by Angela Symons for EuroNews – Always dreamed of moving to Italy? With its sun-soaked coastline and laidback lifestyle, the Mediterranean country is an alluring place to become an expat. But moving there permanently can mean mountains of paperwork and months of unexplained delays.
Recently, Italy’s business minister Adolfo Urso announced plans to market the country as an ideal base for remote workers and digital nomads.
“In the coming months we will draw up a comprehensive legislative proposal making it clear that the best place to live is Italy,” he said.
Details of the minister’s plan are yet to be released, but the news has been welcomed by professionals hoping to relocate to Italy.
Each year, the Italian government also offers a glimmer of hope when it announces how many work permits it will grant to non-EU citizens.
The 2023 quota, published in the government’s Official Gazette last week, is 82,705. This is significantly higher than in previous years, with less than 67,000 permits issued in 2022.
Here’s which industries are being targeted this year and what hoops you’ll need to jump through to make your Italian dreams a reality.
Who can apply for a work permit in Italy?
Each year, Italy releases the ‘decreto flussi’, a government decree that sets out its annual work permit quotas and caveats.
Of the 82,705 work permits to be issued this year, 44,000 are reserved for seasonal work, such as fruit picking.
The remaining permits will be granted for non-seasonal or self-employed work. The majority (30,105 of 38,705) are reserved for specific industries. These include:
- Road haulage
- Construction
- Hotels and tourism
New for 2023:
- Mechanics
- Telecommunications
- Food
- Shipbuilding
Don’t forget that as well as a permit, all foreign workers must obtain a work visa and residence permit.
Can I get a work permit in Italy if I am self-employed?
As in previous years, in 2023 only 500 permits will be issued to self-employed workers in Italy. This includes freelancers, entrepreneurs and artists.
Read on for details of Italy’s digital nomad visa.
