San Marino

San Marino visa and residence guide

8 visa types
checked 25 October 2026

How visas for San Marino work

San Marino does not issue entry visas. It is reached through Italy, so visitors must meet the Schengen entry rules that apply there. The Department of Foreign Affairs explains that the Republic instead has two documents for people staying longer than 30 days: the stay permit (permesso di soggiorno) and residence (residenza). Under Law 118/2010, a foreigner who wants to stay more than 30 days must report to the Gendarmerie Foreigners Office (Ufficio Stranieri) within that period to request a permit, and is photographed and fingerprinted.

A stay permit is temporary and covers stays from three months to a year; it is valid for up to 12 months and can be renewed. It can be issued for tourism, work, family reunification or cohabitation, and as a special permit for study, sport, medical care, religion, humanitarian reasons, international volunteering or working holiday programmes. Workers from outside the Schengen area must hold a non-tourist Schengen entry visa where the Schengen rules require one.

Residence is a stable permit. Besides ordinary registered residence for family members of Sammarinese citizens, entrepreneurs and senior managers, the law offers elective residence for foreigners who make a property or financial investment, and atypical residence with a flat-rate tax for people with foreign income. Documents must be in Italian or carry a certified Italian translation; foreign certificates must be legalised or apostilled and be no older than six months.

Which visa do I need?

Visit of up to 30 days: no San Marino permit; meet the Schengen rules for entering via Italy.

Tourism or a visit longer than 30 days: tourist stay permit, up to 90 days in six months.

A job with a San Marino employer: work stay permit after the employer obtains a work clearance from the Labour Office.

Studying or researching in San Marino: special stay permit for study.

Joining a spouse or parent living in San Marino: ordinary stay permit for family reunification.

Moving with a property purchase of EUR 500,000 or a EUR 600,000 deposit: elective residence.

Owning or running a San Marino company: stay permit for business reasons; investors creating jobs: residence by Commission decision.

After five continuous years with an ordinary stay permit: residence granted by the Council Commission.

Visa types for San Marino

Visits and short stays

Tourist visa Tourist stay permit
San Marino has no visa of its own, but a foreigner staying for tourism or a visit longer than 30 days needs a tourist stay permit from the Gendarmerie Foreigners Office.
Maximum stay: 90 days in every six months

Business and self-employment

Entrepreneur and start-up visa Stay permit for business reasons and residence for entrepreneurs
San Marino offers two routes for business owners.
Validity: Business stay permit: 24 months, renewable

Study and training

Student visa Special stay permit for study
Foreigners attending legally recognised courses, multi-year university programmes, master's degrees, internships or doctorates in San Marino, and university researchers, receive a special stay permit for study for the length of the course, up to one renewable year.
Maximum stay: Length of the course, at most one year at a time

Work

Work visa Stay permit for work (seasonal or temporary)
A foreigner hired by a San Marino employer receives a stay permit for work once the Labour Office has issued a work clearance (nulla osta) within the entry quotas.
Validity: Up to 12 continuous months, renewable annually

Family

Family reunification visa Ordinary stay permit for family reunification
Spouses and children of people living in San Marino can receive an ordinary stay permit for family reunification, whose length follows the sponsor's residence.
Validity: One year, renewable within 30 days of expiry; linked to the sponsor's residence

Residence

Permanent residence Residence after five years of ordinary stay permit
A foreigner who lives stably and effectively in San Marino with an ordinary stay permit, usually obtained through family reunification, can be granted residence by the Council Commission for Foreign Affairs after five continuous years from the permit's issue.
Golden visa and residence by investment Elective residence (property or financial investment)
The Congress of State may grant elective residence to a foreigner who makes and keeps, in their own name, a property purchase of at least EUR 500,000 for their own home or a ten-year non-interest-bearing deposit of at least EUR 600,000 in San Marino state securities or a dedicated fund.
Processing time: Congress of State decides within 60 days of a complete file
Residence permit Atypical residence with a flat-rate tax regime
Atypical residence with a favourable tax regime is for foreigners who have never been tax resident in San Marino and earn income abroad.