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The short answer
A marca da bollo is an Italian revenue stamp: a sticker that proves you have paid imposta di bollo, the stamp duty due on many applications and official documents. A permesso di soggiorno application through the post-office kit needs one €16 marca da bollo, which Poste Italiane's guide says you buy at a tabaccheria or other authorised stamp retailer. It is separate from the €30.00 post-office fee and the card cost and contribution paid on the bollettino.
What the stamp is for
Italy charges a small tax, imposta di bollo, on many requests made to public offices and on certain documents. Rather than paying it at each office, you buy a printed stamp with a fixed value and attach it to the paper. Think of it as a receipt for a tax that you carry on the document itself.
For a residence permit, the stamp is one of four separate payments. Poste Italiane lists them as €16 for the marca da bollo, €30.00 paid to the post-office clerk, and €30.46 for producing the electronic permit plus the applicable contribution, both paid on one bollettino.
Where to buy one
- Tabaccherie (tobacconists), named in Poste Italiane's guide. Ask for "una marca da bollo da sedici euro".
- Other authorised stamp retailers (rivenditori autorizzati), which the guide also mentions. If you are unsure whether a shop sells them, ask before queueing.
Pay in cash if you can; some small shops do not take cards for tax stamps. Keep the stamp flat and clean, as a creased or damaged stamp may be refused.
If you live far from a shop that sells them, buy two or three at once when you are in town: they do not lose value, and you will need more for translations, certificates and later renewals.
Where it goes on the permesso application
The kit instructions show where to fix the stamp on the application form. Stick it in the place indicated, without covering any of your writing, and do not cancel or write over it unless the instructions say so. If the stamp is missing, the clerk can refuse the kit, so buy it before you go to the post office: you cannot always buy one there.
Common mistakes
- Buying the wrong value. The permesso application needs €16; one stamp of €16 is clearer than several smaller ones.
- Forgetting it altogether, then losing your booked counter slot.
- Using a stamp already stuck on another form.
- Confusing the stamp with the bollettino: they are separate payments.
Other places a Nigerian in Italy will meet it
The same €16 stamp turns up throughout immigration and civil paperwork. Two examples from official sources:
| Use | What the source says |
|---|---|
| Sworn translation of Nigerian documents | Tribunale di Modena: €16 from the first page and every four pages (or 100 lines), plus €16 on the sworn statement |
| Citizenship by residence | Prefettura di Cremona document list: a €16 marca da bollo with the application |
Example: a six-page sworn translation in Modena needs two €16 stamps for the pages and one for the statement, so €48 in stamps before the translator's fee. If you are preparing documents from Nigeria, plan for stamps alongside translation: sworn translation in Italy and documents for Italian citizenship explain both.
Applying for a family
When parents and children apply together, each person has their own application, and the Poste guide says one bollettino is paid per applicant. The 2017 contribution is due from applicants aged 18 and over; the Questura di Bergamo notice says the €30.46 card cost is payable by minors too. Example: a parent renewing a two-year permit and a ten-year-old child would pay €80.46 and €30.46 on two bollettini. Ask at the counter or a patronato whether each child's application also needs its own stamp, because that depends on how the child is included in the parent's file.
If something goes wrong with the stamp
A stamp is a tax payment, so treat it like cash. If you buy the wrong value, ask the shop straight away whether it can exchange it; once a stamp is stuck on a form it cannot be reused. If you lose a stamp before using it, you will normally have to buy another. Keep the shop receipt with your copies, and buy stamps a day or two before your counter appointment rather than on the way, in case the nearest shop has run out.
Totting up the cost of a permesso
Example: renewing a one-year permit. Marca da bollo €16, post-office fee €30.00, bollettino €70.46 (card €30.46 plus €40 contribution). Total €116.46. For a two-year permit the bollettino is €80.46 and the total €126.46; for the EU long-term permit the bollettino is €130.46 and the total €176.46. The contribution figures come from the 2017 decree reported by the Questura di Bergamo. For the full renewal picture see filling the kit postale.
Where Pryme fits
Tax stamps are bought in person, usually in cash, so Pryme does not sell them. Where Pryme helps is the rest of your money: euros for Italian costs and naira for family at home in one account. See multicurrency accounts.
Questions people ask
How much is the marca da bollo for permesso di soggiorno?
€16, according to Poste Italiane's guide to the kit. It is separate from the €30.00 post-office fee and the bollettino.
Where can I buy marca da bollo in Italy?
At a tabaccheria or another authorised stamp retailer. Poste Italiane's guide names tabaccherie.
Can I pay the marca da bollo at the post office with the kit?
Buy it beforehand and stick it on the form. The Poste guide lists the stamp as bought at tabaccherie or stamp retailers.
Is the marca da bollo the same as the bollettino?
No. The stamp is stamp duty (€16); the bollettino pays the €30.46 card cost and the contribution.
Sources
- Poste Italiane: Permessi di soggiorno, guida al rilascio e rinnovo (motive table updated 30 May 2024) · accessed Oct 2026
- Tribunale di Modena: scheda informativa asseverazioni, perizie e traduzioni · accessed Oct 2026
- Questura di Bergamo notice via Confindustria Bergamo: new contribution amounts for issuing and renewing permits (12 Jun 2017) · accessed Oct 2026
- Prefettura UTG Cremona: documents for citizenship by residence (art. 9 L. 91/1992) · accessed Oct 2026
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