EU Long-Term Residence Permit

The complete process generally takes 3-4 months from application submission to document issuance:

• Document preparation: 1-2 weeks
• Post office submission
• Questura appointment: 2-4 weeks for summons
• Final processing: 2-3 months

You must have:

• At least five years of qualifying legal and continuous residence in Italy
• Stable and regular resources meeting the current threshold: €7,101.12 for a single applicant in 2026, with the applicable family calculation
• Italian language knowledge at A2 level proved through an accepted test, certificate, diploma or exemption
• No individualized finding that you represent a danger to public order or national security
• The residence and documentary conditions applicable to your case

Beneficiaries of international protection are exempt from the language requirement. Other statutory exemptions may apply because of age or certified serious learning or health limitations. An accepted Italian diploma or recognized certificate such as CELI, CILS, PLIDA or CERT-IT proves the requirement without taking the prefectural test; it is evidence, not a separate exemption.

5 years of legal and continuous stay are counted without interruptions exceeding 6 consecutive months or 10 total months. For refugees, the period can be counted from the asylum application date. Documents proving continuity of stay are required.

For 2026, the base annual threshold for a single applicant is €7,101.12. Where qualifying family members are involved, the family calculation under the applicable Article 9 and Article 29 rules must be used. Stable and regular income may come from employment, self-employment, pension or other lawful sources accepted by the authority.

Family files can be coordinated, but each family member requesting EU long-term resident status must personally satisfy the five-year qualifying residence requirement. Income and housing may be documented at household level where the national rules allow, but they do not replace the individual five-year period. Relatives who are still abroad may instead need a separate Family Reunification Visa before building their own qualifying residence history.

You obtain:

• Permanent status in Italy, subject to the statutory withdrawal grounds
• Enhanced protection from expulsion based on an individualized proportionality assessment
• Equal-treatment rights in employment, education, social protection and healthcare within the limits of the law
• Unrestricted access to employment and self-employment in Italy, subject to regulated-profession rules
• Facilitated mobility to participating EU countries under the second State's conditions
• A physical card updated every 10 years for adults and every 5 years for minors

This status is distinct from Italian citizenship by residency, which has separate residence periods, language, income and discretionary requirements.

The status facilitates a move to another participating EU Member State for work, study or other permitted purposes. You must apply for a residence permit in that State and prove its required resources, health insurance, accommodation or employment conditions. Labour-market restrictions may apply, and the status is not equivalent to EU citizenship.

The underlying status is permanent, while the physical card is updated every 10 years for adults and every 5 years for minors. A routine card update is not a fresh income test, but the status can be withdrawn for fraud, acquisition of long-term status in another Member State, qualifying prolonged absence from the EU or Italy, or other statutory grounds.

Article 9 excludes specific categories, including persons currently residing for study or vocational training, temporary-protection beneficiaries or applicants, persons awaiting a final decision on international protection, short-stay or formally temporary residence grounds, and persons covered by diplomatic conventions. Beneficiaries of international protection granted in Italy are not excluded. Special-protection and mixed-permit histories require an individual assessment rather than a blanket rule.