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11 programs Browse by destination and category, or jump straight to the one that fits.
Non-EU students staying longer than 90 days need a national student visa, then apply for a permesso di soggiorno per motivi di studio within 8 working days of arrival. The permit allows limited part-time work and can be converted to a work permit, in many cases outside the quota.
Launched in 2024, this national long-stay visa lets highly skilled non-EU nationals live in Italy while working remotely for clients or employers based outside Italy. It does not require a Decreto Flussi nulla osta, and the resulting permesso di soggiorno is issued for one year and is renewable.
Italy's residence-and-work permit for highly qualified non-EU professionals, governed by Art. 27-quater of the Testo Unico sull'Immigrazione. Crucially, in Italy the Blue Card sits outside the Decreto Flussi quota, so an employer can apply at any time without waiting for a click day. It opens a path to EU long-term residence and intra-EU mobility.
Route for non-EU nationals who want to work in Italy as a freelancer, professional, entrepreneur, artisan or company officer. Entry is via the small self-employment quota within the Decreto Flussi, and the applicant must obtain a nulla osta from the Questura before applying for the visa.
Italy's permanent-style residence status (the implementation of EU Directive 2003/109/EC) for non-EU nationals after five years of continuous legal residence. It is open-ended subject to renewal and grants enhanced rights, including work without quota authorisation and mobility to other EU states.
A long-stay national visa for financially independent non-EU nationals who wish to settle in Italy and support themselves entirely from stable passive income, without working. It is a lifestyle and retirement-style route: holders may not take employment or self-employment in Italy.
Italy recognises citizenship through Italian ancestry. A 2025 reform (Law 74/2025) tightened the rules, introducing generational limits and new conditions, so claims based on a distant ancestor are no longer automatically sufficient. Anyone exploring this route should treat the post-reform rules as the current framework and verify their specific lineage.
Non-EU nationals who have legally resided in Italy for the required period — generally ten years — may apply for Italian citizenship by naturalisation. The Prefecture of residence assesses the application and forwards it to the Ministry of the Interior, with citizenship granted by Presidential Decree.
A fast-track self-employment route for non-EU entrepreneurs founding or joining an innovative startup in Italy, run by the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy. It bypasses the Decreto Flussi quota: applicants apply directly to the dedicated committee, which aims to issue a nulla osta within 30 days, before applying for a one-year self-employment visa.
Lets a non-EU national lawfully resident in Italy with a qualifying permit bring close family members to join them. The sponsor applies for a nulla osta through the Sportello Unico per l'Immigrazione; the family member then obtains a family visa and, on arrival, a permesso di soggiorno per motivi familiari.
Italy authorises most non-EU subordinate and seasonal employment through an annual (now multi-year) quota decree, the Decreto Flussi. The employer applies online for a nulla osta al lavoro from the Sportello Unico per l'Immigrazione on a designated 'click day'; once granted, the worker obtains a national work visa and, on arrival, signs a residence contract and applies for a permesso di soggiorno.
