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The short answer
For most permit types, a Rome resident does not book the Questura di Roma directly: you submit the yellow-band kit at a post office with a Sportello Amico counter, and the clerk hands you a receipt and a letter with the date, time and place of your Questura appointment. If no slot can be given then, the letter says a registered letter (raccomandata) will follow to your declared address. At the appointment your fingerprints and photographs are taken.
Why the process starts at the post office
Across Italy, applications and renewals for the motives on Poste Italiane's list are filed through the post-office kit, and Rome follows the same national system. Poste Italiane's guide says that for the listed motives you must go to a post office with a Sportello Amico counter; for all other motives you go to the Questura itself, and for first permits for work or family reunification with a nulla osta you go to the Sportello Unico per l'Immigrazione at the Prefettura. Work, study and family permits held by Nigerians are among the motives on the post-office table (last updated 30 May 2024).
So for most people in Rome, the Questura is the second stop, not the first. The main exceptions are applications filed through a lawyer, guardian or administrator, which the Poste guide says must be made at the Questura, and permit types not on the post-office list.
The two papers the post office gives you
- Ricevuta (receipt)
- Proves you applied. It carries the codes you use to follow your file on PortaleImmigrazione.it, and it lets you move around Italy while you wait. Keep it attached to your passport (first permit) or to your expiring permit (renewal).
- Lettera di convocazione
- The Questura appointment: date, time and place. If the slot cannot be fixed at the counter, it says a raccomandata with the details will be sent to the Italian address on your form.
Read the convocation letter as soon as you get it. In a city the size of Rome the place on the letter may not be the central Questura building, so go by the address printed on your letter, not by what a friend was told for their own appointment.
If you cannot attend the date given
Appointments in Rome can be weeks or months away, and the date may clash with work or a planned trip. Do not simply miss it. Follow any instructions on the letter for changing the date, and if there are none, contact the Questura's immigration office in writing, quoting the file codes from your receipt. Keep proof that you asked. A missed appointment without explanation can slow your file down, and an expired permit with no fingerprinting record is harder to explain to an employer or a bank.
Waiting for a raccomandata
If your letter says the appointment will be sent by post, your Italian address matters. A raccomandata that cannot be delivered is left as a notice for collection at the post office, so check your letterbox, put your name clearly on the bell and the box, and tell the post office if you move. Meanwhile, follow your file on PortaleImmigrazione.it with the codes on your receipt. Poste Italiane also runs a free helpline, 800.200.309, Monday to Saturday from 8:00 to 20:00, to check the status of an application.
What to bring to the fingerprint appointment
Fingerprinting and photo checks (rilievi fotodattiloscopici) happen at the Questura. Bring originals of everything you copied into the kit, because the officer may want to compare them. A practical list:
- Your Nigerian passport, and the expiring permit if you are renewing.
- The post-office receipt and the convocation letter (or the raccomandata).
- Four recent passport-style photographs, which offices commonly ask for; check your letter.
- Originals of the documents for your motive: employment contract, payslips and CU, school enrolment, marriage or birth certificates with translations.
- Proof of address in Rome, such as your lease or residence certificate.
Arrive early, and expect queues. Only the applicant attends; children have their own appointments if they need permits.
After the appointment
After fingerprinting, the Poste guide says you can follow progress on the Polizia di Stato website using your file details. When the card is ready you will be told how and where to collect it; collection practices are set by each Questura, so follow the instructions you are given. If your permit expires while you wait, the receipt attached to it is what shows you applied in time.
What to check first
- Is your motive on Poste Italiane's Sportello Amico table? If not, contact the Questura directly.
- Do you have the €16 stamp, the €30.00 post-office fee, and the €30.46 card cost plus the contribution (€40, €50 or €100 by permit type) on the bollettino?
- Is your Rome address on the form exactly as on your letterbox?
- Have you kept the receipt codes somewhere safe?
Our guides on filling the kit postale and renewal costs cover the earlier steps. For Nigerian passport matters in Rome, see renewing a Nigerian passport in Rome.
Where Pryme fits
A valid passport and permit are what most Italian banks ask for. A Pryme Personal Account can be opened from Italy with euro account details, which some newcomers use while a permit is pending. See multicurrency accounts.
Questions people ask
How do I get an appointment at the Questura di Roma for my permesso?
For most motives you submit the kit at a post office with a Sportello Amico counter, and the appointment is printed on the convocation letter or sent later by raccomandata.
What do I take to the Questura for fingerprints?
Your passport, the post-office receipt and convocation letter, photographs if requested, and the originals of the documents you copied into the kit.
How do I check my permesso status in Rome?
Use the codes on your receipt at PortaleImmigrazione.it, then the Polizia di Stato website after the appointment, or call 800.200.309.
Can a lawyer submit my permesso application in Rome?
Yes, but Poste Italiane's guide says applications by lawyers, guardians or administrators must be made at the Questura, not the post office.
Sources
- Poste Italiane: Permessi di soggiorno, guida al rilascio e rinnovo (motive table updated 30 May 2024) · accessed Oct 2026
- Questura di Bergamo notice via Confindustria Bergamo: new contribution amounts for issuing and renewing permits (12 Jun 2017) · accessed Oct 2026
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