Over the past few weeks, false information has been spreading about the validity of long-term residence permits and the need to apply for updates in any case. Find out more here below.
As a result of Law 238/2021, the EU long-term resident permit no longer bears the words “unlimited duration,” but indicates the duration of ten years (five for minors under the age of eighteen). This duration refers only to the validity of the document and not to the regularity of the stay.
Foreign citizens holding long-term residence permits issued more than 10 years ago must apply for an updated title by going to Poste Italiane offices and filling out the kit to be sent to the Questura.
Foreigners who have applied for Italian citizenship based on residency must also deposit the updated permit of stay to the competent authority.
The legislation also introduced some new procedures with reference to residence cards for family members of EU citizens: in fact, the paper residence documents still in use today have ceased to be valid on August 3, 2023, and have to be replaced with the new residence permit in electronic format.
Again, this is a simple update of the residence permit already possessed, which can be done in two alternative ways: the foreigner can go to the post office and fill out the kit to be sent to the Questura, or he/she can make an appointment through the State Police’s PrenotaFacile portal, available at the link https://prenotafacile.poliziadistato.it/.
For those who have not yet applied for the new electronic permits, they should do so as soon as possible.
The conversion of these permits is also essential for citizenship applications. Foreigners who have already applied for Italian citizenship with their permit of stay in the paper format, must request the conversion of their permit into the new format (permesso elettronico). Then, they may send an e-mail to the competent authority, attaching the postal receipt, requesting the integration of the application. Once the new permit will be available, it will be integrated as well.
Individuals who are still in the process of applying for citizenship, should follow the same conversion procedure and may include the receipt along with the paper permit in hand with their application.
With both of the above-mentioned residence permits, and therefore also with the paper documents still in use, it is possible to travel directly to the country of origin and return to Italy. Some problems may be encountered in case of travel or layover in any other Schengen country.
See also: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32019R1157
This article was written by: Giuditta De Ricco, Timea Lelli and Maha Irshad
This article is posted by Mazzeschi Web Content Manager. Should you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@mazzeschi.it. Follow us on social media @StudioMazzeschi to receive the latest updates.
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