Volunteering visa and permit in Italy: who can take part and how to get them

In short. The volunteering visa Italy issues is a national type D visa (91 to 365 days), listed on the Foreign Ministry’s portal under two entries: “National quota” (Article 27-bis of the Consolidated Act on Immigration) and “European Voluntary Service” (European programmes authorised by the National Youth Agency, ANG). For the national quota the Ministry says that at present no nulla osta (prior clearance) or visas are issued; volunteering visas concern specific European programmes. After you arrive, apply for the residence permit within eight working days.

This guide covers the two routes, who can take part, the steps from consulate to police immigration office, official costs and the points where the official pages are silent. To compare visas, see the page on the types of Italian visa.

Reviewed 1 November 2026. This is general information, not advice on your case.

Volunteering visa Italy: what is it and which rules apply?

It is the visa that lets someone living outside the European Union enter Italy for a volunteering programme. On the Foreign Ministry’s portal Il visto per l’Italia it appears only among the long-stay (type D) visas, as “Volontariato – Contingente nazionale” (national quota) and “Volontariato – Servizio volontario europeo” (European Voluntary Service). The short-stay (type C) list has no volunteering entry.

Interministerial Decree 850/2011 lists volunteering among 21 reasons for entry, ties it to Article 27-bis of the Consolidated Act on Immigration (Legislative Decree 286/1998) and describes it as a short- or long-stay visa for no more than one year. Article 27-bis is separate from Article 27, which covers workers outside the quotas: for those categories see the guide on work in special cases (Article 27).

Who can take part in a volunteering programme?

For the national quota, Article 27-bis, paragraph 2, as replaced by Legislative Decree 71/2018 (which transposed Directive (EU) 2016/801), refers to people aged 25 to 35; the 2011 decree said 20 to 30, but the later statute prevails. For European programmes the limits depend on the programme: in the European Solidarity Corps, volunteering is for young people aged 18 to 30, and you can register from 17.

In the European Solidarity Corps what counts is the country where you live: the official page does not mention nationality. The Commission’s list of countries covers the EU Member States, four associated countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia and Türkiye) and some non-associated ones, including Albania, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Ukraine; some opportunities are more limited. If you live in a country that is not listed, this route is not provided for.

The Ministry’s sheets refer to “Gioventù in Azione – Servizio volontario europeo” and do not explain how it relates to the European Solidarity Corps: ask the ANG and the consulate to confirm.

Is the national quota working today?

The Foreign Ministry’s “Diritti e doveri” sheets (May 2026 edition) say that up to and including 2015 no national quotas had been authorised for volunteers, and that “allo stato” (at present) no nulla osta or entry visas are issued for these entries. The same sentences already appear in a Ministry sheet whose edition line reads February 2016, so they may have been carried over without updating.

We found no reference to the 2025 reform in the sheets. Article 6 of Decree-Law 146/2025, converted by Law 179/2025, provides that the quota is no longer set every year by 30 June but for three years, by decree of the Minister of Labour. According to the Integration Portal, the decree is adopted with the Ministers of the Interior and of Foreign Affairs, after hearing the National Council of the Third Sector. The same decree-law added checks on the declarations that the promoting organisation makes when it asks for the nulla osta (Chamber of Deputies dossier).

In the Labour Ministry’s list of acts on entries, read on 1 November 2026, we found no decree on a volunteer quota. Before you travel, ask the consulate and the organisation whether a nulla osta exists for your programme.

How do you get the visa, step by step?

1. Pin down the route. Ask the organisation whether the entry falls under the national quota (with a nulla osta) or a European programme (authorised by the ANG). In the European Solidarity Corps participation is free: you cannot be asked to pay a fee.
2. Authorisation. The national quota needs a prior nulla osta from the Single Immigration Desk (SUI), the Prefecture office for these entries; under the 2011 decree it must be used for the visa within six months. For European programmes the ANG authorises.
3. Consulate. Apply for a type D visa at the Italian diplomatic or consular mission; each office has its own document list and may ask for an interview (see the guide on the Italian entry visa).
4. Fee. The consular tariff updated in 2025 sets €116 for the type D visa and lists no reduction for volunteering (it refers to the EU Visa Code for reductions and exemptions); the office tells you the exact amount.
5. Decision. For national long-stay visas the Ministry gives 90 days from the application (Article 5, paragraph 8, of Presidential Decree 394/1999), longer if checks are needed (see visa processing times); the pages we read set no special term for volunteering.
6. Entry. A visa does not guarantee entry: border officers check the conditions again.

Which documents, insurance and accommodation are needed?

The official pages give no single document list for volunteering. For the national quota, Article 27-bis, paragraph 2, requires an agreement between you and the promoting organisation and a prior nulla osta (the 2011 decree mentions both too); the consulate may ask for other documents or call you for an interview. Check your office’s list.

Insurance. The Ministry’s sheets make enrolment in the National Health Service compulsory for adoption, work and family reasons, not for volunteering; for other reasons a private policy or voluntary enrolment is enough. For the national quota, however, Article 27-bis, paragraph 2(c), requires the promoting organisation to take out insurance covering healthcare costs, third-party liability and accidents linked to the activity. The European Solidarity Corps includes insurance from departure until two months after the activity ends. See also the guide on health insurance for foreigners.

Accommodation. The sheets set no accommodation requirement. For the national quota, the agreement must state the resources for travel, food, accommodation and small expenses, and the organisation takes responsibility for the costs of the stay (Article 27-bis, paragraph 2(b) and (d)). In the European Solidarity Corps, travel, accommodation and food are basic costs covered by the project, plus pocket money for personal expenses.

What do you have to do after arriving in Italy?

Within eight working days of entry, apply to the Questura (the provincial police headquarters) for the residence permit (Article 5, paragraph 2, of the Consolidated Act). As the Immigration Portal explains, you collect the yellow-band kit at a post office, hand it in personally at the Sportello Amico counter with your passport and receive a receipt with codes to follow the application; the Questura then summons you for fingerprints and a photograph.

Under the national quota, first visit the Single Immigration Desk that issued the nulla osta and collect the permit form; this step does not exist for European programmes. See the guides on the residence permit application and the types of residence permit.

• Costs. For a permit of over three months and up to one year the Portal’s items add up to €116.46 (€16 revenue stamp, €30.46 electronic permit, €40 contribution, €30 postal service; table of 22 July 2024). No page says whether volunteers are exempt.
• Town hall. Register with the local registry office (Comune) where you live.
• Integration agreement. According to the Ministry, it is signed by people over 16 who enter Italy for the first time for a long stay and apply for a permit of at least one year.
• Schengen. A type D visa lets you travel in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180.

How long does the permit last, and can you work?

For the national quota the statute is more precise than the information pages: Article 27-bis, paragraph 5, of the Consolidated Act (in the text introduced by Legislative Decree 71/2018) provides that the head of the Questura (the questore) issues a permit bearing the word “volontario”, for the length of the programme and normally for no more than one year. For European programmes, by contrast, the official pages state neither the name nor the duration of the permit: the index of the Immigration Portal (updated 4 November 2024) has no “volunteering” entry. What counts is the expiry date printed on the document.

For the national quota, Article 27-bis, paragraph 2, says that the volunteer’s activity cannot be paid and that only expenses actually incurred and documented are reimbursed, never as a flat rate. The official pages we read do not say whether the permit can be converted into a work or study permit, or whether it allows other work. Before accepting pay or a contract, ask the Questura or a professional whether it is compatible with your permit.

What if neither route suits you?

If you are outside the age range, do not live in a covered country or cannot find an organisation with a nulla osta, the volunteering visa Italy issues may not be the right route. The portal has no type C volunteering visa: for a project shorter than 91 days, ask the consulate which visa applies and do not travel on a tourist visa without checking. Other routes: study, internship, working holiday or scientific research. If a visa is refused, read the guide on Italian visa refusal.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a volunteering visa for Italy?

Yes, with limits. The Foreign Ministry’s portal lists two type D volunteering visas: the national quota (Article 27-bis) and European Voluntary Service. For the national quota the Ministry says that at present no nulla osta or visas are issued; volunteering visas concern specific European programmes.

Is the volunteering visa type C or type D?

On the portal it is a national type D visa, from 91 to 365 days; the short-stay list has no volunteering entry. If your project lasts less than 91 days, ask the consulate which visa applies.

Who authorises a volunteer’s entry?

It depends on the route. The national quota needs a prior nulla osta from the Prefecture’s Single Immigration Desk; for European programmes the National Youth Agency authorises. You then apply to the consulate.

How much do the visa and the permit cost?

The consular tariff updated in 2025 sets €116 for a national type D visa and lists no reduction for volunteering. For a permit of over three months and up to one year, the Immigration Portal’s items add up to €116.46 (table of 22 July 2024).

Can I work with a volunteering permit?

Under the national quota, Article 27-bis states that the volunteer’s activity cannot be paid; only documented expenses are reimbursed. The official pages we read do not explain whether the permit can be converted into a work or study permit. Before accepting pay or a contract, ask the Questura or a professional: it depends on the case.

Official sources

• Volunteering – National quota – Il visto per l’Italia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Italian text)
• Volunteering – European Voluntary Service – Il visto per l’Italia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Italian text)
• Rights and duties, long stay, May 2026 edition – Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Italian text)
• Interministerial Decree 850/2011 on visa types – Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Italian text)
• Entry and stay for work, Decree-Law 146/2025 – Integration Portal (Italian text)
• Dossier on Decree-Law 146/2025 – Chamber of Deputies (Italian text)
• European Solidarity Corps, volunteering – European Commission
• Procedure for the residence permit – Immigration Portal, Ministry of the Interior (Italian text)

The sources were consulted on 1 November 2026. The portal’s volunteering pages carry no update date, and the Immigration Portal predates the 2025–2026 reforms. For Article 27-bis we read the text introduced by Legislative Decree 71/2018; the consolidated text in force could not be opened. Always check the latest instructions of the competent office.

How can SH Immigration Specialists help?

We can help you work out which route is realistic in your case, check the consulate’s list and prepare the visa and permit applications; SH Immigration Specialists does not look for volunteering programmes and is not a promoting or host organisation. 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?

• Work in special cases (Article 27): who enters outside quotas and how
• Internship visa for Italy: documents, timing and residence permit
• Study visa Italy – Official guide to study in Italy
• Italian visa refusal: how to appeal
• Declaration of Presence in Italy for Foreign Nationals