What Happens After You Arrive in Italy With a D-Visa? A Realistic, Step-by-Step Guide

Congratulations—you secured your long-stay D-visa for Italy. That complex, nerve-wracking consulate process is finally over. But while getting the visa sticker feels like the finish line, the reality is that it is simply your entry ticket to the starting line.

The real work of establishing legal, long-term residence in Italy begins the moment you land. Your permanent status depends on completing the next set of permesso di soggiorno steps correctly and in the right order.

This guide provides a realistic, step-by-step roadmap for what to do after Italy D-visa entry, with crucial notes for those following the self-employment visa process Italy (Lavoro Autonomo).

The Truth Most Official Guides Won’t Tell You

The D-visa gives you permission to enter Italy and a legal basis to apply for the Permesso di Soggiorno (residence permit). It is not the long-term status itself.

If you fail to complete the key after-arrival steps—especially within the legal deadlines—your status can quickly become irregular, even though you hold a visa in your passport.

Step 1 — Enter Italy Within the Visa Validity Period

Your D-visa usually has a validity window (for example, up to 90 days) during which you must enter Italy for the first time and cross the border.

Key point: the visa validity window is not the duration of your stay. It is simply the deadline to activate your right to apply for the long-term status.

Once you enter Italy, the clock starts ticking immediately on the next, far more important step: the Permesso di Soggiorno application.

Step 2 — Submit Your Permesso di Soggiorno Application Within 8 Days

This is the most time-critical step after arriving in Italy with a D-visa. Italian immigration law (Art. 5 of the Testo Unico Immigrazione) requires non-EU nationals to request a Permesso di Soggiorno within 8 days of arrival.

The Kit Postale Process

Most long-stay applicants—including those on a Lavoro Autonomo visa—apply via the kit postale:

• Obtain the kit: pick it up at a major Post Office (Poste Italiane) that displays the Sportello Amico logo.
• Complete the forms: fill out the required forms (moduli) included in the kit.
• Gather documents: insert copies of your passport, D-visa, Nulla Osta (if applicable), and any other required identity and supporting documents.
• Pay fees: pay the mandatory fees, typically including:
  • the postal fee (around €30),
  • the electronic residence permit fee (PSE, currently €30.46), and
  • the permit fee for the chosen duration (around €50–€130).

Upon submission, the Post Office clerk issues the ricevuta postale (postal receipt). This receipt is a legally important document: it proves that your application has been filed and that your stay is now regular and pending review.

Step 3 — Receive Your Questura Appointment

Immediately after submitting the kit postale, the Post Office will print out your Questura appointment, which includes:

• the date and time of your appointment, and
• the specific Questura (Police Headquarters) where you must appear.

Depending on the city and current workload, this appointment may be scheduled anywhere from a few weeks to several months away. During this period, your ricevuta is the primary proof of your legal status.

Step 4 — Prepare Your Documents for the Questura Interview

The Questura appointment is the core in-country verification step. The officer checks that your documentation aligns with the reason for your visa.

Lavoro Autonomo Checklist

While exact requirements vary by province, a typical self-employment checklist includes:

• Valid passport
• Original D-visa and entry stamp
• The original Nulla Osta (crucial)
• Proof of accommodation (rental contract or dichiarazione di ospitalità)
• Codice Fiscale (if not already provided)
• Passport photos (often 4, check local instructions)
• Specific Chamber of Commerce / professional attestations (depending on activity type)
• The original ricevuta postale

At the appointment, the Questura will take your fingerprints, digital photo and digital signature to finalise the biometric data for your future Permesso card.

Step 5 — Wait for the Permesso di Soggiorno Card

After your fingerprints are taken, the waiting phase begins. Processing times vary, but a realistic range is often two to six months, depending on the area and the type of permit.

Your status during the wait

• Regular stay: your presence in Italy remains fully regular, backed by the ricevuta postale.
• Work rights: for Lavoro Autonomo applicants, your right to work and operate your business generally flows from your visa + pending Permesso, in line with the status you have requested.
• Status check: you can follow the progress via the Polizia di Stato online tracking portals by using the tracking number printed on your ricevuta.

Step 6 — Register Your Residence (Iscrizione Anagrafica)

This step moves you from immigration status (managed by the Questura) to civil status (managed by your Comune). This is your iscrizione anagrafica: the official registration of your address.

You must apply at the Anagrafe office of the Comune where you actually live.

Timing and documentation

• Timing: having the plastic Permesso card makes registration easier; however, many Comuni accept a combination of your D-visa, ricevuta, and housing contract. Local practice varies, so it is important to check how your Comune handles first-time foreign registrations.
• Documents: commonly requested items include:
  • passport,
  • Permesso card or ricevuta postale,
  • original rental contract or property deed, and
  • proof that you actually live at the declared address (utility account, etc.).
• Verification: the Comune typically sends a vigile urbano (municipal officer) to verify that you genuinely live at the address you declared. Once confirmed, you are officially registered as a resident.

Step 7 — Open Your Partita IVA (for Lavoro Autonomo Applicants)

For self-employment applicants, this is when you formalise your business structure in Italy. To do this properly you typically need:

• a valid Codice Fiscale, and
• a stable address (residenza or at least a clear domicile).

The standard steps usually include:

• ATECO code declaration: selecting the correct ATECO code that describes your professional activity in Italian terms.
• Agenzia delle Entrate: registering your Partita IVA with the Italian Revenue Agency.
• Tax regime selection: choosing your tax regime (for example, the Regime Forfettario if you qualify).
• INPS registration: enrolling in the appropriate social security fund (for most freelancers, this is Gestione Separata).
• Chamber / professional body: if applicable, registering with the Chamber of Commerce or a professional order (Ordine Professionale).

Step 8 — Begin Work and Maintain Compliance

Once your Permesso is issued and your Partita IVA is active, you are fully operational in Italy. From this point on, your focus must shift to ongoing compliance, which is critical for renewals.

• Work activity: you must show real, traceable self-employment activity that matches your Nulla Osta and Permesso type.
• Financial solvency: your income should meet or exceed the economic thresholds required for renewal, proving that you can support yourself without becoming a burden on the state.
• Tax and contributions: regular tax declarations and on-time INPS contributions are non-negotiable for keeping your position in good standing.

Key Takeaways

• The D-visa is your ticket to enter Italy and apply for long-term status; the Permesso di Soggiorno is the actual legal status you live on.
• The success of the self-employment visa process Italy depends heavily on hitting the 8-day deadline and managing your Questura and Anagrafe interactions carefully.
• Your first 90 days in Italy are foundational for everything that follows: renewals, long-term residency, business operations and ultimately citizenship paths.