ItalyQuota-based entry mechanism for work

Decreto Flussi quotas in Italy

Decreto flussi is the annual decree of the Italian government that opens a limited number of places for non-EU nationals to enter for employed work, and for certain kinds of self-employment and business. While the application window is open, the employer finds a candidate and obtains a work authorisation through the Single Immigration Desk; without it the consulate will not open a visa file. Managers of international companies, university teachers and translators need no quota.

Source: Consolato Generale d'Italia Chongqing — Visto per lavoro

Who is granted a work visa under the quota

The programme has two self-standing entry routes — employment with an Italian employer and self-employment — each with its own conditions and its own document checklist.

Employed workers

The Italian employer has already found a candidate and is ready to conclude an employment contract
The occupation and the quota are open in the current decreto flussi — the employer applies for the nulla osta through the ALI portal of the Single Immigration Desk
The candidate is not yet in Italy and enters on a national D visa once the employer has obtained the nulla osta

Self-employed persons and business owners

An investor ready to put no less than the set minimum into an Italian business and create at least three jobs
A start-up founder, a top manager (president, board member, managing director, auditor) of an operating company, or a qualified professional in a regulated profession
An artist or figure in the arts with a recognised international reputation

When this programme will not suit you

I want to live in Italy and work remotely for a foreign company without taking a job with an Italian employer

A separate visa for digital nomads and remote workers — it is outside the decreto flussi quota and follows its own checklist

I teach a foreign language at an Italian university or work as a translator

Such specialists, along with top managers of international companies, enter outside the quota — they do not need the decreto flussi

I only need to come for a few weeks or months, with no employment contract on the Italian side

A category C visa (Schengen, up to days) through a visa centre — the decreto flussi and the national D visa are not designed for this

I have neither an employment contract with an Italian employer nor the capital for the investor category of self-employment

The start-up category (Italia Startup Visa), with a different set of criteria, or a student visa followed by conversion after graduation

What it costs

Consular fee for the national D visaA single tariff for all national visas, including work visas; the consulate in Chongqing offers no reduced tariffs for this category	116 EUR
Duty stamp (marca da bollo) for the residence permit	16 EUR
Postal costs for sending the document package	30 EUR
Production of the electronic residence permit cardcharged for permits longer than days — for a work visa that is always the case	30,46 EUR
Contribution for issuing the residence permit — lower tariff	40 EUR
Contribution for issuing the residence permit — middle tariffthe exact tariff (EUR 40, 50 or 100) depends on the duration and type of permit — the Polizia di Stato does not spell out the thresholds	50 EUR
Contribution for issuing the residence permit — upper tariff	100 EUR
Total government feesThe sum of the mandatory rows in the table. the “Contribution for issuing the residence permit — middle tariff” branch replaces the “Contribution for issuing the residence permit — lower tariff” line — 242,46 EUR; the “Contribution for issuing the residence permit — upper tariff” branch replaces the “Contribution for issuing the residence permit — lower tariff” line — 292,46 EUR. Charges with no official price list are in the list below.	232,46 EUR

Paid separately

Translation and legalisation of documents — a separate consular service, its cost is not included in the visa fee

Documents to gather

The set of documents depends on the category — the consulate publishes a separate checklist for employed work and for each category of self-employment.

Completed application form for the national D visa
Valid passport
Nulla osta (work authorisation) issued by the Sportello Unico per l'Immigrazione — the employer obtains it before the visa application is lodged
The document checklist for your own category: separate lists for employed work, for each category of self-employment (investor, start-up, top manager, freelancer in a regulated profession, artist), for seafarers, and for digital nomads and remote workers

How the process runs

The procedure has three stages in different places: with the employer in Italy, at the consulate and at the Italian questura after entry.

1
The employer applies for the nulla osta
within the window opened by the current decreto flussi
The Italian employer applies for the work authorisation through the ALI portal of the Single Immigration Desk (Sportello Unico per l'Immigrazione, Ministry of the Interior). The portal operates every day, including public holidays, from 8:00 to 20:00. The filing periods are set separately by each annual decree.
2
The Sportello Unico issues the nulla osta
Without the nulla osta the consulate does not open a visa file — this is an expressly stated condition for obtaining a work visa.
3
Lodging the application for the national D visa
appointment through the Prenot@mi portal
The worker files the documents directly with the consulate rather than at a visa centre — IVAC visa centres accept only applications for category C visas (up to days). The consular fee of EUR 116 is paid.
4
The consulate issues the visa
After checking the documents and the nulla osta, the consulate places in the passport a national D visa valid from days to days.
5
Lodging the residence permit application in Italy
after arrival
In Italy you must collect the permesso di soggiorno document kit at the post office (Poste Italiane) and lodge it within the set period, then attend the questura for fingerprinting. At this stage you pay the duty stamp, the postal costs, the electronic card fee and the contribution — this step ends with the residence permit itself being issued.

Timelines and rights

Work

Employed work with an Italian employer.

Trips, renewal and the grace period

To have the residence permit renewed you must not be away from Italy for more than 6 months in a row without a serious reason.

The application to renew the residence permit is lodged at least days before the current permit expires. While it is being examined, the holder of the electronic filing receipt keeps the same rights as under the valid permit, including the right to work — up until notification of a refusal. The maximum work permit period is year on a fixed-term employment contract and years on an open-ended one; renewals are granted within the same limits.

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to permanent residence

After 5 years of lawful residence you obtain the EU long-term residence permit. It requires income no lower than the social allowance and a pass in the Italian test at level A2. The permit is open-ended, but as an identity document it is valid for 5 years.

Route to citizenship

After 10 years of lawful residence you apply to the prefecture through the online portal with SPID. It requires Italian at level B1 and income: EUR 8,263.31 a year with no dependants, or EUR 11,362.05 if a spouse is dependent, plus EUR 516 for each further dependant. Income is assessed over the 3 years before the application.

Frequently asked questions about Decreto Flussi quotas

Do I need a decreto flussi quota if I teach a foreign language at an Italian university or work as a translator?

No. Native-speaker teachers, university professors and translators — like general and specialist managers of Italian companies or of branches of companies from WTO countries — enter outside the decreto flussi quotas.

Can I work remotely for a foreign employer while living in Italy, without the decreto flussi?

Yes, there is a separate regime for digital nomads and remote workers with a maximum stay of days and its own document checklist — it is not tied to the decreto flussi quota.

When exactly can an employer apply for a nulla osta under the decreto flussi?

Only within the window opened by the annual decree. For the decreto flussi of the year, pre-filling of applications on the ALI portal ran from to November of the year; the specific filing dates are set separately by each decree.

What happens if the renewal application is lodged later than days before the residence permit expires?

The rule requires filing at least days before expiry. If the application has already been lodged electronically and there is a receipt, the holder keeps the rights of the valid residence permit, including the right to work, until an official refusal arrives — but late filing itself breaches the prescribed period.

Is there a discount on the visa fee for a work visa?

No. The tariff for the national D visa, including the work visa, is a single one — euros. Visas are issued free or at a reduced tariff only to children under years of age, students, researchers, NGO staff under years of age, family members of EU/EEA citizens and holders of diplomatic passports — the work visa is not on that list.

Can a work visa be obtained as an entrepreneur rather than as an employee?

Yes, there is a separate self-employment category within the same programme: an investor with capital above the set minimum and an undertaking to create at least three jobs, a start-up founder, a top manager of a company older than years, a qualified freelancer in a regulated profession, or an artist with an international reputation.

Other ways to move to Italy

Every route in one list — migration programmes: Italy.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 7 August 2026.