In short. “Accompanying worker in Italy” is not a visa or a residence permit. Italian law speaks of accompanying family members (Article 29(4) of the Consolidated Act on Immigration) and of domestic staff who carry on working for an Italian or EU employer who moves to Italy (Article 27(1)(e)). A family member who enters in this way applies for a family permit, which allows employment and self-employment. For a worker who wants to bring a family, what counts is the length of the contract, the income and the housing.
Behind the phrase “accompanying worker in Italy” there are usually three situations: a family member who wants to work, a domestic worker who follows an employer, and a worker under the Decreto Flussi (the decree that sets the yearly quotas for non-EU workers) who brings a family.
Reviewed 2 November 2026. These are general rules from official sources, not personal advice: check your case with the Sportello Unico per l’Immigrazione (the one-stop immigration desk at the Prefecture) or with a professional.
What is an accompanying worker in Italy?
None of the official sources we consulted contains a visa, a permit or a form with this name. The law speaks of familiari al seguito (family members who enter Italy together with someone who holds a suitable visa or residence card) and of collaboratori familiari (domestic workers who continue in Italy an employment relationship that already exists abroad).
| Situation | What you need | Can you work? |
|---|---|---|
| You are the family member of a worker, student or religious minister Art. 29(4) and Art. 30(2) |
An eligible relative, income, housing, clearance and a family visa | Yes, with the family permit |
| You are a domestic worker following your employer Art. 27(1)(e) |
Full-time domestic work abroad for at least one year for an Italian or EU employer who is moving to Italy; clearance (Model H) | Yes, to continue that employment |
| You are a Decreto Flussi worker with a family Art. 22 and Art. 29 |
Work visa with a contract of at least one year, income and housing | You, with the work permit; your family, with the family permit |
To see every kind of permit, go to Types of Italian residence permit.
Can an accompanying family member work in Italy?
Yes. The residence permit for family reasons allows employment and self-employment, registration on the employment lists and enrolment in education or training, subject to the minimum working age (Article 30(2), in the text published by the Ministry of Justice). It does not have to be converted: a joint note from the Ministry of Labour and the National Labour Inspectorate dated 7 May 2018 confirms that it allows work until it expires (Ministry of Labour, Italian text). If you work for yourself, tax and professional obligations still apply: see Partita IVA for foreigners.
Can I start work on the postal receipt of the first permit?
The 2018 note allowed work on the strength of the postal receipt for the application, applying Article 5(9-bis) of the Consolidated Act by analogy, if the application was filed on time. Article 5 was amended in 2025 and 2026 (Decree-Law 146/2025 and Legislative Decree 83/2026), so do not assume that every detail still applies. Read Working with your residence permit receipt in Italy before you start and, if in doubt, ask a professional.
Who can bring accompanying family members to Italy?
Article 29(4) allows family members to enter alongside a person who holds a residence card (carta di soggiorno) or an entry visa for employment under a contract of at least one year, for non-occasional self-employment, for study or for religious reasons. The relatives who may come are those who could join under family reunification: a spouse or civil partner (adult and not legally separated), minor children and, under strict conditions, adult dependent children with a total disability and dependent parents. The housing and income requirements are the same as for reunification (Integrazione Migranti, Italian text). In practice the steps are:
- Clearance (nulla osta) from the Sportello Unico, using Model T, “Request for clearance for accompanying family members” (list of forms and instructions, both in Italian). Paragraph 4 does not mention the clearance and the instructions are dated, so confirm the procedure with the Prefecture.
- A family visa from the Italian consulate, with civil-status documents translated and legalised. The national visa normally costs EUR 116 (Consulate General in Paris, Italian text).
- After arrival, an application for the family permit with the postal kit within 8 working days.
For documents, housing and income, see Accompanying Family Members in Italy: Nulla Osta, Visa and Permit. To check the income threshold, use the family reunification income calculator.
Can I bring my family if I work under the Decreto Flussi?
It depends on your visa and the length of your contract. Entry as an accompanying family member requires a visa for employment under a contract of at least one year, and the rule does not distinguish between visas obtained through the Decreto Flussi and others. For the application, see Decreto Flussi 2027 application; for the permit after arrival, Italian residence permit for employment.
What if I have a seasonal contract?
As a rule, entry as an accompanying family member is not possible: seasonal work lasts at most nine months in any twelve, while you need a contract and a permit of at least one year. Check your case with the Sportello Unico and read Seasonal work permit in Italy.
What changes if my family joins me later, through family reunification?
If your relatives do not arrive with you, you apply for family reunification once you are in Italy. Since 2024 the law generally requires at least two years of lawful, uninterrupted residence in Italy (Law 187/2024), with exceptions for intra-company transferees (ICT) and EU Blue Card holders. The Integrazione Migranti portal presents the rule as a condition of reunification and does not link it to accompanying family members: if this matters to you, ask the Sportello Unico. The same page says the clearance should be issued within 150 days and used within six months. For the exceptions, see EU Blue Card in Italy and Intra-corporate transfer (ICT) to Italy.
Can a domestic worker follow an employer to Italy?
Yes, but only in the case covered by Article 27(1)(e): domestic workers who have a full-time domestic employment relationship regularly in force abroad for at least one year with Italian citizens, or citizens of another EU country, who live abroad and are moving to Italy, in order to continue that employment (Ministry of the Interior, Italian text). The letter does not mention non-EU employers, so for them this route is not provided by its wording. The employer starts the procedure:
- the employer asks the Sportello Unico for clearance with Model H, “Request for clearance to continue a domestic employment relationship in progress abroad”;
- the Sportello Unico obtains the opinions of the Questura and the labour office and issues the clearance;
- the worker applies for the visa at the consulate, which issues it only if the clearance appears in the system;
- after arrival, the worker signs the contract of stay with the employer and applies for the work permit.
The sheet of the Milan Sportello Unico, updated on 12 May 2022, asks among other things for the contract certified by the Italian consulate, the employer’s declaration of definitive return, and proof of income and housing. Confirm the deadlines for the visa and for signing the contract of stay with the Sportello Unico and the consulate, because the official sources do not state them consistently. This is an Article 27 case, so it falls outside the quotas and has no click day: the full picture is in Work in special cases (Article 27).
What if the employer is not Italian or from the EU?
The ordinary routes apply. There is an out-of-quota channel for the care of very elderly people (aged 80 or over), people with disabilities and children up to the age of six: 10,000 entries a year from 2025 to 2028, with applications filed by employment agencies or employers’ associations (Integrazione Migranti, Italian text). If the person cared for does not fit these categories, the application goes into the ordinary quotas for domestic work. Staff of diplomatic missions and international organisations have their own rules, different from letter (e).
What if the family member or the employer is an Italian or EU citizen?
The picture changes. Family members of Italian, EU or EEA citizens do not need Sportello Unico clearance, and different rules apply. They are explained in Family reunification with an Italian citizen and Residence card for family members of EU citizens.
Which mistakes should you avoid?
- Looking for an “accompanying worker” visa: there is none. Choose the route that matches your case.
- Relying on a seasonal contract to bring your family: you need a contract of at least one year.
- Using letter (e) with a non-EU employer: the text covers Italian and EU citizens only.
- Calculating income with figures from past years: the social allowance on which the threshold is based changes every year.
- Missing the deadline for the family permit: the application with the postal kit must be filed within 8 working days of arrival.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an accompanying worker visa for Italy?
No. The official sources we consulted contain no visa or permit with this name. There is a visa for accompanying family members (Article 29(4)) and a clearance for domestic workers of Italian or EU employers moving to Italy (Article 27(1)(e)). Which one applies depends on your case.
Can an accompanying family member start work straight away?
With the family permit they may work as an employee or on their own account. Before the permit is issued, a 2018 ministerial note allowed work on the strength of the application receipt, but Article 5 of the Consolidated Act changed in 2025 and 2026, so check the current rules before starting.
Can I bring my family on a seasonal contract?
As a rule, no. Entry as an accompanying family member requires a work visa with a contract of at least one year, while seasonal work lasts at most nine months. Family reunification also requires a permit of at least one year. Check your case with the Sportello Unico.
Can a domestic worker follow a non-EU employer to Italy?
Article 27(1)(e) covers only Italian or EU employers who live abroad and move to Italy. For a non-EU employer that route is not provided by the text, so you look at the Decreto Flussi for domestic work or at the out-of-quota channel for care.
Official sources
- Legislative Decree 286/1998, Arts. 28-34 (text in force on 11 April 2023) – Ministry of Justice (Italian text)
- Residence permit for family reasons and work (note of 7 May 2018) – Ministry of Labour (Italian text)
- Family reunification: who is entitled and how to apply – Integrazione Migranti (Italian text)
- Sportello Unico forms, Models T and H – Ministry of the Interior (DLCI) (Italian text)
- Entry for work in special cases, Article 27 – Ministry of the Interior (DLCI) (Italian text)
- Model H, letter (e) family collaborator – Prefecture of Milan (Italian text)
- How to hire care workers from abroad for very elderly and disabled people – Integrazione Migranti (Italian text)
- Visa for family reasons – Consulate General of Italy in Paris (Italian text)
The sources were consulted on 2 November 2026. The Model T instructions and the Model H sheet are dated and tied to individual Prefectures: check the latest instructions of the competent office.
How can SH Immigration Specialists help?
SH Immigration Specialists offers administrative help to work out which route fits your case, check income, housing and documents, and follow the file with the Sportello Unico and the consulate. Legal advice, appeals and representation are handled by the lawyers of SH Immigration Specialists. The outcome depends on the competent authorities. For an assessment, contact us.
This content provides general information and does not constitute legal advice.
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Which other guides may help you?
- Accompanying Family Members in Italy: Nulla Osta, Visa and Permit
- Work in special cases (Article 27)
- Family reunification in Italy 2026: requirements, income, documents and procedure
- Which Italian residence permits allow work and which can be converted
- Working with your residence permit receipt in Italy
