On this page, we'll describe the general process to obtain the Research VISA and Residence permit for non-EU citizens. The description will be in approximate chronological order

Congrats! You've accepted a postdoc offer from the Department of Physics of the University of Padua, so you are ready to meet the biggest enemy of your enjoyment while in Padua: Italian bureaucracy. But don't worry, we've got you covered and will tell you all you can do to make it easier.

The first thing to do is to have your documents ready. Two of them are very important:

• Passport: we recommend you to check the website of the Italian Embassy in your country of residence for the latest requirements. Usually, you will need 4 empty pages in the passport for the VISA.
• Highest University degree: Either Master's or PhD degree, depending on whether this is your first postdoc or not. In any case, the degree diploma/certificate needs to be legalized, apostilled, and translated to Italian in the country of issue. Let us be clear on the last point: if you are a citizen from country A, did your PhD in country B and live in country C when you receive the offer from Padua, you need to do the legalization/apostille/translation process in country B.

Acceptance of the contest result and Hosting agreement.

After the formal process of selection is over, the secretary of the Department (or INFN) will contact you to start the formal process of hiring and VISA application. This could happen 3-4 months after the informal offer and 3-4 months before the hypothetical starting date of your postdoc.

You will have to send via email some typical documents like ID/passport. But the most important part is that they will send you the Hosting agreement via PDF, which you will have to print thrice, sign the 3 copies, scan one of them, send the scan of the signed copy by email, and send the 3 printed and signed copies by post to the Physics Department of the University of Padua. Try to send both the scan and the physical copies as soon as possible.

Once the hosting agreement is signed by the Head of the Department, the secretaries and the International Office (SAOS) will send it to the authorities to request the "Nulla Osta". But that's a story for another section.

VISA application

Although not required for the Hosting Agreement, the secretaries will probably ask you for a PDF copy of your highest University degree, legalized, apostilled and translated to Italian. Once all that is in hand of the University, SAOS (the International Office) will request Questura (the National Police station) to check them and issue the corresponding "Nulla Osta". The "Nulla Osta" is a document that tells the Italian Embassy and related government bodies (Border control, immigration…) that the local authorities checked preliminary your papers and you can apply for a VISA to come to Italy. YOU CAN NOT APPLY FOR A RESEARCH LONG-TERM VISA WITHOUT THE NULLA OSTA.

You'll receive the Nulla Osta 30-60 days after the Hosting agreement is signed, provided you send the requested documents quickly enough.

Once the Nulla Osta is in your hands, you have all the documents needed to apply for the VISA at your closest Italian Embassy/Consulate. In general, you will apply for a National Type D Long-term VISA for research, so follow the corresponding instructions. You can check your VISA eligibility here.

We strongly suggest you carefully read the webpage of the Italian Embassy/Consulate where you will apply. The requirements can change at any time and might depend on your nationality/country of residence. As an example, : here you have the information page from the Consulate in London.

The application procedure might depend slightly on the Embassy/Consulate you will use. In general, you will need to book an appointment, fill out a standard application form, then attend the appointment with all the printed documents, give your passport at the appointment, pay the fees, and wait for the VISA to be ready. The VISA will be printed on your passport, so you will be without it from the moment of the application appointment until it is returned to you. Usually, you can pick up the passport or ask them to send it to your house for a fee.

Some general but important recommendations:

• Usually, they'll ask you to have 4 pages free of seals in your passport. If your passport is a well-used one, consider getting a new one.
• Book the VISA appointment well in advance, possibly at the time that you have an estimate time for the issue of the Nulla Osta. In some places (like the UK), it is almost impossible to find appointments less than 30 days in the future.
• You can directly request the VISA with a duration of 365 days by stating 365 in the "Duration of intended stay" field of the corresponding form.
• In the field of "Cost of travelling and living", you can either say that you will be supported with "Other" and clarify that is with a University contract, or with your own Cash/Credit Card (they might require some bank statement)
• The University address and Phone number to use are: VIA F. MARZOLO N. 8 - 35131 PADOVA - TELEPHONE NUMBER + 39 049/8277115
• In purpose of travel, use "Other - Research".
• Tick for "Multiple entries"
• In field 31/32 (Contact name and address), you will use the ones of the Head of the Department. Ask the Secretary for up-to-date information.

Most of the document checks are carried out before issuing the Nulla Osta, so the VISA does not take long usually. You should receive it 10-15 days after the appointment.

Codice Fiscale

For non-EU citizens, the easiest way to get it is to ask the Secretary to obtain it for you and send it to you via email. They could do this right after signing the Hosting Agreement and even before getting the Nulla Osta.

Residence Permit application submission

Moving to your flat

Health insurance

Banking

Picking up your Residence Permit

Dichiarazione di Residenza

Applying for the Carta d'Identità

Others