Citizeo Expand your global options
Pathway

Italy Skilled Worker Residence Card

Italy Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

Italy's EU Blue Card lets highly qualified non-EU workers move there for a job lasting at least six months. Your employer first applies for work approval, called a nulla osta. This route is separate from the annual quota for ordinary work visas. Official guidance gives a 30-day decision period, introduced in late 2025.

Job offer required?
Yes, for highly qualified employment with an Italian employer
Qualifications
A relevant three-year higher-education qualification, professional recognition, or five years of comparable experience; certain IT roles allow three of the last seven
Pay
About €36,300 gross a year in January 2026, plus the applicable agreed pay for the job; verify the current figure

Summary

Italy’s EU Blue Card allows an eligible foreign professional to live and work there in a qualifying skilled job, starting with the employer’s work-authorization application. The contract must last at least six months, and the worker must meet the qualification and pay rules. After the employer’s approval, the applicant completes the required visa and residence steps.

The employer's nulla osta comes before any required visa
  1. Confirm the highly qualified job Check the contract duration, duties, and both applicable salary benchmarks.
  2. Choose the qualification basis Document the relevant degree, regulated profession, or accepted experience alternative.
  3. Employer files for the nulla osta Submit the required contract, qualification, housing, and employer evidence.
  4. Complete the visa stage If approved Apply where a visa is required after the employer authorization.

The qualification grounds are alternatives. A listed salary estimate does not replace the current comparator and collective-agreement pay check.

Could this pathway work for you?

Eligibility

The job must be highly qualified and the applicant must satisfy one of these qualification bases:

The contract must identify the role, term, working conditions, and compliant salary. Foreign qualifications and experience need the official evidence required for that basis. The employer submits the nulla osta and must meet the employment, housing, and other legal responsibilities.

More about this route

The salary must meet both the pay required by the applicable Italian collective agreement and the official average gross annual pay comparator. Italy's government portal reported about €36,300 gross a year in January 2026. Because the comparator and collective agreements change, the employer should confirm the live figures when filing.

What This Route Allows

For an indefinite contract, the Blue Card permit is normally valid for two years. For a fixed-term contract, it is generally valid for the contract term plus three months. During the first 12 months, work must remain within highly qualified employment and a change of employer is subject to the current authorization procedure.

Blue Card holders have facilitated family reunification, and a family-reasons permit permits work. The rules also provide protections during temporary unemployment and EU mobility: after 12 months of legal Blue Card residence in one member state, a holder can use the Directive's long-term mobility process for another participating state, subject to that state's application. Blue Card residence may also contribute to EU long-term residence under its separate rules.

What This Route Is Not

A degree alone, a general professional profile, or a salary above an approximate figure is not enough. There must be a qualifying six-month job commitment, an accepted qualification basis, both salary tests, and employer filing.

This is not the same as ordinary subordinate work under Decreto Flussi. It is outside the quotas, but the employer still has formal duties and the authorities still assess the job and evidence.

Next Steps

  1. Confirm that the proposed role is highly qualified and the contract lasts at least six months.
  2. Select the precise degree, regulated-profession, five-year-experience, or ICT-experience basis.
  3. Have the employer verify the current collective-agreement pay and official salary comparator.
  4. Prepare qualification recognition, experience records, contract, housing, and employer documents.
  5. Have the employer file the Blue Card nulla osta, then apply for the visa if one is required.
  6. Request the Blue Card residence permit after entry and obtain authorization before a restricted first-year employer change.

Stay up to date on this pathway

Get an email when something important changes.

No account needed. Unsubscribe anytime.

Discussed in these reports

Similar skilled work pathways in other destinations.

Sources