The thirty-day threshold
Anyone entering the territory of the Republic of San Marino for a period longer than thirty days must regularise the stay. The Republic does not issue its own visas: the access channel is the residence permit, divided into three types, to which residence can later be added.
The normative framework is Law 4 September 1997 no. 95, promulgated by Captains Regent Paride Andreoli and Pier Marino Mularoni. The procedure involves the State Congress, the Foreign Nationals Office of the Gendarmerie and the Standing Council Commission for Foreign Affairs. Information requests are addressed to the Secretariat of State for Foreign and Political Affairs, esteri.sm.
«Regular presence in the territory of the Republic is a condition for the subsequent recognition of residence and, after many years, of citizenship.»
Ordinary, tourist, special
| Permit | Recipients | Duration | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ordinary | Persons without an employment relationship or with a fixed-term contract | Linked to the applicant's title | State Congress |
| Tourist | Stay for tourism, study, treatment or rest. Does not entitle to health assistance | Up to 90 days, renewable for another 90 | Foreign Nationals Office · Gendarmerie |
| Special | Continuous for open-ended contracts; seasonal for relationships of up to ten months | According to the contract duration | State Congress (continuous) · Gendarmerie (seasonal) |
The permit for study reasons is reserved for those attending higher education or university institutes for at least one academic year, with at least sufficient performance.
Types and requirements
Residence is granted by the Gendarmerie with a reasoned decision after at least five years of ordinary or special continuous residence permit, on condition that there has been no interruption of stay, no serious criminal proceedings or public order reasons preventing it. By way of derogation, the grant may be ordered by the Standing Council Commission for Foreign Affairs, on a reasoned proposal from the State Congress.
The Law identifies four types of residence: registered, elective, atypical for pensioners, atypical with favourable tax regime. The State Congress submits a yearly report to the Great and General Council on the state of permits and residences.
Passport Office and Foreign Affairs Secretariat
The application forms (residence permit, permit for adult children of Sammarinese citizens, permit for those who do not meet the ordinary requirements) are templates: they are to be reproduced on plain paper and submitted at the Passport Office in Borgo Maggiore. For information the Secretariat of State for Foreign and Political Affairs can be reached on 0549 883605 and at info@esteri.sm.