In short. The integration agreement, or “points-based permit”, is a credit-based pact with the Italian State (Article 4-bis of Legislative Decree 286/1998). It is signed by people over 16 who enter Italy for the first time and apply for a permit of at least one year. You start with 16 credits and need 30 after two years, plus spoken Italian at A2. At zero credits the law provides for revocation and expulsion, with exceptions.
Here you will find who signs, how credits and tests work, what happens at the check, and the links with the EU long-term permit and citizenship.
Reviewed 5 November 2026. These are general rules, not personalised advice: your case may differ, depending on your permit and your date of entry. The official sources at the end were consulted on 5 November 2026.
What is the integration agreement and which rules govern it?
It is a credit-based pact that a foreign national signs with the State when applying for a residence permit. “Points-based permit” is a popular label: the law speaks only of an agreement and credits. The agreement comes from Article 4-bis of Legislative Decree 286/1998 (the Consolidated Immigration Act, TUI) and is put into practice by Presidential Decree (D.P.R.) 179 of 14 September 2011, in force since 10 March 2012 and, on Normattiva, unamended as at 4 November 2026.
Recent changes touched Article 4-bis, not the regulation. Decree-Law 145/2024 (converted by Law 187/2024) added a reference to how the residence contract is signed. Legislative Decree 83/2026, applicable from 22 May 2026, widened the information on work and the single permit. Credits and language levels are unchanged.
Who has to sign the agreement, and who does not?
Under Article 1 of D.P.R. 179/2011, the agreement applies to a foreign national who is over 16, enters Italy for the first time after 10 March 2012 and applies for a permit under Article 5 of the TUI lasting at least one year. For a minor aged 16 to 18, the parents, or other people with parental authority, sign too if they are lawfully resident (Article 2, paragraph 2).
The agreement is not signed, or is replaced, in three cases (Article 2, paragraphs 8 and 9):
- illness or disability that severely limits self-sufficiency or causes serious difficulty in learning the language and culture, certified by a public health facility or a doctor contracted with the National Health Service;
- unaccompanied minors, for whom the social and civic integration project takes its place;
- victims of trafficking, violence or serious exploitation, for whom the Article 18 TUI assistance programme takes its place (see special-cases permits).
The permits listed in Article 4-bis, paragraph 2 (for example asylum, family reasons, EU long-term permit) are named only to rule out revocation and expulsion for their holders; the text does not say they need not sign. The Ministry’s 2021 integration manual goes further: it excludes them from the check and says international protection holders do not sign. Ask the Sportello Unico or the Questura how this applies to you; see Italian residence permit types.
Where, when and how is the agreement signed?
You sign when you apply for your first permit (Article 4-bis, paragraph 2). According to the Integration Migrants Portal, people entering for work or family reunification go to the Prefecture’s Sportello Unico per l’Immigrazione (the one-stop shop for immigration); others go to the Questura (police headquarters), which passes the agreement to the one-stop shop (Article 2, paragraph 11).
Under Decree-Law 145/2024, signing follows Article 22, paragraph 6, TUI: a digital or other qualified electronic signature (for the residence contract, the worker may also sign by hand). For workers entering under the annual quota decree (decreto flussi), where the agreement applies, the Ministry of the Interior described a digital procedure in 2025: the employer enters data on the ALI portal, the one-stop shop issues the agreement, the worker signs it and the one-stop shop validates the uploaded file. It can run alongside the residence contract, to be signed within fifteen days of entry since Law 179/2025 (converting Decree-Law 146/2025). See also the employment residence permit guide.
What do you commit to, and how do the civic session and the language test work?
On signing you receive 16 credits, equal to spoken Italian at A1 and a sufficient knowledge of civic life (Article 2, paragraph 3). In return you commit to reach at least spoken Italian at A2, learn about the Constitution, public institutions and civic life, make sure minor children attend compulsory schooling, and adhere to the Charter of the Values of Citizenship and Integration (Article 2, paragraphs 4 and 5).
Within three months of signing you attend a free civic training and information session of 5 to 10 hours, run by the Sportello Unico (Article 3). If you do not attend, you lose 15 of your 16 credits.
You show your Italian level with certificates from bodies agreed with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and recognised by the Ministry of Education, or with end-of-course certificates from a CPIA, a provincial adult education centre (Article 12). Without suitable papers you can ask for a free test, which may be held at a CPIA (Article 5, paragraph 1; Article 6, paragraph 1).
How are credits earned and lost?
Annexes B (credits) and C (deductions) of D.P.R. 179/2011 list the values. The main ones:
| Item | Credits | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Italian: A1, A2, B1 Annex B, point 1 |
10, 20, 26 if spoken only; 14, 24, 28 for the full level | Only the highest counts |
| Civic knowledge: sufficient, good, high Annex B, point 2 |
6, 9, 12 | Only the highest counts |
| Business activity, family doctor, volunteering Annex B, points 10, 12, 13 |
4 each | Doctor: see the health card guide |
| Housing Annex B, point 14 |
6 | Multi-year lease, purchase or mortgage |
| Courses and qualifications Annex B, points 3–8 |
4 to 64 | From an 80-hour course to a doctorate |
| Criminal convictions and security measures, even if not final Annex C |
−2 to −25 | By sentence |
| Final administrative or tax penalties Annex C |
−2 to −8 | From €10,000 upwards |
At the check, the 16 starting credits stay only if you can prove spoken Italian at A1 and sufficient civic knowledge (Article 4, paragraph 3). Example: full A2 Italian (24) plus sufficient civic knowledge (6) makes 30. Spoken-only A2 (20) plus civic knowledge (6) makes 26, and a family doctor (4) brings you to 30. Keep the signed agreement and proof of your credits.
When and how is the agreement checked?
One month before the two years are up, the Sportello Unico tells you and starts the check (Article 6, paragraph 1). You have fifteen days to send documents on your credits and your children’s schooling; without them, you can ask for the free test. With a one-year permit, the civic session is checked one month before expiry (paragraph 3). For serious health or family reasons, work, training or study abroad, you can ask for suspension or extension (Article 8). You can check your position in the national register of agreements (Article 9, paragraph 3). The user manual of the one-stop shops’ online system describes an “Accordo integrazione” area, with SPID (Italy’s digital identity) access, for summonses, documents, tests and credits.
| Credits at the check | Outcome | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 30 or more, with spoken Italian at A2 and sufficient civic knowledge Article 6, paragraph 5(a) |
Fulfilment | Agreement extinguished, with the prefect’s certificate |
| More than 0 and fewer than 30, or levels not reached Article 6, paragraph 5(b) |
One-year extension | Same conditions; final check over the three years |
| 0 or below Article 6, paragraph 5(c) |
Termination for non-fulfilment | Revocation or non-renewal of the permit and expulsion, with exceptions |
What happens if the credits are not enough, or fall to zero?
After the extension, the Sportello Unico checks the whole three years. If the extension’s conditions persist, the prefect declares “partial non-fulfilment”: it does not by itself lead to revocation or expulsion, but the authorities weigh it in discretionary decisions under the TUI (Article 6, paragraph 9).
At zero credits or below, the prefect terminates the agreement: the permit is revoked or not renewed and the person is expelled (Article 6, paragraph 7; Article 4-bis, paragraph 2), apart from the exceptions above. Where the TUI bars expulsion, the termination counts only in discretionary decisions (paragraph 8). Failing to ensure that minor children attend compulsory schooling costs all credits and ends the agreement, unless the person proves they did what they could (paragraph 4).
Termination, revocation and expulsion are separate acts with their own remedies: see the guides to refused or revoked permits and to expulsion and re-entry bans, and seek a legal assessment early.
How does the agreement link to the EU long-term permit and to citizenship?
For the EU long-term residence permit, Article 9, paragraph 2-bis, TUI requires an Italian-language test, set at level A2 by ministerial decree, with some exemptions. Among them, the Ministry of the Interior lists anyone who obtained, among the agreement’s credits, recognition of at least A2 (test page; Ministerial Decree of 7 December 2021).
For citizenship by residence, Article 9.1 of Law 91/1992 requires at least level B1; applicants who have not signed the agreement, or do not hold the EU long-term permit, must attest a qualification or certificate. The Ministry of the Interior’s 2025 vademecum exempts holders of the EU long-term permit and people who signed the agreement after entering for family reunification or family cohesion, with a Prefecture attestation. See the B1 certificate and citizenship by residence guides.
Frequently asked questions
Is the integration agreement compulsory?
Yes, if you are over 16, enter Italy for the first time and apply for a permit of at least one year: signing is a necessary condition for its issue (Article 4-bis, paragraph 2, TUI). Exceptions are certified serious illness or disability, unaccompanied minors, and victims of trafficking, violence or serious exploitation.
How many credits do I need to complete the agreement?
You start with 16 credits. After two years you need at least 30, plus spoken Italian at A2 and sufficient civic knowledge: the prefect then declares the agreement extinguished. With more than zero but fewer than 30, it is extended by one year.
What happens if I do not attend the civic training session?
You lose 15 of your 16 starting credits (Article 3, paragraph 3, D.P.R. 179/2011). The session is free, lasts 5 to 10 hours and must be attended within three months of signing.
Can I lose my permit if I have fewer than 30 credits?
Not for that reason alone: with more than zero and fewer than 30 credits the agreement is extended. Revocation and expulsion are provided for at zero credits or below, with exceptions (Article 4-bis, paragraph 2; Article 6, paragraphs 7 and 8).
Official sources
- Legislative Decree 286/1998, Consolidated Immigration Act – Normattiva (Italian text)
- D.P.R. 179/2011 with Annexes B and C – Ministry of Labour and Social Policies (Italian text)
- Integration agreement – Integration Migrants Portal (Italian text)
- Quota entries: how the residence contract, integration agreement and residence permit work (2 September 2025) – Integration Migrants Portal (Italian text)
- Decree-Law 145/2024 with Law 187/2024, consolidated text – Normattiva (Italian text)
- Legislative Decree 83/2026, Article 1 (no. 115 of 20 May 2026) – Gazzetta Ufficiale (Italian text)
- Italian language knowledge test – Ministry of the Interior (Italian text)
- Law 91/1992, Article 9.1 (text as at 24 May 2025) – Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Italian text)
How can SH Immigration Specialists help?
SH Immigration Specialists offers administrative help to gather the documents that prove your credits and to understand the communications from the Sportello Unico. 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.
Do you have a case like this? Talk to a specialist consultant
In 30 minutes a specialist consultant at SH Immigration Specialists looks at your situation and tells you what to do, which documents you need and which mistakes to avoid. Online, from any country, in Italian or English.
Want us to handle it for you? See our residence permit service.
How would you like to pay?
After payment we email you to set the date and time.
- Account holder
- SH Group di Hamza Ameer
- IBAN
- IT55 H030 6902 5201 0000 0018 632
- Amount
- €199 (Basic) · €249 (Priority)
- Reference
- Consultation + your full name
After the transfer, fill in the booking form: we set the date and time as soon as we receive the payment.
Questions before booking? Use the contact form · Details and booking form
Secure online payment with Stripe. SH Immigration Specialists is not a law firm: appeals and legal advice are handled by the lawyers on the team.
Which other guides may help you?
- Types of Italian residence permit
- EU Long-Term Residence Permit in Italy: Validity, Renewal and Time Abroad
- B1 Italian language certificate for citizenship: exams, bodies and exemptions
- Italian citizenship by residence: years required, income, B1 and timing
- Italian residence permit refused or revoked: what happens and how to appeal
- Expulsion and re-entry ban in Italy: types, appeals and how to return
- Contratto di soggiorno (residence contract): who signs and what next
