After You Land in Italy: First-Weeks Checklist

Collect the yellow postal kit (kit giallo) from any post office, or get help completing it for free at an authorised municipality/patronage office. It contains two forms plus a payment slip. Submit the completed kit at a Sportello Amico post-office counter with your passport, visa, photocopies of the passport/visa pages, and the payment receipt. You'll receive a receipt with a tracking user ID/password and, later, a letter with your Questura (Ufficio Immigrazione) appointment date for biometrics.

• La Procedura, permesso di soggiorno via kit postale (Sportello Amico), Portale Immigrazione (Ministero dell'Interno / Poste Italiane)
• Guida rilascio e rinnovo permesso di soggiorno, Poste Italiane

The post office books the Questura (Ufficio Immigrazione) appointment for fingerprints and photographs, typically within about 15 days of the kit submission. After that appointment, the electronic permesso card itself is usually printed and issued within roughly 45 days end-to-end, though it can take up to 60 to 90 days at busier Questure, there is no guaranteed date, so don't book onward travel or job/internship starts assuming a specific issue date.

• Faster processing with the new electronic residence permit, Polizia di Stato (Ministero dell'Interno)
• Travelling abroad and back into Italy using only the postal receipt for a pending residence permit, Polizia di Stato (Ministero dell'Interno)

The codice fiscale is needed for nearly everything: registering a lease, opening a bank account, enrolling, and SSN registration. It is often generated automatically during the Universitaly pre-enrolment/visa process; if not, apply in person at any Agenzia delle Entrate office with your passport, visa, and (for stays over 90 days) after the permesso application is underway.

• Codice Fiscale, tax identification number, Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale (esteri.it)

With the codice fiscale and permesso application receipt, register for SSN voluntary coverage in person at the local AUSL office and choose a general practitioner (payment alone does not activate cover), or confirm the private policy is active. This is mandatory for the residence permit itself.

• Health coverage to apply for a residence permit, Università di Bologna

With the codice fiscale (and, once available, proof of address), open an Italian bank account. Complete in-person enrolment (immatricolazione) at the university, presenting the admission letter, passport/visa, and health insurance proof; pay any outstanding regional tax/stamp duty.

Check the university's or region's student transport discount, many university cities and regions offer discounted or free public-transport passes for students (schemes vary widely by region/city; some are age- or ISEE-linked), which is often the cheapest way to get around. Get a local SIM. For rented housing, expect a deposit (cauzione) of up to 3 months' rent (legally capped), and insist on a registered lease (contratto di locazione per studenti universitari), an unregistered lease has limited legal protection and complicates the permesso paperwork.