Italy Decreto Flussi 2026–2028: Work Visa Guide

Italy’s Decreto Flussi allows employers in Italy to hire eligible non-EU workers from abroad within annual quotas. For 2027 there are 165,850 entries: 76,200 for non-seasonal employment, including 14,000 for family assistance; 89,000 for seasonal agriculture and tourism; and 650 for self-employment. For an ordinary employment application, you need an Italian employer and a real job offer first.

The 76,200 non-seasonal employee places in 2027 are not a single pool open to every nationality. The allocation includes 10,900 non-reserved places and a separate 14,000-place family-assistance category. Many other places are nationality-reserved. An American or British applicant needs an employer and the correct eligible category, rather than assuming access to all 76,200 places.

A separate route outside Flussi quotas exists for eligible descendants of Italian citizens who are nationals of the United States, Canada, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela or Uruguay. It is employment-based under Article 27(1-octies) and the decree of 17 November 2025: an employer and proof of the qualifying Italian ancestry are still required.

The current programme covers 2026–2028 and should be read together with the implementing circular and later corrections. Applicants whose work fits an off-quota route should not assume Decreto Flussi is their only option. Highly skilled employees can compare the EU Blue Card guide, while qualifying remote professionals may be better suited to the Italy Digital Nomad Visa.

Future Italian’s Flow Decree Visa service covers employer-side quota classification, nulla osta preparation, the consular work-visa stage and post-arrival residence-permit coordination.

For a 2027 hire, prepare in autumn 2026. Pre-completion on the ALI portal opens on 23 October 2026 at 09:00 and closes on 7 December at 20:00, Italian time. The 9–13 December reopening is only for completing, correcting and saving existing applications; you cannot create a new application then.

The dates and forms above come from the official Flussi 2027 circular of 1 October 2026. Filing remains possible until 31 December 2027 while the relevant quotas remain available. A late filing window does not replace timely preparation.

What the Decreto Flussi Actually Does

The decree does not create one generic “Flow Decree visa.” It programmes the number and categories of workers who may enter Italy through quota-based work routes. The underlying visa remains a national work visa, while the employer-side authorization is handled through the Sportello Unico per l’Immigrazione.

2026–2028 Quotas

The official programme provides 497,550 entries over three years: 164,850 in 2026, 165,850 in 2027 and 166,850 in 2028. Within those totals, quotas are divided among seasonal work, non-seasonal subordinate work and self-employment. For non-seasonal subordinate work, the implementing circular confirms 76,200 places in each of the three years.

Quota availability is not determined only by the national total. The application must fit the correct sector, nationality or reserved category and must be successfully allocated to the relevant quota. Employers should therefore classify the case before filing rather than treating the click day as a simple race for any available place.

The official 2027 circular includes Kenya in the relevant nationality-reserved allocations following the memorandum signed on 2 July 2026. The worker’s job, sector and quota category must still match the applicable conditions.

2027 Click Days and What Happens to 2026 Applications

The 2027 click days are 12 January for seasonal agriculture, 9 February for seasonal tourism, 16 February for non-seasonal employment and 18 February for in-quota family assistance. The corresponding 2026 click days have already passed; 2026 applications remain subject to their own annual quotas and filing rules.

Employer Requirements and the Nulla Osta

The employer must satisfy the requirements applicable to the chosen quota category, including the proposed contractual conditions and the employer-side documentation required by the current rules. Where the labour-market availability check applies, it must be completed before the nulla osta filing. The employer may also need the required asseverazione unless an exemption applies.

For ordinary quota-based employment, the 60-day statutory work-authorization period runs from allocation of the application to the quota, rather than from its initial submission. When the consulate communicates that the visa checks are complete, the employer must confirm the intention to hire within 15 days. Failure to confirm can lead to revocation of the nulla osta.

Visa and Post-Arrival Steps

After the nulla osta, the worker applies for the national work visa at the consulate responsible for their legal residence. Within 15 days of entry, employer and worker sign the residence contract and transmit it through the required digital procedure to the Sportello Unico. This transmission starts the residence-permit request; follow the subsequent filing instructions.

Routes Outside the Quotas

Decreto Flussi should not be used as a catch-all label for every work-related move to Italy. The Digital Nomad Visa operates under a separate legal framework for qualifying highly skilled remote work. The Italian Golden Visa is a residence-by-investment route rather than a work-quota programme. Choosing the correct immigration basis before filing is usually more important than trying to fit a case into the annual quotas.

The Employer Is the Real Applicant at the Nulla Osta Stage

For quota-based employed work, the process begins with the Italian employer rather than with the worker filing a visa application abroad. The employer must use the correct quota category, employment terms and territorial procedure and satisfy the compliance checks required for the nulla osta. A worker cannot reserve a Decreto Flussi quota independently and later search for an employer.

Click Day Is a Filing Mechanism, Not an Eligibility Rule

Prepare the employer documents, worker identity, proposed contract, accommodation and correct application form before pre-completion opens. Fill and save the ALI application during the 23 October–7 December window, then submit it from the relevant click day. Filing quickly helps only if the case meets the category’s requirements.

After filing, quota allocation and administrative checks still have to occur. Submission confirmation should not be treated as a nulla osta, and a nulla osta should not be treated as the visa itself. Each stage has a separate legal function.

The Job Must Exist in Reality

The employment relationship used to obtain the authorization must be genuine and capable of being performed under the stated conditions. Employer financial capacity, business activity and compliance can be examined. Arrangements created only to obtain a visa expose both worker and employer to serious immigration and labour consequences.

From Nulla Osta to Visa, Entry and Residence Permit

Once the nulla osta is transmitted, the worker applies for the national work visa at the competent Italian consulate. The consulate still verifies the visa file and identity requirements. After entry into Italy, the worker must complete the post-arrival employment and residence-permit formalities within the applicable deadlines. A quota position is therefore only the first major gate in a multi-stage process.

Check Out-of-Quota Alternatives Before Waiting for Flussi

Highly qualified workers, intra-company transferees, some self-employment categories, digital nomads and other workers can have routes outside the ordinary Decreto Flussi quotas. Likewise, several in-country residence-permit conversions no longer use annual conversion quotas. A worker who qualifies for an out-of-quota route should not automatically choose a slower or less predictable quota pathway merely because Decreto Flussi is better known.

The Practical Bottom Line

A successful Decreto Flussi case depends on matching the worker, employer, job, sector and quota category before the application is filed. The national numbers matter, but they do not replace category eligibility, employer compliance or the visa and residence-permit stages that follow.