Profile

Subordinate work permit within the annual entry-quota decree (decreto flussi)

Route status

Active as of 2026-08-04[1][7]

Open to new applications under the rules recorded below.

Residency route facts

Identity

Identity
Official name (local)Nulla osta al lavoro subordinato e permesso di soggiorno per lavoro subordinato (quote del decreto flussi) as of 2026-08-04[1][7]
Official name (English)Subordinate work permit within the annual entry-quota decree (decreto flussi) as of 2026-08-04[5][6]
Translation: Italian official sources use the Italian designations; no single official English name is published.
Legal basisD.Lgs. 286/1998 (TU immigrazione) artt. 3(4), 21 and 22; quotas set by DPCM 2 ottobre 2025 for 2026-2028 as of 2026-08-04[1][7]

Who can apply

Who can apply
Nationals not served by this routeEU, EEA, EFTA as of 2026-08-04[1][7]
The decreto flussi admits 'cittadini stranieri residenti all'estero' who are third-country nationals; EU/EEA/Swiss nationals move under free-movement rules and are outside the TU. The blocs are not named in the cited texts.

Permit terms

Permit terms
Initial duration2 years as of 2026-08-04[7][12]
RenewableYes as of 2026-08-04[5][12]
Renewal duration3 years as of 2026-08-04[12]
Work rightsfull as of 2026-08-04[3][7]
DPR 394/1999 art. 14(1)(a): a non-seasonal subordinate work permit also allows self-employment, subject to any required professional authorisation, and work as a member of a cooperative. TU art. 22(11): loss of the job is not a ground for revocation; the worker may declare immediate availability to the employment services for the remaining validity of the permit and in any case for at least one year.

Permanent residence and citizenship

Permanent residence and citizenship
Counts toward permanent residenceYes as of 2026-08-04[13][14]
Work permits are not excluded by TU art. 9(3); the five-year EU long-term residence conditions apply.

Requirements

Requirements
Job offer requiredYes as of 2026-08-04[5][7]
TU art. 22(2): a named nulla osta application by the employer, with a proposed contratto di soggiorno and documented accommodation arrangements for the worker.
Salary threshold
    • Measured against: collective agreement
    • Amount: Not established from a qualifying source
      No separate statutory salary floor. TU art. 22(5) conditions the nulla osta on compliance with the applicable national collective agreement; no euro figure or index multiple is stated in the cited sources.
Labour-market testYes as of 2026-08-04[6][7]
TU art. 22(2): before filing, the employer must verify at the competent centro per l'impiego, with documentation, that no worker is available on the national territory. Art. 22(2-bis): the verification is deemed to have produced a negative result if the centre does not report an available worker within eight days of the employer's request.
Qualification requirementnone as of 2026-08-04[1][7]
No qualification condition is imposed by TU art. 22; the DPCM allocates places by economic sector, not by qualification level.
Employer sponsorshipYes as of 2026-08-04[5][7]
TU art. 22(2) and 22(6): the employer files the application and signs the contratto di soggiorno.
Job-search routeNo as of 2026-08-04[7][8]
Entry requires a named employer application; no entry route to search for work exists on this route. TU art. 23(2-bis) permits entry outside the quotas for workers who complete approved training in their country of origin, but still through the art. 22 employer procedure.

Process

Process
Where to apply fromfrom abroad only as of 2026-08-04[1][7]
TU art. 22(2): the employer applies for a named nulla osta for a worker resident abroad; art. 22(8) requires an entry visa issued by the Italian consulate in the worker's country of origin or stable residence. Conversion of certain permits already held in Italy is a separate mechanism charged against the same quotas (DPR 394/1999 art. 14).
Statutory processing time60 days as of 2026-08-04[5][7]
TU art. 22(5): the sportello unico issues the nulla osta within an overall maximum of 60 days from the date the application is charged to the entry quotas. Art. 22(5-quater.1) reduces the term to 30 days for workers who completed the vocational and civic-linguistic training programmes under art. 23. The nulla osta is valid for no more than six months from issue.
Quota
  • Quota exists: Yes as of 2026-08-04[1][6]
  • Annual cap: 76,200 as of 2026-08-04[1][6]
    DPCM 2 ottobre 2025 art. 6(1)(a): 76,850 places for 2026 for non-seasonal subordinate work and self-employment together, of which 76,200 for non-seasonal subordinate work and 650 for self-employment; the same split applies for 2027 and 2028. Separate quotas: seasonal work 88,000 (2026), 89,000 (2027), 90,000 (2028); overall ceilings 164,850 / 165,850 / 166,850. Within the non-seasonal quota, 25,000 places per year are reserved for nationals of listed countries with cooperation agreements and 18,000 (2026) for countries whose agreements enter into force during the three-year period. Application windows (click days) are set by DPCM art. 8, opening in January for seasonal agriculture and in February for the non-seasonal categories.
  • Exempt from the general quota: No as of 2026-08-04[1][7]
    This route is the quota route itself. TU art. 23(2-bis) allows entry for subordinate work outside the quotas for workers who complete approved training programmes in their country of origin.
  • Sub-caps:
      • Label: non-seasonal subordinate work
      • Annual cap: 76,200
      • Year: 2,026
      • Label: non-seasonal subordinate work
      • Annual cap: 76,200
      • Year: 2,027
      • Label: non-seasonal subordinate work
      • Annual cap: 76,200
      • Year: 2,028
      • Label: non-seasonal combined ceiling (subordinate + self-employment)
      • Annual cap: 76,850
      • Year: 2,026
      • Label: non-seasonal combined ceiling (subordinate + self-employment)
      • Annual cap: 76,850
      • Year: 2,027
      • Label: non-seasonal combined ceiling (subordinate + self-employment)
      • Annual cap: 76,850
      • Year: 2,028
      • Label: overall ceiling (incl. seasonal work)
      • Annual cap: 164,850
      • Year: 2,026
      • Label: overall ceiling (incl. seasonal work)
      • Annual cap: 165,850
      • Year: 2,027
      • Label: overall ceiling (incl. seasonal work)
      • Annual cap: 166,850
      • Year: 2,028
      • Label: reserved – nationals of listed cooperation-agreement countries
      • Annual cap: 25,000
      • Year: 2,026
      • Label: reserved – nationals of listed cooperation-agreement countries
      • Annual cap: 25,000
      • Year: 2,027
      • Label: reserved – nationals of listed cooperation-agreement countries
      • Annual cap: 25,000
      • Year: 2,028
      • Label: reserved – countries whose cooperation agreements enter into force during 2026-2028
      • Annual cap: 18,000
      • Year: 2,026

Physical presence

Physical presence
maximum consecutive absence6 months · to keep the permit as of 2026-08-04[2]
DPR 394/1999 art. 13(4): a residence permit is not renewed or extended after a continuous interruption of stay in Italy of more than six months (more than half the validity period for permits of two years or longer), save serious proven reasons.

Family inclusion

Family inclusion
Family members may be includedYes as of 2026-08-04[9][10]
TU art. 28(1): the right to family unity is recognised to holders of a residence permit of at least one year issued for subordinate or self-employed work. TU art. 28(1-bis) additionally requires two years of uninterrupted legal residence before reuniting a spouse, a dependent adult child or a parent.
Eligible relationsspouse, minor child, adult dependent child, parent as of 2026-08-04[10]
TU art. 29(1): spouse not legally separated and at least 18; unmarried minor children (including those of the spouse or born outside marriage, with the other parent's consent); dependent adult children who cannot provide for themselves because of a state of health entailing total invalidity; dependent parents with no other children in the country of origin, or parents over 65 whose other children cannot support them for documented serious health reasons.
Family may apply at the same timeYes as of 2026-08-04[10]
Family members' work rightsfull as of 2026-08-04[3][11]
TU art. 30(2): the family permit allows access to welfare services, enrolment in study or vocational courses, registration with employment services and both employed and self-employed work.
Additional means per family member
    • Relation: spouse
    • Amount: 0.50 × social allowance (annualised total) per year as of 2026-08-04[4][10]
      TU art. 29(3)(b): the sponsor's minimum annual income must be not below the annual amount of the assegno sociale increased by half the assegno sociale for each family member to be reunited; for two or more children under 14 the floor is twice the annual assegno sociale (13 monthly instalments; see it-assegno-sociale.annualisation_factor).
    • Relation: minor child
    • Amount: 0.50 × social allowance (annualised total) per year as of 2026-08-04[4][10]
      TU art. 29(3)(b): the sponsor's minimum annual income must be not below the annual amount of the assegno sociale increased by half the assegno sociale for each family member to be reunited; for two or more children under 14 the floor is twice the annual assegno sociale (13 monthly instalments; see it-assegno-sociale.annualisation_factor).
    • Relation: adult dependent child
    • Amount: 0.50 × social allowance (annualised total) per year as of 2026-08-04[4][10]
      TU art. 29(3)(b): the sponsor's minimum annual income must be not below the annual amount of the assegno sociale increased by half the assegno sociale for each family member to be reunited (13 monthly instalments; see it-assegno-sociale.annualisation_factor).
    • Relation: parent
    • Amount: 0.50 × social allowance (annualised total) per year as of 2026-08-04[4][10]
      TU art. 29(3)(b): the sponsor's minimum annual income must be not below the annual amount of the assegno sociale increased by half the assegno sociale for each family member to be reunited (13 monthly instalments; see it-assegno-sociale.annualisation_factor).

Your next step

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Verification

Verification
Sources cited14
of which official (tier 1)13
Oldest as-of date2026-08-04
Newest as-of date2026-08-04
Reviewed on2026-08-11
Schema version1.1

Sources

  1. [1] DPCM 2 ottobre 2025 – Programmazione dei flussi d'ingresso 2026-2028 (GU Serie Generale n. 240, 15-10-2025)
    Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri (PDF hosted by Ministero dell'Interno) · gazette · Tier 1 · Published 2025-10-15 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy
  2. [2] DPR 394/1999, art. 13 – Rinnovo del permesso di soggiorno (consolidated, in force)
    Normattiva (Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy
  3. [3] DPR 394/1999, art. 14 – Conversione del permesso di soggiorno (consolidated, in force)
    Normattiva (Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-04
  4. [4] Circolare INPS n. 153 del 19-12-2025, Allegato 2 – importi pensioni e assegno sociale 2026
    INPS · official guidance · Tier 1 · Published 2025-12-19 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy
  5. [5] Ingressi e soggiorno per lavoro – approfondimento
    Portale Integrazione Migranti (Ministero del Lavoro e delle Politiche Sociali) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-04
  6. [6] Decreto Flussi 2026-2028: quote, click day e nulla osta
    Studio Legale Avv. Francesco Lombardini · law firm · Tier 2 · Accessed 2026-08-04
  7. [7] D.Lgs. 286/1998, art. 22 – Lavoro subordinato a tempo determinato e indeterminato (consolidated, in force)
    Normattiva (Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-04
  8. [8] D.Lgs. 286/1998, art. 23 – Corsi di istruzione e formazione professionale nei Paesi di origine (consolidated, in force)
    Normattiva (Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-04
  9. [9] D.Lgs. 286/1998, art. 28 – Diritto all'unita familiare (consolidated, in force)
    Normattiva (Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy
  10. [10] D.Lgs. 286/1998, art. 29 – Ricongiungimento familiare (consolidated, in force)
    Normattiva (Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy
  11. [11] D.Lgs. 286/1998, art. 30 – Permesso di soggiorno per motivi familiari (consolidated, in force)
    Normattiva (Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-04
  12. [12] D.Lgs. 286/1998, art. 5 – Permesso di soggiorno (consolidated, in force)
    Normattiva (Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy
  13. [13] D.Lgs. 286/1998, art. 9 – Permesso di soggiorno UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo (consolidated, in force)
    Normattiva (Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy
  14. [14] EU long-term residence permit
    Welcome Office Friuli Venezia Giulia (Regione Autonoma FVG) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy

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