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Residence permit postal kit in Rome: complete guide to the yellow envelope

How to fill in the yellow envelope, which documents to bring, where to submit it, and what to do with your receipt. Everything you need to know before visiting a Sportello Amico post office.

12 May 2026·

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In a nutshell

The postal kit is the yellow envelope you pick up free of charge at any post office in Italy. It contains the forms you need to apply for, renew, update, or replace a permesso di soggiorno (residence permit for non-EU citizens). Once filled in, you hand it to a post office with a Sportello Amico counter, pay €30, and receive a receipt that works as a provisional permit until the Questura (police headquarters — which also issues residence permits) releases the actual document.

At a glance


Total cost	From €76.46: €30 postal fee + €16 marca da bollo (revenue stamp you stick on official forms) + €30.46 government contribution (permit 3–12 months). Contribution rises to €70.46 for permits of 1–2 years; €100.46 for permits over 2 years or long-term EU resident status.
Timeline	Receipt: immediate. Questura appointment letter: 2–8 weeks. Physical permit issued in Rome: 6–12 months.
Where in Rome	Pick up the kit: any post office (around 350 in the city). Drop off: only offices with a Sportello Amico counter.
Core documents	Passport + full photocopy, completed Form 1, €16 revenue stamp, contribution payment slip, 4 passport photos 35×40 mm on a white background.

What it is for and who uses it

The postal kit has been in operation since 2006, under an agreement between the Ministry of the Interior and Poste Italiane. Non-EU citizens use it to:

Apply for a first permit after entering Italy on a visa (work, family reunification, study, etc.)
Renew before expiry — submit within 60 days of expiry; for permits longer than one year, at least 60 days before expiry
Convert from one permit type to another (e.g. study to work)
Update personal details: change of address, marriage, birth of a child, new passport
Replace a lost, stolen, or damaged permit

Who does not use the kit: EU/EEA/Swiss citizens (they do not need a residence permit); asylum seekers (who go directly to the Questura's Immigration Office at Via Patini 23); and people entering under a Decreto Flussi (Italy's annual quota decree allocating non-EU work visas) or with a nulla osta (work authorisation clearance), who must first go to the Sportello Unico Immigrazione (one-stop immigration desk at the Prefettura — the regional state-government office representing the central government) at Via Ostiense 131/L, Rome.

What is inside the yellow envelope

When you pick up the kit at any post office you receive:

An A4 yellow envelope to put everything into
Form 1 (4–8 pages): personal details, reason for the request, declarations — always required
Form 2 (1 page): details on family members, income, accommodation — required only in specific cases (first work permit, family reunification, some conversions)
Instructions in Italian, English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Ukrainian, and other languages
A pre-printed payment slip for the government contribution (€30.46 / €70.46 / €100.46 depending on permit length)
A checklist of documents to attach for each type of request

Pick up one kit per person: you must show a valid ID or your expiring permit to collect it.

How to fill in the kit correctly

Form 1

Fill in using block capitals with a black or blue pen; no correction fluid or erasers. If you make a mistake, ask the post office for a replacement kit.

Section A: surname, first name, date and place of birth, citizenship, marital status, Codice Fiscale (Italian tax ID — your personal 16-character code), passport details, Rome address
Section B: details of spouse and dependent children
Section C: type of request (first issue / renewal / update / conversion / replacement)
Section D: reason (work, family, study, etc.) and specific sub-categories
Section E: date and border crossing point of entry into Italy, visa type
Section F: type of accommodation (owned, rented, hosted)
Section G: liability declarations with signature — bear in mind that false declarations are a criminal offence

Most common errors: writing the surname in the "first name" field, swapping day and month in dates, omitting the Codice Fiscale, forgetting to sign. Double-check before leaving home.

Form 2

Required only for a first work permit, family reunification, entry under Decreto Flussi, and some conversions. Not usually needed for a standard renewal.

The contribution payment slip

The slip is pre-addressed to the "Ministero dell'Economia e delle Finanze — Dipartimento del Tesoro" on postal account no. 4621. Write in the correct amount, your personal details, and sign. Pay at the post-office counter or via the PostePay app. Keep the receipt: it goes inside the yellow envelope.

Documents to attach

All applicants must include:

Valid passport in original + full photocopy of all used pages
Photocopy of the expiring residence permit (for renewals, updates, and replacements only)
€16 revenue stamp (do not stick it on the form yourself — the counter clerk applies it)
Paid contribution slip
4 recent passport photos, 35×40 mm format, white background, no dark glasses, face uncovered (head coverings accepted for documented religious reasons)

Additional documents depend on the permit type. For renewal of an employment permit: last 3 payslips, annual tax certificate (Certificazione Unica) from the previous year, current employment contract. For self-employment renewal: up-to-date company registry extract from the Camera di Commercio, latest tax return. For family and family-reunification permits: civil-status documents translated into Italian by a sworn translator and apostilled or legalised, plus a housing-suitability certificate from the Comune (city hall / municipality) of Rome if required. For the long-term EU resident permit: certificate of no criminal convictions, Italian language certificate at A2 level (CILS, CELI, or PLIDA), income documentation. All foreign documents must be translated into Italian by a sworn translator and apostilled or legalised.

The full checklist for each permit type is in the official Questura PDF: documents for residence permit applications via postal kit.

How to submit the envelope: step by step

1. Pick up the kit. Go to any post office, ask for the residence-permit kit, and show your ID. It is free.

2. Fill it in at home (or at a patronato). Patronato (free union-run office helping with social-security and immigration paperwork) assistance is free by law. Read the instructions in your language. Fill in Form 1 and, if needed, Form 2. Gather all your documents. If in doubt, visit a patronato.

3. Go to a Sportello Amico. Only enabled post offices accept the envelope. Bring: the yellow envelope open (not sealed), your passport in original, €30 for the postal fee, and €16 for the revenue stamp (available at a tabaccheria — licensed tobacconist — or at the counter).

4. Hand it in and collect your receipt. The clerk checks the contents, photocopies your passport, applies the revenue stamp, and seals the envelope. You receive two documents: a payment receipt and a receipt with a hologram code and a registered-mail tracking number (12-digit code). That receipt is the most important document: it serves as a provisional permit and lets you log into your personal area on portaleimmigrazione.it to track your application.

5. Wait for your appointment letter. Within 2–8 weeks you will receive by post (or SMS) a letter from the Questura with the date, time, and address for fingerprinting, photo, and signature. In Rome the physical permit takes an average of 6–12 months to be issued.

Where to go in Rome

You can pick up the kit at any of the 350-plus post offices in Rome. To find the nearest one use the Poste Italiane app, the poste.it — Find an office tool, or call the free helpline 803.160 (free from landlines and mobiles).

For submission you need a Sportello Amico office. Some examples:

Post Office	Address	Municipio
Roma V.R. (San Silvestro)	Piazza di San Silvestro 19	I
Roma Ostiense	Via Marmorata 4	I
Roma Prati	Viale Giuseppe Mazzini 101	I
Roma Appio	Via Taranto 19	VII
Roma EUR	Viale Beethoven 36	IX

Typical Sportello Amico hours: Mon–Fri 8:20–19:05, Sat 8:20–12:35. In some offices the counter only operates in the morning — always confirm with the helpline 803.160.

If you need help filling in the forms, patronato offices are free at all their branches across Rome's 15 Municipi. Main patronati in Rome: ACLI (Via Marcora 18–20), INCA CGIL (Via Buonarroti 51), ITAL UIL (Via Cavour 108), INAS CISL (Via Po 22).

Mistakes to avoid

Thinking the kit costs money. The envelope is free at every post office. If someone tries to sell it on the street or online, it is a scam.
Paying a patronato to fill in the forms. By law, assistance with the kit is free. Patronati may only charge for separate services (sworn translations, tax consultancy). If someone asks €50–100 just to fill in the forms, go elsewhere.
Sticking the revenue stamp onto the form yourself. The post-office clerk applies it at submission. If you stick it on first, they may refuse the envelope.
Sealing the envelope before reaching the Sportello Amico. The clerk must be able to check the contents — arrive with the envelope open.
Entering the wrong contribution amount. The amount depends on the length of the permit you are applying for. An incorrect amount will result in your application being rejected. Confirm the figure with a patronato before filling in the slip.
Using non-compliant photos. Cropped selfies are not accepted — you need professional passport photos 35×40 mm (€3–5 at a photographer or an automatic photo booth).
Trusting websites that promise to "speed up" the process. Questura timelines are the same for everyone: no private intermediary can shorten them.

Special cases

Kit for a minor. The form is in the minor's name and signed by the parent or legal guardian. Attach the parent's ID and the child's birth certificate. The government contribution (€30.46 / €70.46 / €100.46) is not payable for under-18s.

Renewal submitted more than 60 days after expiry. The Questura may still renew, but it will consider the reasons for the delay. Prepare a written explanation with supporting documents (illness, hospitalisation, or equivalent evidence). There is a risk of refusal, which would leave you in an irregular immigration status.

You moved after submitting the kit. Go to any Sportello Amico and submit an update kit. Cost: €30 (Poste) + €16 stamp. The contribution (€30.46) is not payable for updates.

You lost the receipt. Report the loss at the nearest police station, then return to the Sportello Amico where you submitted your application and ask for a duplicate receipt.

You are an asylum seeker. Do not use the postal kit. Go directly to the Questura, Immigration Office at Via Patini 23, to submit form C3.

Official sources

Legal references: D.Lgs 25/07/1998 n. 286 artt. 5, 9, 13 (Testo Unico Immigrazione); DPR 31/08/1999 n. 394 artt. 9-11-13; DM Interno 11/05/2011 (importi contributo); Direttiva Ministero Interno 11/03/2009 (ricevuta postale come titolo provvisorio); Circolare Ministero Interno n. 400/B/2024 (validità ricevuta fino a 9 mesi).

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