In short. What people search for as an “article 27 work visa italy” is not one visa but a closed list of special cases in Article 27 of the Consolidated Immigration Act (Legislative Decree 286/1998), under which a non-EU worker can enter for work outside the Decreto Flussi quotas. As a rule the employer asks the Single Desk for Immigration for a nulla osta (work clearance), then the worker applies for a visa, usually the national type D, and, after arriving, for a residence permit. For some categories another authority decides or a notification is enough.
Below: the categories, who files, the common steps and our guides for the main cases.
Reviewed 1 November 2026. These are general rules from official sources, not personalised advice: check your case with the Sportello Unico per l’Immigrazione (the Single Desk for Immigration, the Prefecture office handling clearances) or with a professional.
Article 27 work visa Italy: who can enter outside the quotas?
Article 27 of Legislative Decree 286/1998 (the Consolidated Immigration Act) gives a closed list of cases in which a non-EU citizen may enter for work outside the quotas: these entries do not count against the yearly numbers of the Decreto Flussi, the decree that sets how many non-EU workers may enter (Ministry of the Interior). The implementing rules are in Article 40 of Presidential Decree 394/1999.
Outside the quotas also means no click day: applications are filed during the year, and as a rule there is no numerical ceiling except for internships, sport and volunteering, which have limits of their own (Integrazione Migranti); working-holiday visas are also granted each year in a set number under bilateral agreements (Integrazione Migranti). In-quota applications follow the dates in our guide to Decreto Flussi 2027. For every visa type, see Types of Italian visa.
Which categories are covered, and which guide should you read?
Paragraph 1 lists the categories by letter. The table shows the document that opens each case (from the Ministry of the Interior’s forms) and the matching guide.
| Category | Document and who files | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| a) Executives and highly specialised staff | Nulla osta (Model D) or notification (Model CD) by the employer | Model D |
| b, c, d, e, r-bis) University language lecturers, professors, translators and interpreters, domestic workers (full-time for at least a year abroad with Italian or EU citizens who move to Italy), nurses | Employer’s nulla osta (Models E, F or CF, G, H, O); nurses: a qualification recognised by the Ministry of Health | General guide for companies |
| f) Vocational training and internships | Model I for training placements; internships have their own procedure and limits | Internship visa |
| h) Seafarers | Formal request by the shipping company, with contract and the ship’s registration certificate | Renewing a seafarers’ permit |
| i) Workers seconded by a foreign employer under a service contract | Nulla osta (Model M); with an EU employer, a notification (M2, paragraph 1-bis) | Model M |
| i-bis) Employees for at least 12 of the last 48 months of companies based in Italy or of non-EU companies they hold shares in, to work at the Italian sites | Nulla osta or notification by the employer (paragraph 1-ter) | Posting workers |
| l, m, n, o) Entertainment: circuses, artistic and technical staff, dancers, artists, musicians | Ministry of Labour nulla osta (Model A first entry, B extension), requested by the employer | Artist visa |
| p) Professional sportspeople at Italian clubs | Named assent of CONI (the Italian Olympic Committee) instead of the nulla osta, within the annual ceiling (paragraph 5-bis) | — |
| q) Accredited correspondent journalists | Approval by the Foreign Ministry’s Press Office, then visa and permit | — |
| q-bis) Digital nomads and remote workers | No Single Desk nulla osta: visa at the consulate, permit at the police headquarters (questura) | Digital nomad visa |
| r) Youth exchanges, au pairs, working holidays | Model N for exchanges and au pairs; working holidays follow bilateral agreements | Working holiday visa |
| Paragraph 1-octies) Descendants of Italians from Argentina, Brazil, the United States, Australia, Canada, Venezuela and Uruguay | Entry for employed work outside the quotas (decree of 17 November 2025) | — |
Letter g) (specific duties, Models L and CL) was suppressed by Article 4 of Legislative Decree 253/2016, in force since 11 January 2017, although the Ministry of the Interior’s page and its list of forms still show it. If your case seems to fall there, ask the Single Desk which procedure applies.
Is the Single Desk’s nulla osta always required?
Not always. The basic case is the nulla osta, which the Single Desk issues after opinions from the questura and the labour office. For letters a), c) and i-bis), paragraph 1-ter provides, on conditions to check with the Single Desk, for an online notification by the employer instead; the Single Desk passes it to the questura and then to the consulate (Chamber of Deputies dossier). Entertainment, sport, seafarers and journalists go through other authorities, shown in the table, and digital nomads and remote workers need no Single Desk nulla osta (Integrazione Migranti).
Which work entries are not covered by Article 27(1)?
Some routes have their own articles: volunteering (27-bis), researchers (27-ter: research visa guide), the EU Blue Card (27-quater: Blue Card guide) and intra-corporate transfers, or ICT (27-quinquies and 27-sexies: ICT guide). The religious visa is a visa type of its own: interministerial decree 850/2011 refers only to Article 4(3) of the Consolidated Act (religious visa guide). Ordinary clearances under Articles 22 and 24 fall within the quotas.
How does the common route work, from application to permit?
- Application. The employer files it online with the Single Desk on the ALI Portal (sign-in with SPID or the CIE identity card), enclosing a contract that follows the collective agreements and undertakings on pay, housing and return travel costs in case of expulsion. Since 2025 the employer’s statements are subject to truthfulness checks (paragraph 1.1).
- Visa. The nulla osta reaches the consulate electronically and the worker applies for the national type D visa (91 to 365 days; type C exists for short stays), issued only if the nulla osta appears in the system. The consular fee schedule (updated for 2025) shows EUR 116 for type D; documents may vary between consulates. Sources differ on how long the nulla osta stays usable (see the FAQ).
- Entry and contract of stay. The contratto di soggiorno (contract of stay: the employer’s commitment on housing and return travel, needed for the permit) is signed and sent to the Single Desk within eight days of entry: paragraph 1-ter provides this for the notification cases and the Ministry’s page says the same. For ordinary Article 22 clearances it has been fifteen days since 2 December 2025 (Law 179/2025), which did not amend paragraph 1-ter. For the other Article 27 cases the sources do not say whether eight or fifteen days apply: keep to the shorter term and ask for confirmation.
- Permit. The request to the questore (provincial chief of police) is due within eight working days of entry (Article 5(2)), using the Poste Italiane kit (Forms 1 and 2) and a photocopy of the passport; fingerprints at the questura follow (see how to request a residence permit).
What changed in 2025 and 2026?
The 2024 and 2025 decrees left the list of letters in paragraph 1 unchanged but touched the rules around it:
- Decree-Law 145/2024 (Law 187/2024). In the cases handled by notification, the contract of stay is signed digitally and sent to the Single Desk within eight days of entry (paragraph 1-ter).
- Decree-Law 146/2025, as converted by Law 179/2025. The new paragraph 1.1 provides for truthfulness checks on the employer’s statements (Article 71 of Presidential Decree 445/2000), with similar checks in Articles 27-bis, 27-ter, 27-quater, 27-quinquies and 27-sexies. The new clearance deadlines and the 15 days for the contract concern Articles 22 and 24, not 27 (Chamber of Deputies dossier).
- Decree-Law 36/2025 (Law 74/2025). Paragraph 1-octies brings descendants of Italian citizens from certain countries outside the quotas; the decree of 17 November 2025 (Official Gazette no. 273 of 24 November 2025) names seven. The law and the decree refer to the procedures of Article 22 (the Single Desk’s nulla osta); the official pages do not describe the details, so follow the Single Desk’s instructions.
- Legislative Decree 83/2026 (applies from 22 May 2026). It does not amend Article 27, but Article 5(8.2)(d) of the Consolidated Act now refers to it, excluding letters a), h), i), i-bis) and q-bis), the “au pair” cases of letter r) and paragraphs 1-quinquies and 1-septies from the “single work permit” rule.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Article 27 work visa Italy route outside the Decreto Flussi quotas?
Yes: the categories in Article 27(1) enter outside the annual quotas and do not depend on click days. Internships, sport, volunteering and working holidays have numerical limits of their own. Each category has its own requirements, form and documents.
Is the Single Desk’s nulla osta always needed before the visa?
Not always. It is the basic case, but a notification by the employer may be enough for letters a), c) and i-bis). Other authorities handle entertainment, sport, seafarers and journalists, and digital nomads and remote workers need no Single Desk clearance. Check your category in the table.
How long can I use the nulla osta to apply for the visa?
Interministerial decree 850/2011 gives four months from issue for an Article 27 nulla osta, against six for Articles 22 and 24. The Ministry of the Interior’s page says 180 days from notice of issue. The sources disagree, so confirm the deadline with the consulate.
Did Legislative Decree 83/2026 change Article 27?
It does not amend the text. It refers to Article 27 in Article 5(8.2) of the Consolidated Act, excluding some letters from the single work permit rule (issue within 30 days of a complete application). From 22 May 2026 the renewal-request deadline and the office’s decision term are, in general, 90 days; older pages show 60.
Official sources
- Article 27, special cases – Ministry of the Interior (Italian text)
- Single Desk forms (April 2025) – Ministry of the Interior (Italian text)
- Special cases provided for (Code 17) – Immigration Portal (Italian text)
- Interministerial Decree 850/2011 on visa types – Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Italian text)
- Dossier on Decree-Law 145/2024 (side-by-side Article 27) – Chamber of Deputies (Italian text)
- Dossier on Decree-Law 146/2025 – Chamber of Deputies (Italian text)
- Legislative Decree 83/2026 (Official Gazette no. 115 of 20 May 2026) – Gazzetta Ufficiale (Italian text)
- Descendants of Italians, entries outside the quotas (27 November 2025) – Ministry of Labour (Italian text)
The sources were consulted on 1 November 2026, as were the other official pages cited. The Immigration Portal pages date from 2024 and may not reflect recent changes: always check the latest instructions of the competent office.
How can SH Immigration Specialists help?
SH Immigration Specialists offers administrative assistance to companies for their side of the process, such as choosing the category, preparing the application and documents, and checking deadlines. 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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