Work Visa
N.B.: all questions concerning your legal/employment relationship with the Italian employer and all questions about the procedures to obtain work authorizations MUST be directed to the Italian employer that will be sponsoring you for your particular visa type.
All applications for the work visa require the following documents (1 original plus 1 copy):
- passport or official travel document valid at least 3 months beyond the validity date of the visa requested. The passport must have a blank page available on which the visa can be affixed;
- visa application form, duly filled out, to be signed by applicant in the presence of a Consular Officer;
- one recent passport photograph (2x2 inches in size, full face, front view, color);
- proof of permanent residence in the U.S., in the form of a green card or valid U.S. long term visa. B1/ B2 visas are not accepted.
According to the type of employment, the following further documentation is required:
I. DEPENDENT WORK
- Original Work Authorization ("Autorizzazione al Lavoro") issued by the competent Provincial Labor Office ("Direzione Provinciale del Lavoro - Servizio Politiche del Lavoro") to the Italian employer, upon his request. This document must then be submitted to the competent Police Headquarters ("Questura") for the necessary seal ("nulla osta") and subsequently sent to you in the United States. This also applies to a foreign employee who will be working in Italy but receiving compensation by the foreign company based in Italy.
Family members willing to reside with you in Italy must obtain a Family visa
II. PERFORMING ARTS WORK
A. For a member of a foreign film production crew:
- A notarized affidavit from the production company stating your qualification, starting date and duration of stay in Italy, and filming locations.
- The "Dichiarazione di responsabilita' " by the Italian company that will assist the foreign Company.
This declaration is addressed to the appropriate Direzione Provinciale del Lavoro-Ufficio Speciale per il Collocamento dei Lavoratori dello Spettacolo (USCLS), and it must be stamped by that office (USCLS).
B. For an artist engaged by an Italian production company, theater, or television station.
- Copy of the contract with the notarized signature of the manager or holder of the business license, or of the theater manager or of their legal representative, that guarantees the employee an income higher than the one provided by the national contract for the categories of dependent employees with the same qualifications.
- A copy of the formal "Dichiarazione di responsabilita' made by the liable individual (or by his/her legal representative) to the Ufficio Speciale per il Collocamento dei Lavoratori dello Spettacolo (USCLS), stating that according to the contract, a subordinate work relationship will not be established. The copy must bear the seal of the USCLS.
- Appropriate certification regarding your profession, issued by public organizations or by qualified private institutions in the country of origin or of permanent residence. This documentation must be validated by the competent Italian Consulate that will certify the legitimacy of that foreign office.
If there exists no such organizations, or declarations are not issued for certain categories, the certification regarding the profession can be substituted by the professional curriculum accompanied by publications, video or audio cassettes, newspaper articles.
- Temporary authorization (nulla osta) from the competent Questura to enter Italy.
- Availability of suitable lodging, which can be an hotel reservation, a declaration made by the foreigner according to Italian Law n. 15 of Jan. 4, 1968 article 2 and 4, or a declaration made by the other contractual party, according to the same law, stating that suitable lodging has been made available to the visa applicant.
C. For clearly renowned artists or artists of high and well-known professional qualifications, and for artists or musical groups engaged by well-known theaters, by the RAI, by private television stations or public institutions, it will be sufficient to submit the contract with notarized signatures of both parties. A confirmation that the contract has been drawn along with information concerning the performance can be accepted
III. AUTONOMOUS (INDEPENDENT) WORK
The entry in Italy with this type of visa is authorized within the number of quotas established by decree each year. Therefore applications for this type of visa can only be accepted if there is still availability of authorized positions.
I) The foreigner who wishes to practice a profession that requires an authorization or license or the enrollment in the appropriate Register or Board, must present:
- Declaration from the competent administrative office (Labor Dept., City Hall, etc.) stating that there exist no hindering reasons to the issue of the qualifying or authorizing document, however named, following set standards and procedures for its issue.
The above requested declaration is made by the administration appointed for the issue of the pertinent qualification documents, licenses o authorizations, or the administration that has been appointed to receive the formal statement of start of activity. The offices appointed to the surveillance of the occupational boards also issue this declaration.
Certain positions, professional or technical, require verification of qualification. The appropriate Italian Ministries or other entity will verify the recognition of diplomas, certificates, etc. issued in foreign countries
b) Statement from the competent Chamber of Commerce, Business, Craft and Agriculture or from the competent professional association concerning the availability of the required financial resources for the practice of the profession/business.
This statement is for those occupations that require the enrollment in the Register of Businesses that is kept by the Chamber of Commerce.
For those occupations that require the enrollment in occupational Boards, the statement is made by that competent Board.
c) Present the above documents, and supporting documentation, to the territorially competent Questura to obtain the temporary authorization to enter the country. The authorization is stamped on the "statement" (#b).
d) Availability of suitable lodging, which can be an hotel reservation (for short term employment), a declaration made by the foreigner according to Italian Law n. 15 of Jan. 4, 1968 article 2 and 4, or a declaration made by the other contractual party, according to the same law, stating that suitable lodging has been made available to the visa applicant.
(II) For those autonomous professions that do not need to be recorded in the Register of Businesses and that do not require licenses and authorizations, declaration of start of activity, or the recording in professional rolls, registers or qualifying lists (example: consultancy, even with contracts of coordinated and continuous collaboration), and therefore those for which one cannot identify an Administrative office competent for the issuance of the declaration and the statement [see above n. (I) a and b], the foreigner must present:
a) In case it is an Italian enterprise, a proper contract accompanied by:
- the certificate of recording in the Register of Businesses.
If the employment agreement was entered with a foreign entity, a proper contract accompanied by:
- a statement similar to the certificate of recording in the Register of Businesses authenticated by the competent Italian Embassy or Consulate General.
b) A copy of the formal "Dichiarazione di responsabilita' " (Declaration of responsibility), issued or sent by the Italian enterprise or by his legal representative to the competent "Direzione Provinciale del Lavoro-Servizio Ispezione del Lavoro" (Labor Department), stating that by virtue of the underwritten contract no subordinate work relationship will be established.
c) A statement from the employer in which the autonomous employee is assured a salary amount higher than the minimum below which no contribution must be paid to the national health system.
In case of an investment company:
- a copy of the last budget deposited with the Register of Businesses.
d) In case of a corporation or sole owner or an individual employer:
- a copy of the last income tax return which must show that the amount of income declared is sufficient to guarantee payment of the amount specified in "c" above.
e) Availability of suitable lodging, which can be an hotel reservation (for short term employment), a declaration made by the foreigner according to Italian Law n. 15 of Jan. 4, 1968 article 2 and 4, or a declaration made by the other contractual party, according to the same law, stating that suitable lodging has been made available to the visa applicant.
f) Temporary authorization (nulla osta) from the competent Questura to enter Italy.
(III) For the foreigner who is a partner, and/or CEO of a company already established, the declaration regarding the financial parameters will not be required. In such case, instead of the above declaration, the foreign partner or officer of the company must present:
a) The certificate of recording of the company in the Register of Businesses.
b) A copy of the formal "Dichiarazione di responsabilita'" (Declaration of responsibility), issued or send by the Italian enterprise or by his legal representative to the competent "Direzione Provinciale del Lavoro-Servizio Ispezione del Lavoro" (Labor Department), stating that by virtue of the underwritten contract no subordinate work relationship will be established.
c) A statement from the legal representative of the company in which the partner or officer of the corporation is assured a salary amount higher than the minimum below which no contribution must be paid to the national health system.
d) In case of an investment company:
- a copy of the last budget deposited with the Register of Businesses.
In case of a corporation or sole owner or an individual employer:
- a copy of the last income tax return which must show that the amount of income declared is sufficient to guarantee payment of the amount specified in "c" above.
e) Availability of suitable lodging, which can be an hotel reservation (for short term employment), a declaration made by the foreigner according to Italian Law n. 15 of Jan. 4, 1968 article 2 and 4, or a declaration made by the other contractual party, according to the same law, stating that suitable lodging has been made available to the visa applicant.
f) Temporary authorization (nulla osta) from the competent Questura to enter Italy
This office may request additional documents that it deems necessary for the acceptance of the visa request.
The processing time for issuing this type of visa cannot be determined in advance.
A fee of $33.35 must be paid in exact change (exchange rate will be adjusted every three months)
Within 8 days of your arrival in Italy, you must register with the local Police Department (Questura) to obtain the 'Declaration of Stay' (Permesso di Soggiorno) which is the only legal document that legitimizes your stay in the country.
Below are links to the Work Visa pages on each Italian Consulate websites (in the US):