Ph: Mohammed Keita/IRC

If you wish to come working in Italy temporarily or long-term from a country outside of the European Union, you may come through the procedure of the Decreto Flussi.

In this article you can learn more on:

• What is Decreto Flussi
• Who can apply
• How to apply
• What your rights are

What it is and who is eligible

The Decreto Flussi ('flows decree' in English) is a measure by which the Italian government annually sets the number (so-called entry quotas) of non-EU nationals who can enter Italy from abroad each year for employment, self-employment and seasonal work. It also sets specific sectors and countries of origin of future employees.

On September 27, 2023, the Italian government adopted a triannual Decreto Flussi for the period 2023-2025.

For 2025, the sectors for seasonal workers are agriculture and tourism-hotel, while the sectors for non-seasonal workers are road haulage for third parties and passenger transport by bus, construction, mechanics, shipbuilding, food, fishing, tourism-hotel sector, telecommunications, hairdressers, electricians and plumbers, family and socio-healthcare assistance. 

Main quotas are reserved for citizens of countries with migration cooperation agreements with Italy - already in place or that will come into force within 2025. Current agreements are with: Albania, Algeria, Bangladesh, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Republic of Korea, Ivory Coast, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Philippines, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Japan, Jordan, Guatemala, India, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, Mali, Morocco, Mauritius, Moldova, Montenegro, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Republic of North Macedonia, Senegal, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tunisia, Ukraine. There are also a few spots for stateless persons or people with refugee status recognized by another country or UNHCR.

Please, check here for details regarding the quotas of Decreto Flussi 2025.

How to apply

You cannot apply for Decreto Flussi by yourself. To apply for Decreto Flussi, you must have an employer, whether Italian or foreign, legally residing in Italy, willing to hire you and to submit the online application to request the nulla osta (authorization document) to enter Italy for employment. 

Your future employer must fill and submit the application for requesting the nulla osta for you under the Decreto Flussi by accessing the online immigration portal of Italy’s Ministry of Interior - Sportello Unico per l’Immigrazione (SUI) at https://portaleservizi.dlci.interno.it/AliSportello/ali/home.htm through their SPID (Italy’s digital identity) or CIE (Electronic Identity Card) and complete the relevant form. The employer must send the online application on a specific click day, but they can pre-fill it from some weeks before. 

Note: it is important to send the application at the exact time of the click day opening (usually at 9 am), as many people try to apply for Decreto Flussi and applications are examined in chronological order.

Several documents are required from the employer for the application (for example, employer’s tax return, contract draft, declaration to check the unavailability of workers to be done after the employment center checks there are no workers available to do the job) in addition to the copy of your passport. If all the required documents are not available at the time of compilation, employers can upload specific declarations of commitment to produce the missing documentation, and deliver it during the investigation phase at the Sportello Unico.

What happens after the application?

Then, applications are examined on the basis of the chronological order of submission, through an investigation of the Territorial Labor Inspectorate, and the Immigration Office of the Questura (Provincial Police Headquarters), in charge of verifying the conditions of your eligibility.

After 60 days, the Sportello Unico will release the work nulla osta, and it will send it to the Italian diplomatic representation in your home country which will grant you a visa to enter Italy if you apply for it anytime within the validity period of your nulla osta. The nulla osta is valid for 180 days. 

If your application is rejected

If the nulla osta application of your future employer is rejected, you will not be able to obtain a visa for entry into Italy in the same year. However, you can re-apply the following year, if you meet the requirements established in the decree.

If your application is approved

Your employer should inform you have obtained the nulla osta. Within 180 days, you must apply for a visa at the Italian Consular Offices in your home country or where you regularly live. The Sportello Unico should issue your visa within 60 days from your request if you will be a non-seasonal worker, or 20 days if you will be a seasonal worker.

Upon completion of the necessary procedures, you will be issued a type D visa for stays in Italy longer than 90 days, and may provide you with a temporary social security number (‘Codice fiscale’ in Italian).

What do I do when I arrive in Italy?

Within 8 working days from entering Italy, you and your employer need to go to the Sportello Unico Immigrazione, which will:

• Verify your visa issued by the Italian Embassy/Consulate and your personal data
• Give you a permanent codice fiscale
• Make sure that you and your employer sign the contratto di soggiorno, with relevant information about your work contract
• Give you the residence permit application form (postal kit) that you need to fill out and send to Questura, and it will also forward all your data to the relevant Questura.

Your employer can book an appointment with Sportello Unico by submitting a request on the portal of the Ministry of the Interior via this link: https://portaleservizi.dlci.interno.it/AliSportello/ali/home.htm in the section ‘Immigrazione - Sportello Unico Immigrazione - Agenda appuntamenti’ or by sending an email with a PEC email address (certified email address) to the Prefettura (local authority) of the city where you will live. 

At the appointment you and your employer must bring:

• Your passport, and 2 copies of the page with your personal data + 2 copies of the visa page
• Your employer’s ID or passport and 2 copies of it (if your employer is not an EU citizen, bring also your employer’s long-term permit)
• Your temporary codice fiscale (if you already have one)
• Proof of accommodation (for example, dichiarazione di ospitalità, cessione di fabbricato, rental contract)
• Original certificate of idoneità alloggiativa (housing eligibility) and 1 copy of it 
• UniLav form (mandatory declaration from your employer that you will start a working relation) signed and sent to INPS (the Italian National Institute for Social Security) by your employer at least 24 hours before your first working day
• Certificato di asseverazione, if your employer is not supported by a labor union (a document issued by a professional or a specialized company or a labor union, certifying that you hold the requirements necessary for the job) along with the copy of the ID document of the professional who signed the certificate
• 2 €16.00 revenue stamps.

Note: once you enter Italy after obtaining your nulla osta, you can start working right away, even before signing the contratto di soggiorno at the Sportello Unico. However, you will need a codice fiscale.

What happens after the appointment at Sportello Unico?

After going to the Sportello Unico, you have to go to a post office (‘Poste Italiane’ in Italian) where you will send the residence permit application form with the postal kit (‘kit postale’ in Italian) to the Questura. The post office issues a receipt containing two personal identification codes (user ID and password) that can be used to check the status of the application by logging onto the website www.portaleimmigrazione.it.

Afterwards, the Questura will send you an email at the address you indicated in the application form or a text message to the mobile number you indicated in the application form, informing you of when you must go to the Questura to submit your photos and be fingerprinted. The Questura will then send another email or text message to ask you to pick up your residence permit for work.

Learn more about: WORK PERMITS

What happens if my employer is no longer available once I arrive in Italy?

Based on a decision of the Ministry of Interior, if the employer becomes unavailable after your arrival in Italy or if the employer no longer intends to hire you, but you already entered Italy in the meantime, the Sportello Unico may authorize you to apply for a permesso per attesa occupazione (residence permit for job seekers), which allows you to look for a job and regularly stay in Italy for one year. With this permit you can register at the Job Center even just with the receipt of the permit application.

Alternatively, if you have found another employer willing to hire you, the new employer and you can go to the Sportello Unico to sign a new contratto di soggiorno.

If you have any issues, contact us and we will help you find a helpdesk that could help you!

Learn more about: PERMIT FOR JOB SEEKERS

Can I convert the residence permit for seasonal work?

If you hold a residence permit for seasonal work you can convert it into a residence permit for subordinate work.

What rights do I have as a holder of a work permit?

With this permesso, you have the right to:

• Work in Italy — but not any other European countries.
• Travel outside of Italy.
• Access the Italian health care system (SSN).
• Access the Italian public education system.
• Access the Italian welfare system, depending on which benefit you seek.
• Ask to bring your family to Italy through family reunification.
• Register with the registry office of your local comune, which gives you the right to get a carta d’identità.
• Apply for the Permesso UE per Soggiornanti di Lungo Periodo to work or study in another European country, after 5 years of living in Italy and if you meet certain conditions.

You cannot stay in a reception center with this type of permesso.

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