How to check your permesso status

How to check your permesso di soggiorno status: there are two official channels. The first is the personal area (area riservata) on portaleimmigrazione.it, with the login and password printed on the ricevuta from the post office. The second is the stranieri page on the Polizia di Stato site (questure.poliziadistato.it), where you enter the 12-digit assicurata number from the receipt or the 10-character case number received at the questura. A third channel - an SMS from the questura about the collection day - cannot be relied on: in community experience it reaches far from everyone.

People search for this check in several languages, and it is always the same two sites: in English "permesso di soggiorno check status" or "check permesso", in Italian "controllo permesso di soggiorno" and "permesso di soggiorno controllare online", in Russian "proverit gotovnost VNZh" (check whether the permit is ready). The "polizia di stato" and "questura" entry points are the same questure.poliziadistato.it portal; "portale immigrazione" is the other site. The trouble is that all three channels live their own lives: statuses hang for months, the sites contradict each other, and the SMS does not reach everyone. Below is where to find the number to check with, what each wording means, and how to act when the silence drags on. This is an overview based on community experience, not legal advice.

Where to find the number to check

"Permesso di soggiorno - where is the document number?" is the most common sticking point: the receipt carries several numbers and it is not obvious which one goes where. In community experience the breakdown is this (receipt layouts differ between offices and change - check against your own ricevuta and your questura).

• Numero assicurata, 12 characters. The registered-mail number the kit travelled under from the post office; per the community it is printed next to the barcode on the ricevuta. This is what the stranieri page on questure.poliziadistato.it expects. The same number usually also works for tracking the envelope on poste.it.
• Login and password from the ricevuta, two numbers. Not a "document number" but the access pair for the area riservata on portaleimmigrazione.it: per the community two numbers in the upper part of the receipt, with the password typed as one string, without spaces or hyphens.
• Numero di pratica, 10 characters. The case number at the questura; per the community it is handed out at fingerprinting - on a slip, in the invitation or as a stamp. It works on the police site instead of the assicurata, and in a letter to the PEC of the ufficio immigrazione.
• The number on the plastic card. Printed on the finished card and not needed for a readiness check: it becomes useful later - in forms, at the bank, in dealings with the comune.

If no number shows anything and more than two months have passed since fingerprints, the problem is not the digits: that is a reason to approach the questura - see the section below.

Where to check permesso readiness and status: three channels

This is about an application filed through the kit at the post office or directly at the questura. Where the receipt comes from and what the whole procedure looks like is covered in the article on the postal kit for the permesso.

You can check on two sites - the police one and the immigration portal. Keep in mind that the picture there does not always match reality. If there is no news of readiness for more than three months, it is time to find out directly at the questura or the commissariato instead of waiting on.

What in istruttoria, in trattazione and the other statuses mean

No site publishes an official dictionary of statuses, so the decoding below is assembled from community observation and the general meaning of the Italian terms. Blank, a cross or a tick on the police site is a separate system of icons, covered in the kit article.

The immigration portal pulls data worse and often scares you with problems that are not there. The police picture is, as a rule, closer to reality. But if after fingerprints you keep seeing that the case is not in the archive, you have to move: write to the PEC, call, go there on foot. The case may have been blocked, and nobody is going to notify you. And SMS messages do not arrive in every region.

How long each status usually hangs

All figures below are community observations, not a rule. The spread between questure is huge: small towns sometimes issue the card in a couple of weeks, overloaded ones take half a year. Ranges by motive and city are collected in the processing timeline tool, and per questura on the questura pages.

67 reports across Italy, median 45 days (first permesso 44 days over 49 reports, renewal 66 over 18). The whole way from posting the KIT to the card has a median of 214 days, over six months for 30 of 50.

• under 1 month16
• 1-2 months20
• 2-3 months13
• 3-4 months3
• 4-6 months8
• 6-9 months6
• over 9 months1

Questure with 4 or more reports: Milan - median 38 days over 13 reports, Rome - median 65 days over 6 reports, Turin - median 62 days over 5 reports, Savona - median 128 days over 4 reports.

Waits read by hand in open chat messages 2022 - June 2026 (snapshot 2026-06-23); lived experience, not questura statistics.

• From handing in the kit to the fingerprint appointment. Per community reports usually from a few weeks to a few months; in big cities the date is often set after the old card has expired.
• In istruttoria after fingerprints. Most often 1-3 months; in Rome and Milan participants describe even three months without movement as something ordinary.
• A ready card with no status change. Not rare: the plastic is sitting at the questura while the site still says in istruttoria. That is why after 2-3 months you should ask in person.
• A blank screen after the in trattazione status. Participants have seen the status disappear for a while; in such cases the questura suggested coming back 60 days after fingerprints.

I gave fingerprints in the middle of summer and was promised the card in a couple of months. Three went by: no SMS, no changes, the immigration portal still showing in istruttoria. I walked over to the questura - it turned out the permesso had long been ready and was just lying there. So the site does not replace a visit.

What to do when the status does not change for months

Per the community the working sequence looks like this:

1. Re-check the number. Assicurata is 12 characters, the case number is 10; the login and password from the ricevuta are typed without spaces. Try both sites.
2. Compare with your questura's timelines. If less than 2 months have passed since fingerprints, inquiries are usually pointless - you will be told to wait.
3. Write to the PEC of the ufficio immigrazione. A short letter with the case number, the fingerprint date and a request to report the state of the case. Find your questura's PEC address on its page of the police portal. Some questure answer within days, others stay silent.
4. Come in person during opening hours. In community experience this is often more effective than correspondence: with the ricevuta and passport the information desk can look up the case. A number of cities have separate hours or tickets for informazioni.
5. The commissariato for your area. If the questura is far away, participants asked the commissariato to check the case - they see the system too.
6. A sollecito by PEC or through a lawyer makes sense after a genuinely long silence; the community benchmark is about half a year, but practice differs by city.

You can check on the questura site or on the immigration portal, the login and password are taken from the ricevuta, and the password is typed as one string. But this only works if your questura updates the sites at all. If not, what is left is writing to them by email.

An SMS arrived or an address appeared: how to collect the permesso

When the status changes to ready, the office and address are usually shown; in parallel an SMS with the day and time should arrive. In community experience people bring to the ritiro:

• passport (original, valid);
• the original ricevuta and the A4 cover sheet;
• the old permesso, if this is a renewal;
• a printout of the SMS or of the site page with the status;
• documents from the summons letter: some questure ask for the originals of the copies from the kit and photos.

If the SMS set a day when you cannot come, participants advise writing to the PEC or coming during opening hours and asking for another date - the card is not thrown away, but every questura has its own rules. After collection check the card's validity period: per the community it is often shorter than what was paid for, and that raises separate renewal questions - see the article on permesso renewal and the absence rule.

Watch the immigration portal: when the card is ready, the appointment date for collection should appear there. Usually that is about two months after fingerprints, but it can be longer - it depends on the motive and on how busy the questura is.

Takeaways

1. The permesso status is checked on two sites: Portale Immigrazione (login and password from the ricevuta) and the police site (the 12-character assicurata number or the 10-character case number).
2. In preistruttoria, in istruttoria and in trattazione mean one thing: the case is being worked on, wait.
3. The readiness SMS does not reach everyone or everywhere - the status on the site is decisive, not the message.
4. If nothing changes 2-3 months after fingerprints - PEC, a visit in person, the commissariato. The card may be ready while the status hangs.
5. For collection bring your passport, the ricevuta, the old permesso and the summons letter; a missed date is rescheduled through the questura.

Related articles

Official sources

• questure.poliziadistato.it/stranieri - status check by assicurata or case number, notice about the collection SMS.
• portaleimmigrazione.it - the foreign citizen's area riservata: state of filed cases and appointment dates.
• poliziadistato.it - Polizia di Stato: how to check the permesso online, questura pages with contacts and PEC.
• interno.gov.it - the Ministry of the Interior: residence rules and permesso circulars.
• poste.it - Poste Italiane: the kit, the ricevuta and shipment tracking.

See also: what the questura is and why you go there.

Waits at your questura

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Frequently asked questions

Where do I check the status of a permesso di soggiorno online?

There are two official places: the personal area on portaleimmigrazione.it (the login and password are printed on the ricevuta) and the stranieri page on questure.poliziadistato.it, where you enter the 12-digit assicurata number from the receipt or the 10-character case number. In community experience the sites update with a delay and sometimes contradict each other, so people check both. This is not legal advice.

Which number do I enter to check - where is it on the ricevuta?

The Polizia di Stato site wants the numero assicurata of 12 characters (the registered-mail number, per the community printed next to the barcode on the receipt) or the numero di pratica of 10 characters handed out at the questura at fingerprinting. The area riservata on portaleimmigrazione.it does not want a document number at all but the login and password from the ricevuta - per the community two numbers in the upper part of the receipt, with the password typed as one string. The number printed on the plastic card itself is not needed for a status check. Receipt layouts differ and change - check against your own ricevuta and your questura; this is not legal advice.

What does the status in istruttoria mean?

The case has been accepted and is under review: documents are being checked, database queries are running, the card has not been printed yet. Per community reports this status can hang from a few weeks to several months and sometimes does not change even when the plastic card is already sitting at the questura. Verify with your questura - this is not legal advice.

How is in trattazione different from in istruttoria?

In community observation these are the wordings of two different sites for the same thing: the police site says documento di soggiorno in trattazione, Portale Immigrazione says in istruttoria or in preistruttoria. Both mean the case is being worked on and you keep waiting. Exact status definitions are not published officially - this is not legal advice.

Will I get an SMS when the permesso is ready?

The police site promises an SMS with the day, time and place of collection, but in community experience the message arrives far from always, and several large questure reportedly do not send it at all. The status on the site is treated as decisive, not the presence of an SMS. Do not wait months for a message - check the site and go to the questura if it drags on. This is not legal advice.

The status has not changed for several months - what do I do?

The community benchmark is this: waiting up to 2-3 months after fingerprints is normal, beyond that you write to the PEC of the ufficio immigrazione, go in person during opening hours with the ricevuta, or ask the commissariato to look up the case. Sometimes a case is blocked at a check and nobody will find you unless you ask. This is not legal advice.

What do I bring to the ritiro of the permesso?

In community practice - your passport, the original ricevuta, the old permesso if you had one, and the sheet with the collection date or the SMS. Some questure also ask for the originals of the documents enclosed in the kit and photos - check the list in your questura's summons letter. Verify what is current on questure.poliziadistato.it - this is not legal advice.

Why is my permesso di soggiorno taking so long - what is the legal deadline?

Under art. 5 para. 9 of the Immigration Testo Unico the questura must issue, renew or convert a permesso within 90 days of the application (as amended by D.Lgs 83/2026, previously 60); a permesso unico for work within 30 days of the application being complete (para. 8.1-bis), and a long-term permesso UE within 90 days (art. 9). In practice these deadlines are often exceeded, but para. 9-bis expressly lets you stay in Italy and work on the ricevuta even after the legal deadline has passed, until the questura notifies grounds for refusal. Text on normattiva.it, checked 05.10.2026; this is not legal advice.

Related materials - Status, travel and renewal

• Travel on the ricevuta: leaving and re-entering Italy
• Leaving Italy on a permesso: 6 months and renewal
• Prenota Facile 2026: booking the questura
• Accordo di integrazione: earning 30 crediti

Next stepFill the KIT (Mod. 209)On the real form

Documents for this topic

• Module 2 (Mod. 209) - data form on work activity and income for permesso di soggiorno
• Official form Mod. 209 - application for permesso di soggiorno (Kit Permesso)
• Template application for renewal of residence permit for self-employed (lavoro autonomo, Art. 4 DL 20/23)