In short. The special cases residence permit Italy issues is not a single document: the words “casi speciali” (special cases) are written on the permits for social protection (Article 18 of the Consolidated Immigration Act, Legislative Decree 286/1998), domestic violence (Article 18-bis) and labour exploitation (Article 18-ter). The questore (provincial police chief) issues them on a proposal or opinion from the judicial authority, or on a report from social services and specialist centres; each lasts one year and allows work. The outcome depends on the competent authorities.
Other permit types are listed in the types of residence permit in Italy; special protection, medical treatment and minors have their own guides: special protection, medical treatment and Article 31 for minors.
Reviewed 1 November 2026.
If you need help now, who can you contact?
If you are in immediate danger, call 112, the free European emergency number. The Department for Equal Opportunities also lists:
- 1522, for violence and stalking: free, open 24 hours a day, in Italian, English, French, Spanish, Arabic and German, with a chat option;
- 800 290 290, the anti-trafficking toll-free line: free, anonymous, open every day around the clock, with multilingual staff.
Special cases residence permit Italy: which permits does it cover?
The Ministry of Labour uses the expression for three permits, which by law carry the wording casi speciali: social protection (Article 18), domestic violence (Article 18-bis) and labour exploitation (Article 18-ter). The Ministry of the Interior’s Immigration Portal (page of November 2024) lists special cases among the requests made at the questura (police headquarters), not through the postal kit. The Consolidated Act names two more permits alongside them, for natural disasters (Article 20-bis) and acts of particular civic value (Article 42-bis), with rules of their own.
| Permit | Who it is for | Who starts the procedure | Duration | Work and conversion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 18, social protection | Violence or serious exploitation, including trafficking | Public prosecutor, or an organisation in the assistance programme (social route) | 1 year, renewable | Work; converts to work or study |
| Art. 18-bis, domestic violence | Violence in a domestic setting | Judicial authority, or social services and anti-violence centres with its opinion | 1 year | Work; converts to work or study |
| Art. 18-ter, labour exploitation | Exploited foreign workers who cooperate | Judicial authority handling the case; opinion of the Labour Inspectorate | 1 year, renewable | Work; converts to work or study |
| Art. 20-bis, disaster | “Contingent and exceptional” calamity in the country of origin | The person, at the questura | 6 months, renewable once for 6 | Work; no conversion to work |
| Art. 42-bis, civic value | Acts of particular civic value | The prefect proposes, the Minister of the Interior authorises | 2 years, renewable | Study and work; converts to work |
How does the social protection permit (Article 18) work?
It is for people who suffer violence or serious exploitation, including victims of trafficking, and whose safety is at risk because they escape those who control them or because of what they say in proceedings. On the judicial route the questore issues the permit on the proposal or with the opinion of the public prosecutor, usually after a complaint. On the social route no complaint is needed: an organisation running the single programme for emergence, assistance and social integration supports the person.
What is the 45-day recovery and reflection period?
Legislative Decree 115/2026 introduced it from 16 July 2026. When objective indicators of trafficking emerge and the conditions are met, the organisations running the programme inform the questore, who issues a named certificate valid for 45 days; during this time no return can be carried out (subject to Article 13(1) of the Consolidated Act). Afterwards, if the conditions are met, the permit follows, and the right to ask for international protection remains. Once 45 days have passed from the application, the receipt allows you to stay and work, if the delay is not your fault, until the authorities notify any obstacle.
How does the domestic violence permit (Article 18-bis) work?
It covers people in Italy who suffer violence or abuse in the family or between current or former spouses and partners, even if they do not live together. The violence must come to light in criminal investigations or proceedings for offences such as ill-treatment, injury, female genital mutilation, kidnapping, sexual violence and stalking, or through specialist social services and anti-violence centres. There must be a concrete and current danger for the person who escapes the violence or cooperates. Law 50/2023 added forced marriage (Article 558-bis of the Criminal Code). The opinion of the judicial authority is always required.
How does the labour exploitation permit (Article 18-ter) work?
Decree-Law 145/2024, converted by Law 187/2024, created it in place of the old Article 22(12-quater). It is for foreign workers who are victims of illegal intermediation and labour exploitation (Article 603-bis of the Criminal Code, known as caporalato) and who help to bring the facts to light and identify those responsible: a complaint is not required, but a useful contribution to the proceedings is. The questore issues the permit on the proposal of the judicial authority handling the case; if the facts emerge from an inspection, the National Labour Inspectorate also gives an opinion. The permit may also be issued to members of the victim’s household.
And the other two permits: disasters and civic value?
Disaster (Article 20-bis). For people who cannot safely return to, or stay in, their country of origin because of a “contingent and exceptional” calamity. It lasts six months, renewable once for a further six; it is valid only in Italy and allows work, but cannot be converted into a work permit.
Acts of particular civic value (Article 42-bis). The prefect proposes and the Minister of the Interior authorises, unless there are risks to public order and State security; the questore then issues the permit. The qualifying acts are those in Article 3 of Law 13/1958, for example rescuing people in serious danger. It lasts two years, is renewable, allows study and work and can be converted into a work permit.
How do you apply and which documents are needed?
The procedure does not always start with you: for Articles 18, 18-bis and 18-ter the proposal, opinion or report reaches the questore from the judicial authority, social services or the programme organisation. You then, as a rule, go to the questura for fingerprints and documents, receive a receipt and collect the permit. For Article 18-ter no housing suitability certificate is needed; for other documents ask the questura, as requests may vary.
Article 5(2-ter) of the Consolidated Act excludes the contribution for issuing and renewing these permits, but the Immigration Portal cost table (July 2024) does not mention it: ask the questura what you must pay.
What does the permit allow: work, health care, study and benefits?
- Work and study. Articles 18, 18-bis and 18-ter allow work, study and registration with the employment centres, subject to the minimum age. For Article 18-ter the receipt allows temporary work: see working with a permit receipt.
- Health care. For Article 18, Health Ministry circular no. 5/2000 provides for compulsory enrolment in the national health service; for Article 18-ter a receipt is enough (Integrazione Migranti). For the others, ask your local health authority (ASL).
- Inclusion allowance (ADI). According to the Ministry of Labour (21 May 2026) and INPS circular 58/2026, holders of an Article 18, 18-bis or 18-ter permit are exempt from the ordinary citizenship, residence, stay and income requirements; the other ADI requirements remain (for example, the make-up of the household) and, for Article 18-ter, the circular ties the ADI to admission to the assistance measures of Decree-Law 145/2024. You register on SIISL (the Information System for Social and Labour Inclusion) and attend a first meeting with social services within 120 days of the digital activation pact. You apply online on the INPS website or through a patronato.
- Reception and legal aid. Article 18-ter can open access to the SAI (reception and integration system), if places are available, and people who help expose the offence may be admitted to State-funded legal aid.
- Illegal entry offence. The court issues a ruling of no grounds to proceed for illegal entry and stay (Article 10-bis(6)).
What happens at expiry: renewal, conversion, revocation and refusal?
- Renewal. Apply to the questura. After Legislative Decree 83/2026 (from 22 May 2026), Article 5 of the Consolidated Act now generally asks for the request at least 90 days before expiry; many information pages still say 60 days. Articles 18 and 18-ter are renewed for one year or for as long as needed for socio-occupational integration or justice, and Article 18-ter without a new prosecutor’s opinion; for Article 18-bis the sources consulted give no specific rules. See renewing a residence permit.
- Conversion. At expiry, Articles 18, 18-bis and 18-ter can become a work or study permit: see permits convertible to work. For Article 18-ter, conversion to work happens outside the quotas.
- Revocation. The permit can be revoked if conduct is incompatible with its purpose or the conditions cease; for Article 18-ter also after a conviction under Article 603-bis, even if not final.
- Refusal. A refusal or revocation can be challenged in court within short time limits: show the decision to a lawyer straight away.
What changed between 2018 and 2026?
- 2018–2024. Decree-Law 113/2018 (the casi speciali wording, Articles 20-bis and 42-bis); Decree-Law 20/2023, Law 50/2023 (Article 20-bis narrowed, Article 18-bis extended to forced marriage); Decree-Law 145/2024, Law 187/2024 (Article 18-ter created).
- 2025. Decree-Law 146/2025 (from 4 October; conversion Law 179/2025 from 2 December): one year for Articles 18 and 18-ter, inclusion allowance for Articles 18 and 18-bis, role of the Labour Inspectorate.
- 2026. Legislative Decree 83/2026 (general terms) and Legislative Decree 115/2026 (45 days). The Chamber of Deputies summary of Decree-Law 100/2026 on asylum does not mention these permits.
Frequently asked questions
What does “special cases” mean on a residence permit?
It is the wording on the permits for social protection (Article 18), domestic violence (Article 18-bis) and labour exploitation (Article 18-ter). Disasters (Article 20-bis) and civic value (Article 42-bis) are separate permits in the Consolidated Act, with their own rules.
Do I have to report to the police to get the permit?
It depends on the permit. Article 18 also has a social route without a complaint, through an organisation in the assistance programme. Article 18-ter needs a useful contribution to the proceedings, and Article 18-bis the judicial authority’s opinion. A lawyer or a specialist centre can assess your case.
How long does the permit last and does it allow work?
Articles 18, 18-bis and 18-ter last one year (for Articles 18 and 18-ter since 4 October 2025; before that, six months), allow work and can be converted into a work or study permit at expiry. The disaster permit lasts six months, renewable once: it allows work but cannot be converted.
Official sources
- ADI for holders of “special cases” residence permits – Ministry of Labour
- Victims of labour exploitation and the residence permit – Integrazione Migranti
- Residence permit for victims of domestic violence – Integrazione Migranti
- Decree-Law 146/2025, Article 4 – Gazzetta Ufficiale no. 230 of 2025
- Legislative Decree 115/2026, Article 8 – Gazzetta Ufficiale no. 150 of 2026
- Decree-Law 113/2018, coordinated text – Normattiva
- Anti-trafficking toll-free number – Department for Equal Opportunities
- 1522 anti-violence and anti-stalking line – Department for Equal Opportunities
The sources, all in Italian, were consulted on 1 November 2026. The consolidated current text of Articles 18, 18-bis and 18-ter could not be read, so this guide reconstructs it from the laws that amended them. Information pages may be older than the law: check the competent questura’s latest instructions.
How can SH Immigration Specialists help?
To understand which permit might apply, a confidential assessment is needed, which an anti-violence centre, an anti-trafficking service or a lawyer can carry out: you do not have to tell your story in the contact form. 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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