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You hold an EU long-term residence permit (permesso di soggiorno UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo). Can you stay outside Italy? For how long?
The answer is yes, but you need to distinguish between stays inside the European Union and stays outside it.
For stays inside the European Union, Article 14 of Directive 2003/109/EC, on the status of third-country nationals who are long-term residents, provides: “1. A long-term resident shall acquire the right to reside in the territory of Member States other than the one which granted him/her the long-term residence status, for a period exceeding three months, provided that the conditions set out in this chapter are met. 2. A long-term resident may reside in a second Member State on the following grounds: (a) exercise of an economic activity in an employed or self-employed capacity; (b) pursuit of studies or vocational training; (c) other purposes.”
In any case, the maximum absence from Italy allowed is 6 years. This follows from Article 9(7)(e) of Legislative Decree no. 286/1998 as amended, under which the permit is revoked in any case after an absence from the country of more than six years.
For stays outside the EU, the answer is set out in Article 9(7)(d) of Legislative Decree no. 286/1998 as amended, under which the permit is revoked after an absence from the territory of the Union for twelve consecutive months.
So the maximum time you can stay outside the European Union is 12 consecutive months, or the permit will be revoked.
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