If you are a non-EU citizen hoping to work in Italy, your most likely route in runs through the Decreto Flussi, or "flows decree": the government decree that fixes, in advance, how many foreign workers may enter Italy each year, in which sectors and, partly, from which countries. One point confuses almost everyone at the start: you cannot apply for this yourself.
An employer in Italy must request a work authorisation — the nulla osta — in your name, while you are still abroad.
This guide explains how the quotas work, who they cover, which jobs bypass them completely, and what happens at each step. New to the topic? Start with our general guide to work visas.
Overview
Most work immigration to Italy is governed by the Consolidated Immigration Act (Legislative Decree 286/1998), which makes legal entry for work conditional on a quota being available.
The government assesses labour market needs, with input from the Ministry of Labour and employers' and workers' organisations, and a decree of the President of the Council of Ministers (DPCM) then sets the maximum number of admissions. Without a quota slot, the consulate cannot issue the work visa for a quota-based category, however genuine the job offer is.
What the Decreto Flussi Actually Is
The current planning decree is the DPCM of 2 October 2025, covering the three years 2026–2028. It authorises 497,550 entries over the three years: 164,850 in 2026, 165,850 in 2027 and 166,850 in 2028.
Each year's total is split by category, with a large block reserved for nationals of countries holding migration cooperation agreements with Italy. The Ministry of Labour distributes quotas among provinces and sectors, while ministerial circulars set the practical calendar: an autumn pre-filling window and separate "click days" for each category.
Who the Quotas Cover
For 2027, the Ministry of the Interior gives the breakdown as 165,850 places in total, divided as follows:
- Non-seasonal employed work — 76,200 places. Jobs in sectors such as construction, manufacturing, transport and hospitality. Of these, 14,000 places are reserved for family and social care assistants — carers and domestic workers hired directly by Italian families.
- Seasonal employed work — 89,000 places for agriculture and tourism. Seasonal permits are tied to the season and allow a stay of up to nine months in a twelve-month period. Our overview of seasonal jobs in Europe shows how Italy compares.
- Self-employment — 650 places for entrepreneurs and professionals who meet strict financial and licensing conditions.
- Conversions. A slice of each decree is reserved for people already in Italy who convert an existing permit — for example a seasonal or study permit — into a work permit.
- Returning seasonal workers. Workers who have already completed a season in Italy in the previous five years can receive a three-year multi-year authorisation and re-enter in later years without a fresh decree.
Out-of-Quota Routes
Not every work entry consumes a quota. Articles 27 and following of the Consolidated Act allow certain categories to be hired at any time of year, outside the flows system:
- EU Blue Card for highly qualified workers with a recognised degree or professional experience and a qualifying salary offer. Under rules updated in 2025, the Sportello Unico must decide the Blue Card nulla osta within 30 days.
- Intra-company transfers of managers and specialists within multinational groups.
- Managers, executives and highly specialised staff, university lecturers, researchers, translators and interpreters, and professional nurses hired by health facilities.
- Workers trained abroad under article 23: graduates of Ministry of Labour-approved training programmes in their home country enter outside the quotas, through an accelerated procedure.
- Certain permit conversions, notably graduates who obtained their degree in Italy converting a study permit into a work permit.
Requirements
For a quota-based application to succeed, both sides must qualify:
- The employer must be based in Italy (foreign employers must be legally resident) and offer a genuine contract on terms no less favourable than the sector's collective agreement.
- The employer must guarantee suitable accommodation for the worker and undertake to cover return travel costs if the worker is expelled.
- For non-seasonal jobs, the procedure includes a check that no worker already registered with the employment services is available for the job.
- The worker must be living abroad when the application is filed, hold a valid passport, and face no entry bans or security objections from the police headquarters (Questura).
How to Apply
- Find an Italian employer willing to hire you. Everything depends on this step: for employed work, only the employer can set the procedure in motion.
- The employer prepares the application online on the Ministry of the Interior's Portale Servizi ALI, logging in with SPID or CIE digital identity, or through an employers' association or patronato. Applications are pre-filled during a set window — for the 2027 cycle, from 23 October to 7 December 2026.
- On the click day, the employer transmits the application. Each category has its own date (for 2027: 12 January for seasonal agriculture, 9 February for seasonal tourism, 16 February for non-seasonal work, 18 February for family assistance), starting at 9:00. Applications are examined in order of arrival until the quota is exhausted; filing remains possible until 31 December while places last.
- The Sportello Unico per l'Immigrazione examines the file, with checks by the Questura and the Labour Inspectorate. Decision terms run from the allocation of the quota: 60 days for non-seasonal work, 20 days for seasonal. If approved, the nulla osta is issued electronically and transmitted to the consulate.
- The employer confirms the hire. Before the visa is issued, the employer must confirm, within 15 days, that they still intend to take the worker on. Without confirmation, the nulla osta is revoked.
- You apply for the work visa (a national type-D visa) at the Italian consulate in your country of residence. Do not delay: the nulla osta is normally valid for six months.
- You travel to Italy and complete the arrival formalities described below.
Documents
A typical file contains:
- Copy of the worker's valid passport, supplied to the employer for the application, and the original for the consulate.
- Employer's identity and tax documents; for companies, a chamber of commerce registration; for family employers, proof of income where required.
- The proposed employment contract or hiring commitment, consistent with the applicable collective agreement.
- A declaration of suitable accommodation for the worker, and a €16 revenue stamp for the application; the consular visa fee is paid at the visa stage.
After You Arrive
You may start working as soon as you arrive, on the strength of the nulla osta, once the employer files the hiring notification. The key deadline is the residence contract (contratto di soggiorno): since the 2025 reform (decree-law 146/2025), you and your employer have 15 days from your entry — the old limit was 8 days — to sign it at the Sportello Unico.
You then apply for your permesso di soggiorno using the postal kit and attend the Questura appointment for fingerprinting. The permit's duration follows your contract: up to two years for non-seasonal jobs (renewable), and up to nine months for seasonal work. The Ministry's integration portal explains the current rules in detail, including the most recent changes.
Common Mistakes
- Trying to file the application yourself. For employed work this is impossible — the request must come from the employer in Italy.
- Missing the pre-filling window. On click day only pre-compiled applications can be transmitted; a file started that morning will not be sent.
- Assuming a submitted application means a place. In the most requested categories, quotas can be exhausted within hours of the click day opening.
- Paying fixers who "sell" quotas. Nobody can guarantee or transfer a quota slot — such offers are fraud.
- Letting the nulla osta expire before applying for the visa, or entering as a tourist and expecting to convert the stay — the system is designed for workers still abroad.
FAQ
What happens if the quota for my category runs out?
The application cannot be granted for that year. Unused quotas are sometimes redistributed between provinces, so a late filing occasionally succeeds, but most employers prepare again for the next cycle — or check whether the job fits an out-of-quota category.
How long does the nulla osta take?
The legal decision terms are 60 days for non-seasonal work and 20 days for seasonal work, counted from quota allocation rather than from the click day. Real waiting times vary considerably between prefectures.
Can seasonal workers return the following year?
Yes — one of the system's better features. A worker who has already entered for seasonal work in the previous five years can be hired under a three-year multi-year authorisation and re-enter without waiting for a new flows decree.
Can I bring my family with me?
Not at the same time. Family reunification is a separate procedure requested once you hold a residence permit; under the current rules it generally requires two years of legal residence — with exceptions, such as EU Blue Card holders — plus income and housing requirements.
Summary
Italy's work visa system is employer-led and quota-driven: the Decreto Flussi sets the numbers years in advance — 497,550 entries across 2026–2028 — and places are claimed through pre-filled online applications transmitted on category-specific click days.
Your priorities are therefore simple: find a genuine Italian employer well before the autumn pre-filling window, make sure the job is filed in the right category, and, if you are highly qualified, check the out-of-quota routes first — they run all year and skip the click-day race entirely.