In short. To host a non-EU intern in Italy means taking into your company, as a rule for 3 to 12 months, a non-European person who lives abroad, with a training project approved by the Region and a promoting body that is not the host. The host provides board and lodging, bears the travel costs of any forced return, pays the allowance set by regional rules, appoints a tutor and makes the compulsory communication. The trainee is not an employee.
This guide covers who can host and who must act as promoter, what the host must provide, limits on the number of trainees, insurance, registers and communications, what to do if the traineeship is extended or ends early, and how to hire the person afterwards. Italian law says tirocinio, which we translate as “traineeship”. The trainee’s own route is in our guides to internships in Italy for non-EU citizens and to the internship visa for Italy.
Reviewed 30 October 2026. These are general rules, not advice on your own case: much of the framework is regional and differs from Region to Region, so we often send you back to the promoter and the Region.
Who can host a non-EU intern in Italy, and who must be the promoter?
According to the Ministry of Labour’s vademecum, any public or private body can host, including an individual. In Lazio the regional rules mention businesses, public bodies, foundations, associations and professional firms. The host must comply with the rules on health and safety at work and on compulsory placement (collocamento obbligatorio). The vademecum rules out a traineeship when:
- in the same operating unit an extraordinary or derogation wage-support scheme (cassa integrazione) is under way for equivalent activities, unless trade-union agreements allow it;
- in the previous 12 months, in the same operating unit, there were dismissals for the same activities (among others for objective justified reasons, or collective dismissals);
- insolvency procedures are under way, unless trade-union agreements allow it.
The promoting body (soggetto promotore) is an authorised organisation, for example an accredited training centre, an employment service, a university, a school or technical institute, or a social cooperative; the Regions can add to the list. For the same traineeship the promoter and the host cannot be the same body. The promoter applies to the Region with the project; you sign the traineeship agreement and the individual training project (PFI) with it. SH Immigration Specialists does not look for traineeships, does not sell placements and does not act as a promoting body.
What must the host organisation provide?
- Board and lodging: suitable, possibly shared with other people, at your cost; they do not count towards the allowance.
- Return travel: the Ministry of Labour indicates an obligation, towards the State, to pay the travel costs of the trainee’s return to the country of origin; the vademecum and the texts of Lazio, Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta speak of a “forced return”, and Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta allow a different arrangement with the promoter. Write in the agreement who pays what.
- Participation allowance: set by the Regions and written in euro in the agreement. Lazio example (regional page updated 11 April 2022): a minimum of EUR 400 gross a month, paid by the host, in full with at least 70% attendance in the month. Other Regions have their own rules.
- Company tutor: accompanies the trainee throughout, supports the activities in the PFI, updates the paperwork and contributes to the final report. Each tutor can follow at most three trainees at a time.
- Basic training: the vademecum provides modules on work organisation and safety and, if not already held, on Italian at level A1; several Regions put them on the host.
What steps must the company follow?
Traineeships of this kind fall within a three-year quota of entries: in October 2026 we found no decree for 2026-2028, so ask the promoter and the Region whether visas are available before you start the project.
| Stage | What the host does |
|---|---|
| Before the project | Checks that it can host, chooses an authorised promoter, signs the agreement and the PFI, appoints the company tutor. |
| Approval | The promoter applies to the Region, which has 60 days to decide; the Region’s endorsement (visto) on the PFI lasts 6 months. |
| Before arrival | Prepares board and lodging and writes into the agreement who pays the return travel costs. The trainee applies for the visa at the consulate; the Embassy in Bogotá, for example, wants the INAIL and civil-liability policies in the project. |
| Arrival | The trainee applies for the residence permit within eight working days of entry; the traineeship starts within 15 days of the application and the host makes the compulsory communication. |
| During | Pays the allowance, keeps the attendance register signed with the trainee, provides the tutor and the training the Region requires. |
| At the end | With the promoter, files the final report within 60 days; the trainee receives a certificate of the activity carried out. |
How many trainees can you host?
We found no national cap on the number of non-EU trainees per host: the vademecum does not give one, while Lazio and Valle d’Aosta refer to general regional rules on traineeships, which we did not read. The Ministry of Labour points out that the 2022 budget law (Law 234/2021, article 1, paragraphs 720-726) calls for new guidelines with numerical limits tied to the size of the company, but we found no official source saying they were adopted or that they apply to these traineeships.
Article 4-bis of Decree-Law 62/2026, inserted by conversion Law 112/2026 (Official Gazette of 27 June 2026), caps at 12 months in total, per group of companies, the extracurricular traineeships under paragraphs 720-726; the text does not mention foreign nationals living abroad. Ask the Region which limits apply to you.
Which insurance is needed?
According to the vademecum, the promoter guarantees INAIL cover against workplace accidents and civil-liability insurance towards third parties, but the agreement can assign the obligation to the promoter or to the host: write down who takes it on. The Embassy in Bogotá asks for a project that includes INAIL and civil-liability policies. We did not verify how INAIL cover is activated in detail: ask the promoter.
Which communications and registers must be kept?
- Compulsory communication: it is the host’s job, even though a traineeship is not an employment relationship. The vademecum provides for it electronically for the start and for every extension; Lazio also lists termination. The vademecum gives no deadline; according to a Ministry of Labour note of 4 January 2007 the communication must be sent by the day before the start (article 9-bis(2) of Decree-Law 510/1996, which Lazio cites). Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta ask for the start communication within 15 days of the permit application, to be confirmed to the promoter straight away.
- Attendance register: kept up to date, with dates, entry and exit times, breaks, activities carried out and the signatures of the trainee and the company tutor.
- Final report: within 60 days of the end of the traineeship it is filed with the Region by the promoter, with the host.
- Information to the Region: the promoter reports the visa granted or refused, the arrival in Italy, the start and the outcome.
What if the traineeship is extended or ends early?
The maximum duration is 12 months, extensions included. An extension must be adequately justified by the host and requires an updated PFI; the host informs the trainee and makes the compulsory communication. The same trainee cannot do more than one traineeship with the same host, except for extensions or renewals within the 12 months. With an extension the trainee’s permit may need renewing: see our internship visa guide.
The vademecum does not regulate early termination. Lazio provides that the host reports the termination and that the promoter informs the Region of the outcome; Valle d’Aosta, if the trainee withdraws, that the promoter notifies whoever received the agreement and the PFI. We found no official page explaining what happens to the residence permit if the traineeship ends early: ask the promoter, the Region or the Questura.
What can the host not do?
- Use the trainee as an employee: a traineeship is not an employment relationship and the vademecum also lists bans on replacing workers.
- Set up a traineeship for activities that need no training period, or for elementary, generic and repetitive tasks.
- Use it for domestic or care work in a family setting.
If you need a worker, as a rule the route is entry for work, not a traineeship. The specific penalties we found for these traineeships are regional: Lazio suspends for up to 24 months the possibility of setting up traineeships after a final finding that the host broke its obligations, and Piedmont provides for the loss of the regional endorsement and a ban of 12 to 36 months on submitting projects for non-EU trainees. The vademecum lists no penalties. For extracurricular traineeships in general, the 2022 budget law provides for an administrative fine of EUR 1,000 to 6,000 if the allowance is not paid (Ministry of Labour page); the official pages do not say whether it also applies to these traineeships.
Can you hire the trainee after the traineeship?
Not automatically. At the end the host can extend the traineeship, within the 12 months, or offer an employment contract; in both cases it makes the compulsory communication. The trainee can apply to convert the permit into a work permit only after the traineeship has ended and while the permit is still valid (article 14(6) of Presidential Decree 394/1999). On quotas and application forms the official sources do not agree: we explain this in the guide to internships for non-EU citizens; the general rules are in the guide to converting a study permit into a work permit.
To hire a worker from abroad without going through a traineeship, see hiring foreign workers in Italy, the Decreto Flussi application guide and hiring workers trained abroad. The permits that allow work are in the guide to permits that allow work; for all titles go to the types of Italian residence permit.
Frequently asked questions
Can a company host a non-EU intern in Italy?
Yes, if an authorised promoting body, different from the host, sets up with the company a training project approved by the Region. The host must comply with safety at work and compulsory placement rules and must not fall within the exclusions in the vademecum. The traineeship falls within an entry quota.
Who pays the allowance, board, lodging and return travel?
The host provides board and lodging and, according to the vademecum, bears the travel costs of any forced return to the country of origin; it also pays the allowance set by the Region, for example EUR 400 gross a month in Lazio. Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta allow a different arrangement on the return with the promoter.
How many non-EU trainees can a company have?
Each company tutor can follow at most three trainees at a time. We found no national cap on the number per host: limits depend on regional rules, so ask the Region and the promoter before starting the project.
Can you hire the trainee at the end of the traineeship?
Not automatically: after the traineeship ends the permit can be converted into a work permit, if it is still valid and the requirements of the chosen work are met. The application goes to the Immigration One-Stop Shop, and the outcome depends on the competent authorities.
Official sources
- Tirocini formativi (traineeships) – Ministry of Labour and Social Policies (Italian text)
- Vademecum on traineeships for citizens resident in a third country (September 2022) – Ministry of Labour (Italian text)
- Traineeships, guidelines and compulsory communication – Ministry of Labour and Social Policies (Italian text)
- What is a training traineeship? How to enter Italy for a traineeship – Integrazione Migranti (Italian text)
- Ministerial decree of 28 June 2023, 2023/2025 quota for courses and traineeships – Ministry of Labour (Italian text)
- Presidential Decree 394/1999, implementing regulation (text in force on 28 March 2024) – Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Italian text)
- Official Gazette no. 147 of 27 June 2026, Law 112/2026 (article 4-bis on extracurricular traineeships) (Italian text)
- Study visa for an extracurricular traineeship (example) – Embassy of Italy in Bogotá (Italian text)
The sources were consulted on 30 October 2026. The Lazio, Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta examples come from the resolutions and pages of those Regions, read the same day. Official pages can be older than the law and Regions change their rules: always check the latest instructions of the competent office.
How can SH Immigration Specialists help?
Once a promoting body and a host exist, we can help you check requirements and documents, follow the trainee’s immigration steps (visa and residence permit) and, after the traineeship, the conversion into work. Legal advice, appeals and representation are handled by the lawyers of the SH Immigration Specialists law firm. 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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