you full access to work and welfare, and opens the door to settling in other EU countries. It is also the required stepping stone toward Italian citizenship.
At a glance
| Cost | Around €146.46 in total (postal kit €30 + government contribution €70.46 + electronic card fee €30.46 + marca da bollo revenue stamp €16). Housing-suitability certificate: €16 + possible inspection fee €80–200 |
| Timeline | 9–18 months overall. Rome Questura alone: 6–12 months from kit submission |
| Where in Rome | Questura di Roma — Via Teofilo Patini 23. Kit submitted via Sportello Amico at Poste Italiane |
| Documents | Passport, valid permit, CUD/730 tax documents, housing-suitability certificate, Italian A2 certificate (or exemption proof) |
Who can apply
You can apply if you meet all of the following conditions at the same time.
Five years of continuous lawful residence. Most regular permit types count. Exceptions: short-stay permits, medical-treatment permits lasting under a year, business permits, and permits issued while an asylum claim was pending and ultimately rejected. Periods spent on a study permit count at half their actual length. Absences from Italy of more than 6 consecutive months — or more than 10 months in total over the five-year period — break the count, with limited exceptions for documented reasons.
Minimum annual income. The 2024 benchmark is the INPS social allowance (assegno sociale): at least €6,947.33 per year. The threshold rises when you have dependants: +50% for each cohabiting spouse or minor child, +100% when there are two or more minor children. Employee income is proved with the CUD tax certificate; self-employed income with the Modello Redditi or Modello 730 (Italy's simplified annual tax return for employees). Income from public subsidies (ADI, NASpI, reddito di cittadinanza) alone is not sufficient.
Suitable housing. You must submit a housing-suitability certificate (certificato di idoneità alloggiativa) issued by the Rome Municipio (district office) responsible for your address. The certificate is valid for 6 months from the date of issue.
Italian at A2 level. For this permit, A2 is enough — the B1 level required for Italian citizenship does not apply here. The test is organised by the Prefettura di Roma (regional state-government office representing the central state) and is free of charge. Exemptions apply to: children under 14, people with an Italian academic qualification, those who already hold an A2 or higher certificate from a recognised body (CILS, CELI, PLIDA, Roma Tre), recognised refugees, and people with documented severe disabilities.
Clean criminal record. Certain definitive criminal convictions for serious offences (murder, armed robbery, significant drug trafficking, terrorism, etc.) automatically disqualify an applicant.
Enrolment in the national health service. You must present a valid Tessera Sanitaria (Italian health-insurance card).
How it works: step by step
Step 1 — Check your eligibility. Before anything else, confirm that you genuinely have five continuous years, sufficient income, suitable housing, and an A2 certificate. You can do this on your own or with free help from a Patronato (free union-run office helping with social-security and immigration paperwork) — ACLI, INCA, ITAL, or INAS. A mistake on the requirements means rejection and loss of the €146 you have already paid.
Step 2 — Italian A2 test (if you are not exempt). Book online at testitaliano.interno.gov.it. Expect to wait 30–60 days for your appointment and another 30–60 days for the result. The test is free when taken at the Prefettura.
Step 3 — Housing-suitability certificate. Apply at your local Municipio. In some districts the certificate is free; in others a paid technical inspection is required (€80–200). Processing takes 30–90 days. Remember: validity is 6 months from issue — don't apply too far in advance of submitting your kit.
Step 4 — Fill in and send the postal kit. Pick up the yellow "Modulo Unico - Permesso di soggiorno" kit at any Poste Italiane office. Fill in form 209/UE (the long-term resident version), attach a marca da bollo (revenue stamp you stick on official forms) of €16, and include photocopies of all your documents. Then go to a Sportello Amico branch of Poste Italiane — not every post office has one; search at Poste.it. In Rome, Sportello Amico is available at (among others): Poste Roma Termini (Via Marsala 39), Poste Roma EUR (Viale Europa 173), Poste Roma Trastevere (Via Quirino Maiorana 113), Poste Roma Tiburtina (Via Tiburtina 1083). The Sportello Amico clerk gives you a registered-mail receipt — your temporary permit during the wait — and the date of your Questura appointment.
Total cost at the post office is around €146.46: €30 kit + €70.46 contribution + €30.46 electronic-card fee + €16 stamp.
Step 5 — Questura appointment. Go to the Questura di Roma - Ufficio Immigrazione, Via Teofilo Patini 23, on the date indicated (usually 60–180 days after sending the kit). Bring originals of all the documents you photocopied, your postal receipt, and your passport. At this appointment they take your fingerprints, photo, and digital signature.
Step 6 — Review and collection. The Questura checks all requirements over 6–12 months. When the permit is ready, you receive an SMS, or you can check the status on portaleimmigrazione.it using your case reference number. Go to the Questura with your postal receipt and passport to collect the electronic card in CIE format (Italy's electronic ID card format), complete with chip and fingerprints.
What you get — and for how long
The long-term resident status never expires. The physical electronic card must be renewed every 10 years (every 5 for minors), but the status itself remains permanent.
The EU permit lets you work without further authorisation, access full welfare entitlements (family allowances, public housing), bring your family through simplified procedures, and move to another EU country to live there.
Mistakes to avoid
- Confusing A2 with B1. For the EU long-term permit, A2 is enough. B1 is required only for Italian citizenship. Don't waste time and money on the wrong level.
- Unsuitable housing or an expired certificate. If the certificate is more than 6 months old, or the property doesn't meet regional habitability standards, your application will be rejected. Check before you submit the kit.
- Even a brief gap in your registered address. Just a few days without being registered at the Anagrafe (civil-registry office at the Comune, handles residency) can break the five-year count. Always keep your residency registration active.
Special cases
Families with minor children. Children under 14 are exempt from the A2 test. To include them in the application you need: a legalised and translated birth certificate, a family-status certificate, the child's valid permit, passport photos, and a €16 revenue stamp per child.
Refugees and subsidiary protection holders. After five years from when they were granted status, they are entitled to the EU permit through a simplified procedure: exempt from the A2 test, allowed to use substitute documents instead of documents from their country of origin, and in some cases not subject to the housing requirement.
Your ordinary permit has expired. If your permit expired more than 60 days ago, you cannot apply for the EU permit. You must first renew your ordinary permit. If it expired less than 60 days ago, you can submit the EU application while the ordinary renewal is in progress.
Moving to another EU country. With an Italian EU long-term permit you can stay freely in another EU country for 3 months, and then apply for that country's local long-term resident permit after 5 years of residence there. The years spent in Italy do not count toward the new country's five-year requirement.
Official sources
- Polizia di Stato — Permesso UE lungo soggiornanti
- Questura di Roma
- Portale Immigrazione (stato pratica)
- Test italiano Prefettura
- Prefettura di Roma
- Comune di Roma — Municipi
- Poste Italiane — Sportello Amico
- Ministero Interno — Immigrazione e asilo
- D.lgs. 286/1998 TU Immigrazione (Normattiva)
- D.lgs. 3/2007 recepimento Direttiva 2003/109/CE
Legal references: D.lgs. 25 luglio 1998 n. 286 art. 9 (TU Immigrazione); D.lgs. 8 gennaio 2007 n. 3; Direttiva 2003/109/CE; DPR 31 agosto 1999 n. 394; DM Interno 7 marzo 2012; DL 4 ottobre 2018 n. 113 conv. L. 132/2018.