Moving to Italy from Turkey
Quick answer
Turkish citizens need a Schengen (type C) visa even for a short visit to Italy. To live in Italy they need a national (type D) visa, which is a different application from the short-stay visa, then a permesso di soggiorno within 8 working days of arriving. In addition, documents issued in Turkey need an Apostille under the Hague Convention plus an official Italian translation.
As a Turkish citizen you need a Schengen visa even to visit Italy, and a separate national (type D) visa to live there. Once in Italy you have 8 working days to start your permesso di soggiorno, and your civil documents must be legalized for Italian use. Approdo builds your exact checklist and pre-fills the forms.
- ✓Short-stay visa vs national visa — which one you actually need
- ✓The 8-working-day permesso deadline, counted for you
- ✓Codice fiscale, residenza and tessera sanitaria, in order
Frequently asked questions
Do Turkish citizens need a visa to move to Italy?+
Yes, and for two separate things. Turkey is on Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, so you need a Schengen (type C) visa even for a short visit. To live in Italy you need a different document: a national (type D) visa, applied for at an Italian consulate before you travel. A short-stay visa cannot be converted into the right to live in Italy — check your own case on the Italian foreign ministry's official visa tool at vistoperitalia.esteri.it.
How do I legalize my documents from Turkey for use in Italy?+
Civil-status documents issued in Turkey need an Apostille under the Hague Convention, plus an official Italian translation, to be valid in Italy. As Turkey is a contracting party to the Apostille Convention, you obtain the Apostille from the competent authority at home before you travel — it is considerably cheaper and faster than full consular legalization.
Which visa do people from Turkey usually use to move to Italy?+
People moving from Turkey commonly use the digital nomad visa (for remote workers), the elective residency visa (for those with stable passive income), or study and work visas. Approdo matches the route to your situation.
What do I do after arriving in Italy from Turkey?+
Apply for your permesso di soggiorno within 8 working days, then get your codice fiscale, open a bank account, register your residenza at the comune, put the utilities in your name, and enrol in the health service. Approdo lists them in the right order with the forms pre-filled.
The steps in detail
Each of these is a full guide: what it is, what you need, how long it takes and what it costs.
- Permesso di soggiorno: the 8-working-day rule
- Codice fiscale: what it is and how to get one
- Residenza in Italy: registering with your comune
- Health insurance for an Italian visa and permesso di soggiorno
- Opening a bank account in Italy as a foreigner
- Voltura, subentro or allaccio: putting utilities in your name
Other places and situations
Approdo provides information, not legal or tax advice. Where a step legally requires a professional, we say so and point you to one.