Italy plans to grant approximately 500,000 additional work permits for non-EU nationals between 2026 and 2028 to increase the number of foreign workers in the country. Italy operates a quota system that is fixed annually.
Citizens of the European Union EEU, or Switzerland, don’t need a visa to live and work in Italy, as they can cross the border with their valid identity document.
However, to work in Italy as an employed worker as a citizen from a non-European Union country, one needs to obtain a visa and work authorization before entering the country, and apply for a residence permit.
Before you can get Italy work visa, you need to get the ‘authorisation to work’.
Employers must apply for work authorization at the government’s One-Stop Shops for Immigration in the province’s form. An authorisation to work will be granted only if you come within the annual quota for non-EU workers. The One-Stop-Shop will notify the consulate or embassy electronically that an authorisation to work has been granted.
After the ‘authorisation to work’ is granted, the embassy or consulate in your country of origin or residence will produce a visa, which you have six months to collect and use to enter Italy.
This period of time is calculated starting from the date on which the authorisation to work is released. The authorisation to work is necessary to obtain the entry visa.
After you get the ‘authorisation to work’ and the work visa, you need to apply for a residence permit within eight days of arrival in Italy.
You need to apply for an Italy residence permit at the One-Stop-Shop for Immigration in the Italian province where you will work. The duration of your residence permit will depend on your visa or work authorisation. A long-term residence status is granted after five years of continuous and legal residence.
If you want to know about the validity of an Italian work permit how many years, it is for two years. Your work authorisation is related to your contract of work-related residence. It can be time-limited contracts of employment that are limited to one year, but if you have an unlimited contract, the permit is issued for two years. The duration of your residence permit will depend on your visa or work authorisation.
As a general rule, visas to enter the Italian territory (excluding Uniform Schengen Visas) cost €116.
As for residence permits, their cost is €40 for stays between 3 and 12 months; €50 for stays between 12 and 24 months; and €100 for long-term residence permits, highly-qualified workers and intra-corporate transferees.
In addition, administrative costs amount to €30 for the sending of the postal kit; €16 for the tax stamp, and €30.46 for issuance costs.
Family reunification is permitted in Italy if the resident has a residence permit for at least one year and meets legal income and accommodation requirements.
If you hold a residence permit for salaried employment but lose your job or quit, you may be placed on the employment placement lists for the remainder of the validity period of your residence permit, or for a maximum of twelve months.
If you leave your work after your permit, you can request a renewal for no more than twelve months.
If you have a residence visa for employment, you may engage in self-employment activities if you meet the appropriate qualifications and legal requirements.
Italy has modified its citizenship requirements for descendants of foreign immigrants, impacting millions of people who claim ancestral citizenship. Before the Kingdom of Italy’s establishment on March 17, 1861, Italian citizenship was granted to anyone with an Italian ancestor who lived after that date.
Now, the qualifying requirements are limited to Italian nationals’ children and grandchildren. On May 20, 2025, the new Italian citizenship regulations that came into effect in March were formally enacted.
Italy offers a Golden Visa program for foreign nationals, requiring a minimum investment of EUR 250,000 to EUR 2 million. To qualify for the Investor Visa, one must invest €2 million in Italian government bonds, €500,000 in a limited company, €250,000 in an innovative startup, or €1 million in a philanthropic initiative.
In the first quarter of 2025, remittances sent abroad by foreigners residing in Italy increased by 6 percent compared to the same period of the previous year.
