{"id":9183,"date":"2026-11-01T15:27:47","date_gmt":"2026-11-01T14:27:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shimmigrations.com\/volunteering-visa-italy\/"},"modified":"2026-11-01T15:27:47","modified_gmt":"2026-11-01T14:27:47","slug":"volunteering-visa-italy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shimmigrations.com\/en\/volunteering-visa-italy\/","title":{"rendered":"Volunteering visa and permit in Italy: who can take part and how to get them"},"content":{"rendered":"

In short.<\/strong> The volunteering visa Italy issues is a national type D visa (91 to 365 days), listed on the Foreign Ministry\u2019s portal under two entries: \u201cNational quota\u201d (Article 27-bis of the Consolidated Act on Immigration) and \u201cEuropean Voluntary Service\u201d (European programmes authorised by the National Youth Agency, ANG). For the national quota the Ministry says that at present no nulla osta<\/em> (prior clearance) or visas are issued; volunteering visas concern specific European programmes. After you arrive, apply for the residence permit within eight working days.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Reviewed 1 November 2026.<\/strong> This is general information, not advice on your case.<\/p>\n

Volunteering visa Italy: what is it and which rules apply?<\/h2>\n

It is the visa that lets someone living outside the European Union enter Italy for a volunteering programme. On the Foreign Ministry\u2019s portal Il visto per l\u2019Italia<\/a> it appears only among the long-stay (type D) visas, as \u201cVolontariato \u2013 Contingente nazionale\u201d (national quota) and \u201cVolontariato \u2013 Servizio volontario europeo\u201d (European Voluntary Service). The short-stay (type C) list has no volunteering entry.<\/p>\n

Interministerial Decree 850\/2011<\/a> 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)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Who can take part in a volunteering programme?<\/h2>\n

For the national quota, Article 27-bis, paragraph 2, as replaced by Legislative Decree 71\/2018<\/a> (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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Point<\/th>\nNational quota<\/th>\nEuropean programmes<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Portal entry<\/td>\nNational quota (14_26_D)<\/td>\nEuropean Voluntary Service (14_27_D)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Who authorises<\/td>\nNulla osta<\/em> from the Single Immigration Desk (Sportello Unico per l\u2019Immigrazione<\/em>)<\/td>\nNational Youth Agency<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Age<\/td>\n25 to 35<\/td>\nDepends on the programme (European Solidarity Corps: 18 to 30)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Duration<\/td>\nNormally up to one year<\/td>\nEuropean Solidarity Corps: 2 weeks to 12 months<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ministry\u2019s position<\/td>\nAt present no nulla osta<\/em> or visas<\/td>\nVisas issued for specific European programmes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
After arrival<\/td>\nSingle Immigration Desk, then postal kit<\/td>\nPostal kit only<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

In the European Solidarity Corps what counts is the country where you live: the official page does not mention nationality. The Commission\u2019s list of countries<\/a> covers the EU Member States, four associated countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia and T\u00fcrkiye) 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.<\/p>\n

The Ministry\u2019s sheets refer to \u201cGiovent\u00f9 in Azione \u2013 Servizio volontario europeo\u201d and do not explain how it relates to the European Solidarity Corps: ask the ANG and the consulate to confirm.<\/p>\n

Is the national quota working today?<\/h2>\n

The Foreign Ministry\u2019s \u201cDiritti e doveri\u201d<\/a> sheets (May 2026 edition) say that up to and including 2015 no national quotas had been authorised for volunteers, and that \u201callo stato\u201d (at present) no nulla osta<\/em> or entry visas are issued for these entries. The same sentences already appear in a Ministry sheet<\/a> whose edition line reads February 2016, so they may have been carried over without updating.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>, 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<\/a>).<\/p>\n

In the Labour Ministry\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

How do you get the visa, step by step?<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Pin down the route.<\/strong> 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.<\/li>\n
  2. Authorisation.<\/strong> 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.<\/li>\n
  3. Consulate.<\/strong> 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<\/a>).<\/li>\n
  4. Fee.<\/strong> The consular tariff<\/a> updated in 2025 sets \u20ac116 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.<\/li>\n
  5. Decision.<\/strong> 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<\/a>); the pages we read set no special term for volunteering.<\/li>\n
  6. Entry.<\/strong> A visa does not guarantee entry: border officers check the conditions again.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Which documents, insurance and accommodation are needed?<\/h2>\n

    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\u2019s list.<\/p>\n

    Insurance.<\/strong> The Ministry\u2019s 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<\/a> from departure until two months after the activity ends. See also the guide on health insurance for foreigners<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Accommodation.<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

    What do you have to do after arriving in Italy?<\/h2>\n

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

    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<\/a> and the types of residence permit<\/a>.<\/p>\n