Italy student permit: renewal, work hours, conversion

Permesso per studio: 10,179.85 euro a year under the MUR 2026/27 circular, the KIT within 8 days, renewal by exams, 20 hours of work a week, conversion.

The permesso per studio is the residence permit for students at Italian universities. The route is short: pre-enrolment on Universitaly, a type D study visa, the KIT at the post office within the first 8 working days, then a yearly renewal based on exams passed. After graduation the permit converts to a work permit without quotas. Below are the requirements from the official texts (the law and the 2026/27 circular of the Ministry of Universities, MUR) and what Russian-speaking students report in the community chats. How to choose a university and validate your school diploma is covered in universities in Italy: admission; this page is about the permit itself. This is not legal advice.

In short: what the official texts say (checked 30.09.2026)

Means for the visa: 10,179.85 euro per year of study under the MUR 2026/27 circular (6,947.33 euro in 2025/26).
Visa deadline for bachelor's and single-cycle degrees: 30 November 2026; master's and PhD have no fixed deadline but must apply before teaching starts.
KIT: within 8 working days of arrival (art. 5 Testo Unico).
Renewal: 1 exam in the first year, 2 in each following year; no longer than 3 years beyond the programme (art. 46 DPR 394/1999).
Work: up to 20 hours a week, no more than 1,040 hours a year (art. 14 DPR 394/1999).
Conversion to a work permit: outside the quotas, before the card expires (art. 6 Testo Unico).
Voluntary SSN enrolment for students: at least 700 euro a year (art. 34 Testo Unico).

The route in five steps

Pre-enrolment on Universitaly. University offers and admissions are only part of it: the official pre-application of an international student goes exclusively through the universitaly.it portal, where the university confirms it. Each university sets its own dates. From 2026/27 the circular lets a university validate no more applications than its places for international students plus 20%.

Type D study visa. Filed at the consulate of your country of residence after the Universitaly validation. You need means, accommodation, health insurance with no limit on emergency hospital stays, and your education document. For a bachelor's degree that is a school diploma after 12 years of schooling plus a CIMEA certificate or a dichiarazione di valore. Fingerprints are taken for national visas from 11 January 2025.

KIT and the first permit. Within 8 working days of arrival, mail the KIT envelope (Mod. 209) at the post office, then give fingerprints at the questura and wait for the card.

Renewal every year. File the renewal KIT in advance, with proof of exams passed, enrolment, means and insurance.

After graduation. Convert to a work permit (subordinato or autonomo) or take the 9-12 month job-search permit.

Fill the KIT (Mod. 209)Field-by-field over the real Modulo 209: what to write, an example and a tip per field, by motive.

How much money to show: the new MUR amounts

The student means requirement is set every year by the MUR circular "Procedure per l'ingresso, il soggiorno, l'immatricolazione degli studenti internazionali". The new circular covers two academic years at once and raises the bar sharply:

Academic year	Means per year of study	Visa deadline (bachelor's, single cycle)	Source
2025/26	6,947.33 euro (534.41 euro a month x 13)	30.11.2025	MUR circular 2025/26
2026/27	10,179.85 euro	30.11.2026	MUR circular 2026/27
2027/28	10,179.85 euro	31.10.2027	same circular

Key points from the circular:

the money must come from lawful and traceable sources, preferably your own or relatives up to the fourth degree;
applying for, or being eligible for, a DSU grant or a residence-hall place does not count as means - do not build the visa budget on a future grant;
accommodation, insurance and the education document are checked separately from the money.

The chats still repeat the "about 6,000 euro per year of the programme" benchmark from earlier years. From 2026/27 use the new figure and check the exact document list on your consulate's website.

KIT and the first permesso per studio

The procedure is the same as for other permit types: KIT at the post office within 8 working days, fingerprints at the questura, then the card. How to fill in the envelope, what the post office charges and what to bring to fingerprinting is in the KIT and the permesso. For students, questura lists usually include:

the enrolment certificate stamped by the consulate (the one used for the visa);
a health insurance policy or voluntary SSN enrolment;
for renewal - proof of attendance, means and a certificate of exams passed.

The official list of one questura (Treviso, a PDF on questure.poliziadistato.it) gives the fees: a 16 euro revenue stamp, 30.46 euro for the electronic card and a 40 euro contribution (50 euro for permits over one year). That PDF dates from 2020, so check amounts and documents on your own questura's page.

Insurance. Since 1 January 2024 art. 34 of the Testo Unico sets a minimum voluntary SSN contribution of 700 euro a year for student permit holders (the general minimum is 2,000 euro). Per the community, students widely discussed the jump from the earlier ~150 euro to 700 in 2024 (64 messages over 2022-2026, peaking in 2024); some take a private policy for the first permit. What SSN covers and how to enrol is in SSN and the tessera sanitaria.

Renewal: exams decide

The renewal conditions are in art. 46 of DPR 394/1999 and have applied since 2005:

What is checked	Requirement	Where it is written
Exams in the first year	at least 1 passed (verifica di profitto)	art. 46 DPR 394/1999
Exams in each following year	at least 2	same
Exception	serious illness or force majeure - 1 exam is enough	same
Limit	no more than 3 years beyond the length of the programme	same
When to file	at least 60 days before the card expires	MUR circular 2026/27
Means, housing, insurance	as for the first issue	MUR circular, questura list

Card length. Under art. 5 of the Testo Unico the student permit may not be shorter than the study period, "including a multi-year one", with a yearly progress check. In practice it is renewed for a year: the MUR circular speaks of renewal "for the whole year" and integrazionemigranti.gov.it of a validity "from six months to a year". Plan on renewing every year.

Per the community, students know the "one exam, then two" rule well (about 40 messages in 2022-2025); the usual worry is the final year, when unfinished exams can put the renewal at risk, and the chats describe a refusal of renewal for exactly that reason. The general renewal procedure is in permesso di soggiorno renewal, and the caveats of travelling while the renewal is pending are in travel on the ricevuta.

Work: 20 hours a week and 1,040 hours a year

Art. 14 of DPR 394/1999 lets a student work up to 20 hours a week, "which can be accumulated over 52 weeks", while keeping the annual cap of 1,040 hours. So the text allows more hours in some weeks and fewer in others as long as the yearly total holds.

Per the community (about 40 messages in 2022-2026), most people only know "20 hours and that's it", and the annual averaging rarely comes up. In July 2026 members reported that some employers still only hire students for 20 hours a week and will not sign a full-time contract. If you are offered full-time work, ask a consulente del lavoro how the hours will be counted: going over the cap is a violation for both the student and the employer.

Conversion to a work permit: outside the quotas

The key change of recent years came with decree-law 20/2023. The current wording of art. 6 of the Testo Unico (in force from 23.06.2023) lets a student permit be converted to a work permit outside the Decreto Flussi quotas, but before it expires. Since July 2023 the integrazionemigranti.gov.it portal has explained that:

conversion is possible at any time of year and without numerical limits;
for university students, even before finishing their studies; for vocational courses and internships, only once they are completed;
the forms go through the Sportello Unico: VA (employment), Z (self-employment), V2/Z2 (for those who graduated or grew up in Italy);
an employment offer must be for more than 20 hours a week.

Older texts lag behind: art. 14 of DPR 394/1999 still says "within the quotas", and a prefecture guide from January 2024 says non-graduates convert within quotas. The law outranks the regulation, but prefecture practice varies, so confirm the procedure with your Sportello Unico before filing.

Per the community (about 45 messages in 2023-2026), "no quotas" is now common knowledge. Confusion remains around language-course permits, which chat members describe as non-convertible. One case from December 2025: a conversion was refused while the person only held the renewal ricevuta, and it ended with an order to leave. Do not leave it to the last month of the card. Where to convert to is covered in work permit: lavoro subordinato and lavoro autonomo.

After graduation: the job-search permit

Art. 39-bis.1 of the Testo Unico gives graduates a separate permit "per ricerca lavoro o imprenditorialità degli studenti" valid from 9 to 12 months, open to holders of a laurea, laurea magistrale, doctorate, master and certain AFAM and ITS diplomas. Conditions: income at the art. 29 level (for a single person, the assegno sociale amount), health cover and registration with the job centre (DID). During that time you look for an employer or start a business and then convert.

Per the community (about 80 messages in 2022-2026) people call it attesa occupazione; in individual reports the card came about 40 days after fingerprints, and some graduates moved straight to lavoro autonomo.

Family and grants

Family. Art. 29 of the Testo Unico allows family members to enter together with the holder of a study visa (familiari al seguito). In July 2026 chat members discussed reports that some offices have started applying stricter rules to such cases, with no official Interior Ministry clarification either way. The mechanics are in family reunification.
DSU grants. The regional right-to-study grant rests on D.Lgs. 68/2012; the amount depends on ISEE and on whether you live away from home, and each regional agency publishes its thresholds in its bando. Details in ISEE and DSU. Remember: for the visa, a grant application does not count as means.

How much you can work on a student permit - questions from the chats on the 20 hours, the 1040 hours and conversion.
Universities in Italy: admission and visa D - choosing a university, CIMEA or DDV, foundation year.
The KIT and the permesso - the first 8 working days after arrival.
Permesso di soggiorno renewal - the general renewal procedure.
Travel on the ricevuta - leaving and re-entering while the card is renewed.
SSN and the tessera sanitaria - voluntary enrolment and what it gives.
ISEE and DSU - tuition fees and grants.
Types of Italian residence permits - where the study route leads.
Lost or stolen passport or permesso - what to do if your documents go missing.

Official sources

MUR 2026/27 circular for international students: universitaly.it - studenti stranieri (PDF "Circolare 2026-2027 studenti internazionali", checked 30.09.2026)
Testo Unico Immigrazione, art. 5, 6, 29, 34, 39-bis.1: normattiva.it
DPR 394/1999, art. 14 and 46: normattiva.it
Student permit conversion: integrazionemigranti.gov.it
Questura document lists: questure.poliziadistato.it
Visas: vistoperitalia.esteri.it

This is not legal advice. Amounts and deadlines come from the official texts as of 30.09.2026 and change every academic year; chat experience is presented as community reports with message counts and years.

Frequently asked questions

How much money do you need for an Italian student visa in 2026?

Under the MUR circular for the 2026/27 and 2027/28 academic years, 10,179.85 euro for each year of study (it was 6,947.33 euro in 2025/26). The funds must come from lawful, traceable sources, preferably your own or your family's. Merely applying for a DSU grant or a residence-hall place does not count as proof of means. This is not legal advice - check your consulate's requirements.

How do you renew a student permit in Italy?

With the KIT at the post office, no later than 60 days before the card expires according to the MUR circular. Under art. 46 of DPR 394/1999 the permit is renewed if you passed at least one exam (verifica di profitto) in the first year and at least two in each following year, and it cannot be issued for more than three years beyond the length of the programme. You also need the enrolment certificate, means and insurance. This is not legal advice.

How many hours can you work on an Italian student permit?

Under art. 14 of DPR 394/1999, up to 20 hours a week, which can be averaged over 52 weeks within an annual cap of 1,040 hours. Community members report that some employers read the rule more strictly and only hire students for 20 hours a week. This is not legal advice.

Can you convert a student permit to a work permit before graduating?

Under art. 6 of the Testo Unico as amended in 2023, a student permit converts to a work permit outside the quotas, but only before the card expires. The integrazionemigranti.gov.it portal says university students may do this even before finishing their studies, while training courses and internships convert only once completed. Older prefecture guides still mention quotas - check with your Sportello Unico. This is not legal advice.

What happens to a student permit after graduation?

You can convert it to lavoro subordinato or lavoro autonomo, or take the separate job-search and start-up permit under art. 39-bis.1 of the Testo Unico, valid for 9 to 12 months, for holders of a laurea, master's, doctorate, master and some AFAM and ITS diplomas. It requires income, health cover and registration with the job centre. This is not legal advice.

Related materials - Choosing your route

Next stepProcessing timelineA stage-by-stage timeline with community-reported duration ranges by motive and questura.