Contents
Can you fly at all with a ricevuta in 2026
Main article on the topic: Permesso: how to get it
Navigation for all guides - knowledge base.
Applied for a residence permit (permesso), received a ricevuta, permesso not yet issued — can you leave Italy and return?
Short answer: yes, you can. But with important limitations.
Ricevuta (ricevuta) = confirmation of application submission
When you submit the KIT at the post office (Poste Italiane), they give you a ricevuta — a receipt with the submission date. This is your main document while waiting for the plastic permesso (from 1 to 16 months depending on the city). Together with a D visa or an old permesso it grants the right to stay in Italy and to travel out and back.
"You can’t really plan anything while waiting for that visa. You gather documents, submit them to the consulate or visa center and wait. Three months, six months or more. No one will tell you when the visa will be ready."
Law: Ministry of Interior circular of 16 June 2007
Is there a specific law that allows traveling with a ricevuta?
Circolare del Ministero dell'Interno del 16 giugno 2007
The Italian Ministry of Interior circular of 16 June 2007 explicitly states: foreign nationals, regularly residing in Italy, may temporarily exit and return holding only the Poste Italiane receipt (ricevuta). For a first residence permit application + a valid D visa — you may exit and return via external Italian border checkpoints.
Key point: exit and return must be via an Italian border checkpoint. Not via another Schengen country.
"Strangely: nothing about the validity period of the ricevuta — meaning the date on the ricevuta isn’t critical. In practice border officers check: original expired permesso if present, original ricevuta, a valid passport, and a direct route without Schengen transit."
The ricevuta has no expiry
The ricevuta has no expiration date. The date on it is the submission date, not an expiry. It is valid until you receive the permesso (or a refusal).
Exit and return rules in 2026
What exact rules must be followed when flying with a ricevuta?
-
✓Direct flight to/from Italy
No transfers through other Schengen countries. Rome - Istanbul - Moscow: OK (Turkey is not Schengen). Rome - Frankfurt - Moscow: RISKY (Germany = Schengen).
-
✓Via an Italian border checkpoint
Departure from an Italian airport, return to an Italian airport.
-
✓Originals of all documents
Passport, D visa (or old permesso), ricevuta — all originals, not copies.
Two scenarios
Visa D + ricevuta
The D visa must be valid
Direct flight from Italy
Return only to Italy
Expired permesso + ricevuta
The permesso can be expired
Direct flight from Italy
Return only to Italy
Which documents to take with you
-
✓Valid passport
Original, not a copy
-
✓Original ricevuta
Receipt from the post office (Poste Italiane)
-
✓D visa (if first residence permit)
Must be valid at the time of travel
-
✓Old permesso (if renewing)
May be expired — this is normal
Additionally recommended
Printout of the Ministry of Interior circular of 16.06.2007 (in case airline staff have questions), a copy of the rental contract (proof of residence in Italy), return ticket.
Airlines and border control
Will they let you board with a ricevuta — and what to say at the check-in desk?
The main risk is not the border control (they usually know the rules), but the airline at the check-in desk.
| Route | Community experience |
|---|---|
| Italy - Turkey (Istanbul) | Usually without problems |
| Italy - Armenia (Yerevan) | Airlines can be strict, they check |
| Italy - Azerbaijan (Baku) | There are questions sometimes, but they let you board |
| Italy - UAE | Usually without problems (direct flights) |
| Italy - Germany/France | SCHENGEN - risky with transit |
What to tell the airline
If asked at check-in: "Do you have a visa/residence permit for return?" — show the ricevuta + D visa (or permesso). If they insist — show the printed Ministry of Interior circular. Italian border control usually knows the rules better than airline staff.
Transit through Schengen — the main risk
Do not fly via other Schengen countries with a ricevuta
The ricevuta grants the right to exit and enter only through an Italian border checkpoint. If you fly Rome - Frankfurt - Moscow, the German border control might not recognize the ricevuta and may not allow your re-entry on return. Only direct flights to/from Italy to non-Schengen countries.
- Safe: Rome - Istanbul, Milan - Dubai, Rome - Yerevan (direct)
- Risky: Rome - Vienna - Moscow (transit through Schengen)
- Dangerous: Crossing the border overland Italy - France/Switzerland/Austria
If the permesso is expired
When renewing a residence permit your old permesso will be expired. This is a normal situation — you applied for a renewal and are waiting for the new one.
Expired permesso + ricevuta = legal stay
An expired permesso together with the ricevuta confirming the renewal application proves your legal stay in Italy. Border control knows this. But keep in mind: some banks (Revolut, Monte dei Paschi) block accounts when the permesso is expired.
Real community experiences 2026
"I flew with a ricevuta from Rome to Istanbul and back. At Italian border control they checked the passport, ricevuta, D visa — and let me through without questions. In Istanbul they didn’t ask anything at all. On the return flight the airline at check-in asked if I had a residence permit — I showed the ricevuta, they nodded."
"With a ricevuta and a D visa I once left Italy for Serbia as a nomad. Now I need to fly to Moscow for work. I’m worried: I’ve been in Italy more than 90 days in 180. But the D visa is not subject to the 90/180 rule — that’s for Schengen. The D visa grants the right to long-term stay."
"I had a case — the permesso stayed in questura for 9 months. On the website there was a red cross, SMS didn’t arrive. I didn’t even know it was ready — I found out by chance at ASL when I was changing my tessera. I flew all that time with the ricevuta without problems."
Conclusions
The Ministry of Interior circular of 16.06.2007 explicitly allows it. The ricevuta has no expiry.
No transit through Schengen. Rome - Istanbul: ok. Rome - Frankfurt - Moscow: no.
Passport, ricevuta, D visa (or old permesso). A printout of the circular — for the airline, which may not know the rules.
Italian border guards know the rules. Airline check-in staff — not always. Be prepared to explain.
Related articles
Codice Fiscale 2026
Lavoro Autonomo 2026
Digital Nomad visa - submitting the KIT and receiving the ricevuta