Italy Work Visa for Foreign Workers: The Yearly Quota (Decreto Flussi), Dates and Documents (2026)

Italy does not give work visas one by one, whenever an employer asks. It opens a fixed number of places each year, and employers must send their requests on fixed days. This guide explains the yearly quota, the dates, the papers and what happens after you arrive.

The quota in numbers

2026 to 2028	About 497,550 places in three years.
2027	165,850 places: 89,000 for seasonal work, 76,200 for other work and 650 for self-employed people.
Seasonal work	Farming and tourism, for up to nine months.
Other work	Sectors such as farming and food, building, transport and logistics, metal and textile factories, tourism and hotels, shops and home care.

Guide to all job types in Italy

The click days for the 2027 places

12 January 2027	Seasonal work in farming.
9 February 2027	Seasonal work in tourism.
16 February 2027	Other work in the sectors named in the decree.
18 February 2027	Home care work for families.

All requests start at 9:00 in the morning, on the online portal of the Ministry of the Interior. Requests can be sent until 31 December 2027 if places are left, but the most wanted places usually go on the first day.

Who can be asked for

Many places are kept for citizens of countries that work with Italy on migration. The list is on the websites of the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Labour. Kenya was added to the list for the 2027 places. If your country is not on the list, most of these places are closed to you. Home care work has its own places and its own rules.

Documents you will usually need for the visa

A valid passport and the visa form.
The work authorisation that your employer received.
The job offer or contract.
Proof of where you will live in Italy. The employer must show that housing is arranged.

After you arrive

Within 15 days you sign the contract of stay at the immigration office.
You ask for your residence permit. Keep the receipt with you: it proves that your stay is legal.
A seasonal permit ends with the season. Workers who respect the rules can be asked for again in later years, and after some time a seasonal permit can be changed into a normal work permit if you get a longer job offer.

Guide to all job types in Italy

How to apply safely

Read about the yearly quota on Integrazione Migranti, the Italian government’s portal, and check if your country is on the list.
Look for an employer in a sector the quota covers, such as farming, tourism, building, transport or factories.
Ask the employer to prepare the request before the click day. For the 2027 places, employers could fill in requests from 23 October to 7 December 2026.
Wait for the work authorisation. Do not travel before you have it and the visa.
Ask for the visa at the Italian embassy yourself. After you arrive, sign the contract of stay within 15 days.

Common reasons a visa is refused

The job offer is not real, or the employer did not do their part of the process.
Papers are missing, or the dates and names in your papers do not match.
You cannot show the experience or training that the job asks for.
False papers. One false paper can block you for years, so never use them.

If your visa is refused, read the reason in the letter. Often you can apply again when the problem is fixed.

These are guides, not live vacancies. We are not an employer.

Before you travel: a short checklist

Your visa or entry paper is in your hands and the name matches your passport.
You have the signed contract and the employer’s address and phone number.
You know who meets you on arrival and where you will sleep the first night.
You have enough money for your first weeks, until the first pay arrives.
Your family has copies of all your papers.

Your rights as a worker in Italy

You must get a written contract that follows the national collective agreement of your sector.
The normal working week is 40 hours. Extra hours must be paid at a higher rate.
You have at least four weeks of paid holiday a year.
With a contract and a residence permit you can join the public health service.
Work without a contract is common in farming and is against the law. Unions and their help offices, called “patronati”, give free advice to foreign workers.

Guide to all job types in Italy

Costs to plan for

Rent is the biggest cost. It is highest in Milan, Rome, Bologna and Florence, and lower in small towns and in the south. A landlord usually asks for a deposit of two or three months of rent. From your pay, about one tenth goes to social insurance, and income tax comes on top. Seasonal employers in farming and tourism sometimes offer a room, so ask about the price in writing. You pay the visa fee and usually your travel. Learning Italian costs time, but it helps you more than anything else at work.

Protect yourself from fake job offers

Never pay for a work authorisation. Selling a “nulla osta” or a place in the quota is a crime, and many people have lost their money this way.
An agent cannot get a place for you alone. Only a real employer in Italy can send the request.
Be careful with offers that come after the click days and still promise “a sure visa”. Most places are gone fast.
Check that the company exists and that the contract names a real address in Italy.

Questions people ask

Can I enter Italy as a tourist and then get a work permit?

No. The quota places are for workers who are still in their own country. You wait for the work authorisation and the visa before you travel.

Do I need to speak Italian?

For most factory, building, hotel and driving jobs, yes, at least a basic level. Teams and safety rules are in Italian. Start learning before you apply.

More guides for Italy

Last checked: November 2026. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules and pay change, so always confirm on the official websites before you decide. We are not a recruiter and we never ask for money.

Guide to all job types in Italy

These are guides, not live vacancies. We are not an employer.