What is the receipt “ricevuta” of the permesso di soggiorno?

The Ricevuta of the permesso di soggiorno is a paper that the foreigner receives when they send the request from the postal office (or questura) for their permesso di soggiorno.

While he is waiting for his appointment and also to receive their permesso card, the receipt is the document that allows the foreigner to stay in Italy, so the foreigner has to bring it always with him.

What is written on the receipt?

The receipt contains a User ID and a password that the foreigner can use to log in, on http://www.portaleimmigrazione.it to understand if there are any missing documents before the fingerprint appointment (In any case pay attention because sometimes the documentation requested can wrong).

Also the ricevuta contains foreigner’s data and the date of the appointment (If it’s not written there, it will be communicated to the foreigner via letter or SMS)

Can the foreigner work with the receipt?

As the Art.5 comma 9 bis of the TUI states, with the receipt, the foreigner is allowed to work.

Can the foreigner travel with the receipt?

Yes, if it’s the first release of the permesso di soggiorno, apart from the receipt the foreigner needs to travel with the passport and the visa (if it is of multiple entries) he used to enter in Italy, so until the expiration of the visa, if after the expiration he didn’t receive the permesso yet, he cannot go outside from Italy.

If it’s the ricevuta of the permesso renewal, the foreigner needs to travel with the expired permesso, ricevuta and his passport.

He is allowed to travel back to his home country with a direct flight or without any layovers in the Schengen area, as the circolare of the Ministero dell’Interno states

Can the foreigner travel to the Schengen area with the receipt?

No, the foreigner is not allowed to travel in the Schengen area with the receipt of the permesso, to do that, he needs a valid permesso di soggiorno.