Italy Work Visa and Work Permits: Italian Immigration law provides for different categories of work permits for highly skilled workers assigned to work temporarily in Italy. Under these options, workers do not become local employees but maintain an employment relationship with the home country employer.
Obtaining Italy Work Visa
In order to work in Italy, NON-EU citizens shall obtain a work permit, a work visa and then the foreign worker shall request for a permit of stay for working purpose.
Immigration for work purposes in Italy is based on a quota-system which is fixed annually by means of a Decree – the so-called “decreto-flussi”. The decree sets the numerical limits (quota) for each category of foreign nationals allowed to apply for a work permit and the period during which applications can be submitted. Permits are normally granted on a first come, first served basis.
Several categories of workers are excluded from the cap and are not subject to a fixed limit, such as ICT assignments, highly qualified workers, executives or managerial employees assigned to the Italian branch of a foreign legal entity, university lecturers and professors, translators and interpreters, professional nurses, researchers etc.
Work permit application procedure
Even though there may be slight variations from one category to the other, the basic procedure for obtaining a work permit is the following:
- Work permit (Nulla Osta) Online application, filed by the Italian employer/host company
- Work Visa (Visto) application, filed by the worker at the Italian Consulate which has jurisdiction over his place of residence.
- Entry into Italy. Within 8 days the worker must go to the local Immigration Office (Sportello Unico per l’Immigrazione), sign the contract of stay (contratto di soggiorno) and/or file the application for the permit of stay (permesso di soggiorno).
Work permit and Work Visa options for temporary assignments
Italian Immigration law provides for different kinds of work permits for highly skilled workers assigned to work temporarily in Italy. Under these options, workers do not become local employees but maintain an employment relationship with the home country employer.
1. Intra-company work permit
intra-company work permit for highly specialized staff/managers/directors/ on assignment (Art. 27 c. 1 lett. (a) of Italian Immigration law); this procedure allows the foreign employee in an executive, senior managerial, or specialized knowledge role to be temporarily assigned (up to 5 years) to a subsidiary, branch, or an affiliate in Italy (sending and host companies should be part of the same business group or a joint-venture group). Specifically, this procedure applies to highly specialized staff or managers employed at companies having their headquarters or subsidiaries in Italy; or employed at representative offices of foreign companies mainly operating in the territory of a WTO country; or, applies to managers of corporate headquarters located in Italy of Italian or EU companies. The residence permit issued under this process is called permesso di soggiorno casi particolari.
2. ICT and mobile ICT work permits
3. Service Agreement Assignment
Related articles:
- Navigating the Changes: Updated EU Blue Card Rules for Working in Italy
- Minimum wage requirements when applying for a work permit in Italy
- Service Agreement work permit
- External link: Ministry of Interior
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