Provisional nulla osta: what foreign shareholders and directors need

In short. The provisional nulla osta is the document with which the Questura gives the go-ahead for someone to enter Italy to work for themselves, including as a shareholder or director of a company. You obtain it before the visa, and a representative can apply for you. For shareholders and directors the company’s documents matter most: several consulate guides ask for a company that has been active for at least three years.

Here you will find who needs the document, what changes for shareholders and directors, and what to bring to the consulate.

Reviewed 2 November 2026. These are general rules, not personalised advice: each Questura and consulate may ask for different documents, so check the instructions of the office that will handle your file.

What is the provisional nulla osta from the Questura?

“Nulla osta provvisorio” (provisional clearance) is the term that Article 39 of Presidential Decree 394/1999, the regulation implementing the Consolidated Immigration Act, uses for self-employment. In the original 1999 text, which we read in an unofficial copy, the application with its documents and the Chamber of Commerce attestation go to the Questura (the local police office that handles residence permits), also through a representative, to obtain the provisional nulla osta for entry. The Questura issues it within 20 days, after checking that nothing prevents entry. The consulate then issues the visa.

Consulates usually call it simply the “nulla osta of the Questura”. The Frosinone-Latina Chamber of Commerce uses the full term: for people abroad, it explains, the application to the Chamber serves to obtain the provisional nulla osta from the Questura, which the consulate needs for the visa (Frosinone-Latina Chamber of Commerce, Italian text). It is not the residence permit, which you request after entering Italy. For other visas, see Types of Italian visa.

Who has to apply, and who does not?

It is for people who live outside Italy and want to enter with a self-employment visa: consulates ask for it together with the other documents, so the procedure starts in Italy. If you are abroad, a representative can submit the application, as the regulation allows; ask the Questura which formalities it requires for the power of attorney.

If you are already in Italy with a permit that allows self-employment, or a permit for family or humanitarian reasons, you can register directly with the Companies Register, without the Chamber’s nulla osta and attestation (Verona Chamber of Commerce, Italian text). For the list of permits, read Which Italian residence permits allow work.

What changes for shareholders and directors of a company?

A company has three kinds of people, and the sources treat them differently: the working partner (socio prestatore d’opera), who works in the company; the director or other office-holder; and the shareholder who only holds shares.

Tbilisi, Tunis, Moscow and Lagos state that for partners, directors or holders of a self-employment contract the visa can be issued only if the Italian company, according to the company registry extract (visura camerale), has been active in Italy for at least three years (Italian Embassy in Tbilisi, Italian text). Cairo asks for documents proving at least three years of activity for joint-stock companies, limited liability companies and limited partnerships by shares, plus proof of the role held (Italian Embassy in Cairo, Italian text).

These guides refer to non-cooperative companies: check a cooperative separately. Chambers of Commerce do not all follow the same practice either.

Which documents do you need?

There is no single list: the Questura and the consulate can ask for different documents.

For the Questura

For self-employment in general, our guide Self-Employment Visa and Residence Permit in Italy lists a copy of the passport, a translated and legalised power of attorney if one is used, the Chamber of Commerce documents and proof of accommodation. For partners and directors no official source we read lists different papers, so ask the Questura which company documents it wants. Cairo specifies the Questura responsible for the place of the activity.

For the consulate

The Italian Embassy in Minsk’s list for “company persons” (type D visa) is the fullest we read (Italian Embassy in Minsk, Italian text). It asks for:

• the Questura’s nulla osta, dated no more than 3 months before the application;
• the certificate of the Territorial Labour Directorate (DTL), or a statement by the legal representative excluding an employment relationship for anyone holding an administrative or supervisory office;
• the company’s registration certificate from the Companies Register, showing activity for at least 3 years;
• a statement by the legal representative of remuneration above €8,400 a year;
• the latest filed financial statements (limited companies) or the latest tax return (partnerships), showing enough income to pay that remuneration;
• suitable accommodation, shown by a purchase or rental contract or by a substitute declaration.

Other guides vary: some give €8,500 instead of €8,400, and Cairo rules out a bank guarantee or an insurance policy as proof of income. On the date of the nulla osta, Cairo and Tbilisi use the wording “not less than three months”, which is unclear: ask the consulate from when the period counts.

If you are a working partner: the Chamber of Commerce

Before the Questura, a working partner asks the Chamber of Commerce for the nulla osta and attestation. In Verona this takes two €16 revenue stamps, with no secretariat fees, and the nulla osta is valid for 3 months; the parameter is divided by the number of partners, including the new one (Verona Chamber of Commerce, Italian text). Frosinone-Latina adds €5 in fees.

How do you get it, step by step?

1. Check the company with an up-to-date registry extract: company type, years of activity and the role you will have.
2. Prepare the company documents and the accommodation. A working partner first asks the Chamber of Commerce for the nulla osta and attestation.
3. Submit the application to the Questura responsible for the place where you will work; if you are abroad, a representative can do it.
4. Wait for the provisional nulla osta: the original text of the regulation gives 20 days, after the check for obstacles.
5. Take the nulla osta and documents to the consulate promptly: Minsk wants a nulla osta dated no more than 3 months before the application. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs gives 120 days to decide on a self-employment visa, a deadline that may be missed if checks abroad are needed (Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
6. After entering Italy, apply for the residence permit within 8 working days (Article 5 of the Consolidated Act): the application is submitted at the post office (Sportello Amico) with the consulate’s certification (Immigration Portal, Italian text).

Are there quotas or click days?

Yes, entry for self-employment falls within the Decreto Flussi quotas. The Prime Ministerial Decree of 2 October 2025 provides for 650 entries a year in 2026-2028, as reported in joint circular no. 8047 of 16 October 2025 (Ministry of Labour, Italian text): 500 for entrepreneurs, 80 “non-reserved quotas” and the rest for workers of Italian origin, stateless people and refugees. For holders of company offices, freelance professionals, artists and start-ups the table gives no separate figure, and the circular does not explain what the 80 non-reserved quotas cover: we cannot tell you under which line a partner or director falls. Forms and click days are provided only for employed work: read Decreto Flussi 2027 application.

What if the company is less than three years old?

If the registry extract shows a newer company, the guides that ask for three years do not provide the visa for partners or directors, and the Verona Chamber does not issue its nulla osta to a working partner of a company less than three years old. That does not mean every route is closed, but the case should be assessed by a professional. Routes to check:

• if you are already in Italy with a permit that allows self-employment, you usually do not go through this procedure;
• employed work, if the company hires you: it goes through the Decreto Flussi and its dates;
• investing in the company: there is a separate visa, with minimum amounts and clearance, described in Italy investor visa.

Which mistakes should you avoid?

• Requesting the nulla osta too early: Minsk wants it dated no more than 3 months before the visa application.
• Applying with a company less than three years old when the guide asks for proof.
• Mixing up roles: a working partner and a director do not submit the same documents.
• Assuming a complete file is enough: Tbilisi reminds applicants that submitting all the documents does not guarantee the visa.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Chamber of Commerce nulla osta the same thing?

No. The Chamber of Commerce nulla osta, with the attestation, comes first and is attached to the application to the Questura. The Questura’s provisional nulla osta checks that nothing prevents entry, and it is the one the consulate asks for together with the other documents.

How long does the provisional nulla osta take?

The original text of the 1999 regulation gives the Questura 20 days. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs then gives 120 days to decide on a self-employment visa. Actual times depend on the Questura and the consulate: ask for current deadlines.

How long is the nulla osta valid?

It depends on the consulate. Minsk wants it dated no more than three months before the application; Cairo and Tbilisi use the unclear wording “not less than three months”. For the Chamber of Commerce nulla osta, Verona gives three months’ validity. Ask the consulate to confirm.

Must the company be at least three years old?

For partners and directors, yes, according to the guides of Tbilisi, Tunis, Moscow and Lagos: the visa can be issued only if the company has been active for at least three years. Verona also gives three years for the working partner. With a newer company, assess other routes with a professional.

Official sources

• Self-employment of non-EU citizens – Frosinone-Latina Chamber of Commerce (Italian text)
• Directive no. 01/2026 for non-EU citizens – Verona Chamber of Commerce (Italian text)
• Type D visa documents, company persons – Italian Embassy in Minsk (Italian text)
• Self-employment visa – Italian Embassy in Cairo (Italian text)
• Self-employment visa – Italian Embassy in Tbilisi (Italian text)
• Circular no. 8047 of 16 October 2025 – Ministry of Labour (Italian text)
• Terms for issuing visas – Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Residence permit for self-employment – Immigration Portal (Italian text)

The sources were consulted on 2 November 2026. The 20-day deadline comes from the original text of the regulation, read in an unofficial copy, and the consulate guides are undated: always 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 role in the company, check the registry extract and the documents, and follow the file with the Questura 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.

Which other guides may help you?

• Self-Employment Visa and Residence Permit in Italy: Full Guide
• VAT number and company setup for foreigners in Italy
• Italy investor visa: minimum amounts, clearance and residence permit (Art. 26-bis)
• Decreto Flussi 2027 application: requirements, documents and procedure
• Which Italian residence permits allow work and which can be converted