Permesso di Soggiorno for employment search (attesa occupazione)

In Italy, the right to work is fundamental. For this reason, there is a type of permesso di soggiorno for foreign citizens who have lost their job or who have completed a study or training pathway and are looking for employment. The permesso for employment search allows you to remain legally in Italy while searching for a new job. Let’s see how it works, who can obtain it, and how to apply.

What is the permesso for employment search

The permesso di soggiorno per attesa occupazione allows a foreign citizen to stay in Italy to look for a job, after the end of an employment relationship or after the completion of a study or an internship.

The Italian law provides for two situations:

You have lost your job and your current permesso di soggiorno is about to expire.
You have finished a study or training program and, after completing your studies, you are looking for a job in Italy.

Who can apply

The permesso di soggiorno per attesa occupazione can be obtained by:

Workers who have lost their job (dismissal or resignation). In order to apply for the permit for waiting for employment, you must: have been regularly employed in the past; be registered with the Employment Centre (Centro per l’Impiego) and on the placement lists as a job seeker; hold a valid permesso di soggiorno or be in the renewal phase, provided it is not a permit for seasonal employed work (lavoro subordinato stagionale).

Remember that once you lose your job, you have 40 days to submit the request to the Centro per l’Impiego!

Students or trainees who have completed their study or training program.

How to apply

The application for the permesso di soggiorno per attesa occupazione is submitted through the postal kit (kit postale). Inside the kit you must include:

Copy of the passport;
Copy of the permesso di soggiorno;
Revenue stamp (marca da bollo) of €16.00;
Payment receipt of a postal money order of €70.46 (in addition to €30 are the costs for sending the kit);

Copy of the certificate of declaration of immediate availability for work (dichiarazione di immediata disponibilità) issued by the Centro per l’Impiego;
Documentation certifying previously earned income;
Certificate of residence (certificato di residenza).

Attention! In the postal kit you must include photocopies of the documents and never the originals.

After sending the kit, you will receive a receipt that you must keep until you obtain the residence permit from the police headquarters (Questura). You will receive a communication by registered mail (raccomandata) at your residence address and a text message to the phone number you entered in form 1 (modulo 1) of the Kit with the date of the appointment at the Questura. In some cases, you may also receive the appointment date directly at the post office.

The documents to present at the Questura are: 4 passport-size photos; your passport; your old permesso di soggiorno.

Duration and renewal of the permit

The permesso di soggiorno per attesa occupazione generally has a duration of up to 12 months. In some rare cases (for example, if you are part of a family unit composed of a person who has sufficient resources not to burden the State social assistance system), the permit may last more than one year. At the renewal stage, you can contact a CAF or a specialized legal help desk for further information.
The permit is not renewable, but it can be converted into a permesso di soggiorno per lavoro subordinato.

What you can do with the permesso di soggiorno per attesa occupazione

With this type of permesso you can of course look for a job. In addition, the permit:

Allows you to register with the National Health Service (Sistema Sanitario Nazionale);
Does not automatically guarantee an income or financial support;

Remember: when you find a job, convert the permesso as soon as possible.

Useful link

Job search and assistance, employment centers | Ministry of Labor and Social Policies

Go to the link