# advice for renewal of Permesso



## prospecthearts (Mar 24, 2015)

Hello all!

I'm an American doctoral student doing research in Rome. I was granted a one-year study/research Visa and also have a one year Permesso. I'm going to try and renew my Permesso for another year because I'm still working on my research. I would like to know if I also need to renew my American Visa? How can I do that from Rome? Also, are there any clear instructions somewhere as to how I renew my Permesso? 

Thank you!
Jenn Lindsay


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Do you mean your Italian visa, obtained at an Italian consulate or at the Italian embassy in the United States? No.

Visas facilitate entry for a specific purpose only. Once you've entered, the visa has served its purpose and is moot. Your (valid, unexpired) PdS is what allows you to stay for a particular purpose (and re-enter, as long as it's still valid). If you're able to renew your PdS, you're all set.

If, hypothetically in the future, you leave Italy and your PdS expires (or the purpose for which it was issued ends), you would apply for a new visa to move back to Italy. I presume you're a U.S. citizen with Schengen visa waiver privileges, so alternatively you can visit Italy without a visa, but only for short stays as a tourist.


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## prospecthearts (Mar 24, 2015)

Thank you very much! Yes, I had obtained my visa at the Italian embassy in Boston last June in order to gain entry. Once here in Italy I applied for and gained my Permesso di Soggiorno and it expires June 2015. 

So, I just need to fill out the renewal kit at the post office with the accompanying support documents?

Thank you for your help! This is all a little confusing and when I talk to Italians it becomes overwhelmingly complicated. 


Jenn


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

OK, but (leaving aside the annoying link advertising), that paragraph isn't well written and is thus somewhat misleading. Visa validity refers to the deadline for entry under the terms of that visa. An ER visa may or may not be valid for one year -- that is, once issued, allow you to postpone your entry into Italy for up to one year. (In fact I don't think an ER visa is ever valid that long, though I might be mistaken.)

Likewise, you don't renew a visa after arrival in Italy. You renew a PdS (residence permit). Consulates and embassies outside Italy issue Italian visas.

Visas are to facilitate entry for a specific purpose -- that's it. (More precisely, visas grant you initial permission to be _considered_ for entry when you present yourself at passport control at the border. Visas are like court appointments: they grant you a _hearing_, not necessarily a favorable entry decision.) If granted entry, residence permits then establish and regularize your stay after arrival (and soon, because you must apply within a certain deadline after arrival). Upon renewal, residence permits maintain your permission to stay. Residence permits can (and often do) have different terms, such as permitted length of stay, than the original visa suggested you _might_ receive, but the residence permit comes after the visa and is thus controlling.


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## prospecthearts (Mar 24, 2015)

Thanks for your feedback. I guess I will start assembling documents attesting to my independent research here in Rome, my American university salary, and my post office renewal packet. Hopefully this will be adequate for renewal--it got me the PdS in the first place!


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