Codice Fiscale, Residence Permit and Healthcare Card: What to Do When You Arrive in Italy

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HomeMade

Three documents. One priority order. Everything new arrivals need to know about Italy's essential bureaucratic steps — updated for 2025/2026.

Italy has a reputation for bureaucratic complexity that, for once, is not entirely undeserved. Yet for incoming students — whether arriving on Erasmus+, a bilateral exchange, or a degree programme — the administrative essentials on arrival are predictable, manageable, and best approached in a specific sequence. Get these right in the first two weeks, and everything else follows considerably more smoothly.
Step One: The Codice Fiscale
The codice fiscale is Italy's alphanumeric tax identification code. Without it, almost nothing in the country's administrative or financial system is accessible: you cannot open a bank account, sign a rental contract, register with a GP, receive a scholarship payment, or enrol formally at a university. It is, without question, the single document to obtain first.
The procedure differs according to your citizenship. EU students can request it directly at any local Agenzia delle Entrate office by presenting form AA4/8 — downloadable free of charge from agenziaentrate.gov.it — together with a valid passport or national identity card. The process is free and typically completed on the spot, with the number assigned and a paper certificate issued during the same visit.
Non-EU students have a different path. Those arriving on a study visa for a stay of more than 90 days will receive their codice fiscale through the Questura (police headquarters) when applying for their permesso di soggiorno (residence permit) — the two processes are linked. For stays under 90 days, the codice fiscale can be requested directly at the Agenzia delle Entrate.
One important note for students applying to an Italian university before arriving: the codice fiscale can in many cases be obtained automatically through the Universitaly portal during the pre-enrolment process, saving a separate administrative step after arrival.
The Agenzia delle Entrate publishes a dedicated multilingual guide — available in 17 languages — at agenziaentrate.gov.it, which provides up-to-date procedural information for each category of applicant.
Step Two: The Permesso di Soggiorno (Non-EU Students Only)
Non-EU nationals arriving in Italy on a study visa and intending to stay for more than 90 days must apply for a permesso di soggiorno per motivi di studio (residence permit for study) within eight working days of arrival. This is a legal obligation, not a formality to defer.
The application is submitted not at the Questura directly but at an enabled post office (Uffici Postali abilitati), using a pre-packaged kit postale available at those offices. The kit contains the application form, instructions and the postal order for the applicable fees. Once submitted, the post office issues a receipt — which must be kept, as it certifies the regularity of the application and permits movement within Italy while the permit is processed.
The applicant will then be summoned to the Questura for fingerprinting and document verification. Processing times vary by city and by the volume of applications received, and can take several months. For the first renewal, students must demonstrate academic progress — typically proof of having passed at least one examination.
Documents required at application include: valid passport with entry visa, proof of enrolment or university invitation letter, evidence of financial means (the 2025 threshold is €538.69 per month, or approximately €7,003 annually), and proof of private health insurance or SSN enrolment.
Step Three: Healthcare Coverage and the Tessera Sanitaria
EU and EEA students arriving with a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) — the Tessera Europea di Assicurazione Malattia (TEAM) in Italian — can access Italy's public healthcare system immediately, without separate registration. The EHIC is presented each time public health services are used in place of the Italian health card. It covers medically necessary care in public facilities but does not cover private treatment, repatriation, or travel-related expenses.
For stays exceeding 90 days, EU students are advised to register with the local ASL (Azienda Sanitaria Locale) and enrol in the Servizio Sanitario Nazionale (SSN), which entitles them to a tessera sanitaria — the Italian health card — and enables them to choose a local general practitioner. Registration requires the codice fiscale, proof of residence and a valid identity document.
Non-EU students face a different choice: either enrol voluntarily in the SSN — at a fixed annual cost of €700, valid from 1 January to 31 December of the calendar year — or maintain a private health insurance policy valid in Italy for the duration of their stay. Both options are accepted for the permesso di soggiorno application, but the SSN route provides the most complete and convenient coverage for a full academic year.

Key Resources

Agenzia delle Entrate (codice fiscale, form AA4/8, multilingual guide): agenziaentrate.gov.it
Ministero dell'Interno (permesso di soggiorno procedures): interno.gov.it
Portale Immigrazione (kit postale and residence permit documentation): portaleimmigrazione.it
Universitaly (pre-enrolment and automatic codice fiscale): universitaly.it
Your host university's International Office or Settore Studenti Internazionali: the most reliable source for city-specific guidance, appointment booking and document checklists.

Procedures are subject to annual revision. Always verify current requirements with your host university and the relevant official portals before arrival.