Key facts
- Legal basis
- Art. 27, paragraph 1-octies, of the Testo Unico Immigrazione, added by art. 1-bis of DL 36/2025 (law 74/2025) 1
- Countries included
- Argentina, Brazil, the United States, Australia, Canada, Venezuela and Uruguay 3
- Decree that set the list
- Decree of 17 November 2025, Gazzetta Ufficiale no. 273 of 24 November 2025 3
- Italians registered with AIRE in Brazil
- 682,300 on 31 December 2024 3
- Who asks for the nulla osta
- The employer, from the provincial Sportello Unico per l'Immigrazione 4
- Validity of the nulla osta
- Up to six months from issue 4
What changed in 2025
Law 74/2025, which converted decree-law 36/2025 on citizenship, added paragraph 1-octies to article 27 of the Testo Unico Immigrazione 1. The text allows entry and stay for employed work, outside the quotas of the decreto flussi and with the procedure of article 22, for a foreigner who lives abroad, descends from an Italian citizen and holds the citizenship of a country of major Italian emigration 1.
The list of countries was left to a decree of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the Ministries of the Interior and of Labour. It was signed on 17 November 2025 and published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale no. 273 of 24 November 2025 3. The criterion was having more than 100,000 Italians registered with AIRE outside Europe on 31 December 2024; Brazil appears with 682,300 3. The Ministry of Labour published the same list in a note of 27 November 2025 5.
The decree calls the measure innovative and limits its application to these seven countries in a first phase. The proposal to include South Africa, Mexico, Peru and Chile was rejected, and other extensions depend on new decrees 3.
Who can use this route
By the text of the law, the route requires three conditions at once 1:
- Residence abroad: you must live outside Italy when the process starts.
- Italian ancestry: being a descendant of an Italian citizen.
- Citizenship of a country on the list: in your case, Brazilian 3.
The law speaks of employed work, meaning a job with a contract. It does not create a permit to look for work or for self-employment 1. The same decree-law restricted, in the new article 3-bis of law 91/1992, the recognition of citizenship by descent for people born abroad who hold another citizenship 2. Someone who is already a recognised Italian citizen does not need a visa.
The official texts we consulted do not say how many generations count, or which certificates prove ancestry for visa purposes. Those points are in the caveats at the end of the page.
How the employer's nulla osta works
The route uses the procedure of article 22 of the Testo Unico, the same as ordinary employed work, without depending on the annual quotas 3 4. The employer in Italy sends the provincial Sportello Unico per l'Immigrazione, electronically 4:
- the named request for a nulla osta for you;
- documentation on the worker's housing;
- the proposed contratto di soggiorno, with the commitment to pay for your return trip;
- the commitment to report changes to the contract.
Before that, the general rule of article 22 requires the employer to check with the centro per l'impiego whether a worker is available in Italy; with no answer within eight days, the check counts as negative 4. The nulla osta is valid for up to six months from issue 4.
After the consulate completes the checks on your visa application, the employer has 15 days to confirm the request to the Sportello Unico; without confirmation, the nulla osta is revoked 4. With confirmation, the consulate issues the visa, and the communication between consulate and Sportello Unico runs through the visa portal 4.
The visa at the Italian consulates in Brazil
Each office serves people who live in its district and asks for proof of residence in your name 6 10. What the official sites say today:
| Office | Who it serves | Booking |
|---|---|---|
| São Paulo | SP, MT, MS, RO, AC and Minas Gerais 6 | Prenot@mi 6 |
| Belo Horizonte | Visas moved to São Paulo since 17/10/2022 8 | Through the São Paulo consulate 8 |
| Brasília (embassy) | DF, GO, TO, PA, AM, RR and AP 9 | Prenot@mi 9 |
| Rio de Janeiro | The consulate's district 10 | Prenot@mi 10 |
| Recife | The consulate's district 11 | Prenot@mi, in-person request 11 |
| Curitiba | The consulate's district 12 | Email visti.curitiba@esteri.it 12 |
| Porto Alegre | The consulate's district 13 | By email, once you have gathered the documents 13 |
In São Paulo and Rio, the consular fee can only be paid with a Brazilian debit card, and the amount changes with the type of visa 6 10. In São Paulo payment is made at booking, Elo and credit cards are not accepted, and PIX only in case of proven need 7. The embassy in Brasília states 116 euros for a long-stay (type D) visa that is not for study, charged in reais on a debit card, with the exchange rate reviewed every quarter; it also warns that it does not work with despachantes and charges no urgency fee 9. The São Paulo consulate asks that the visa be requested at least 15 working days before travel 7.
After entry, the employer and you sign the contratto di soggiorno within 15 days, and it is sent to the Sportello Unico for the permesso di soggiorno application 4. Until the contract is signed, the nulla osta already allows you to work 4.
Brazilian documents and translation
To be valid in Italy, the Brazilian certificate carries the Hague apostille on the document and on the sworn translation 14. The translation can only be apostilled if it is made by a public translator registered with the Junta Comercial of your state 14. See the step-by-step of the apostille in the guide on Brazilian documents.
The law also changed naturalisation: article 9 of law 91/1992 now requires two years of legal residence in Italy in the case tied to ancestors up to the second degree 1. Someone who enters through the work route and meets this requirement can assess that path with a lawyer.
Step by step
- Step 1 of 5Get the job offer
The route depends on an employed work contract with an employer in Italy 1.
- Step 2 of 5Gather the proof of ancestry
Collect the certificates that link you to the Italian ancestor, apostilled and with a sworn translation that is also apostilled 14. Confirm with a lawyer which certificates the Sportello Unico and the consulate will ask for.
- Step 3 of 5The employer asks for the nulla osta
The request goes to the provincial Sportello Unico per l'Immigrazione, with housing, the proposed contratto di soggiorno and the commitments of article 22 4.
- Step 4 of 5Book the visa at the consulate of your region
Use your office's channel (Prenot@mi or email) and bring the form, the nulla osta, a 3x4 photo, your passport and a flight booking 7.
- Step 5 of 5Sign the contratto di soggiorno in Italy
Within 15 days of entry, you and the employer sign the contract, which goes on to the permesso di soggiorno application 4.
Documents you will need 7 documents
- Completed national visa form 7
- Work nulla osta issued by the Sportello Unico per l'Immigrazione 7
- One 3x4 photo 7
- Passport valid for at least three months beyond the visa requested 7
- Flight booking or ticket 7
- Proof of residence in your name in the consulate's district 6
- Certificates that prove Italian ancestryapostilled and translated (confirm the list with a lawyer)
Questions
Do I need recognised Italian citizenship to use this route?
No. The route exists for people who are foreigners and descend from an Italian citizen 1. Someone who already has recognised citizenship enters as a citizen and does not need a work visa.
Can I go to Italy to look for a job through this route?
Does outside the quotas mean no limit on places?
I live in Minas Gerais. Where do I ask for the visa?
In São Paulo. The Belo Horizonte consulate states that the visas of people who live in Minas Gerais moved to São Paulo on 17 October 2022 8.
Did Mexico, Peru and Chile make the list?
No. The decree rejected the proposal to include South Africa, Mexico, Peru and Chile in this first phase 3.
Before you rely on this
- The official texts consulted do not say up to which generation ancestry counts, or which certificates prove the link for the nulla osta and the visa: confirm with an Italian immigration lawyer before gathering documents 1.
- We found no circular of the Ministry of the Interior with operating instructions for this route. Deadlines, how the check with the centro per l'impiego is applied and any extra requirements of the Sportello Unico must be confirmed with a lawyer or the prefettura 4.
- The consular pages do not publish a specific roadmap for descendants. The list of documents above is the one for the ordinary work visa in São Paulo; other offices may ask for more 7.
- The districts of Rio de Janeiro, Recife, Curitiba and Porto Alegre are not detailed here: check on the office's site which one serves your state.
- The list of countries may grow with new decrees 3. Check the Gazzetta Ufficiale before you start.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change: confirm with the consulate or a lawyer before you apply.
Sources14 sources, 14 official
- Decreto-lei 28 de março de 2025, n. 36, art. 1-bis (texto convertido pela lei 74/2025)officialNormattiva (Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato)
- Decreto-lei 28 de março de 2025, n. 36, art. 1 (novo art. 3-bis da lei 91/1992)officialNormattiva (Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato)
- Decreto 17 novembre 2025: Stati di destinazione di rilevanti flussi di emigrazione italianaofficialGazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana, Serie Generale n. 273
- Testo Unico Immigrazione (d.lgs. 286/1998), art. 22officialNormattiva (Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato)
- Discendenti di italiani: ingressi per lavoro fuori-quota da alcuni PaesiofficialMinistero del Lavoro e delle Politiche Sociali
- VistosofficialConsolato Generale d'Italia a San Paolo
- Vistos: perguntas frequentesofficialConsolato Generale d'Italia a San Paolo
- VistosofficialConsolato Generale d'Italia a Belo Horizonte
- VistosofficialAmbasciata d'Italia a Brasilia
- VistiofficialConsolato Generale d'Italia a Rio de Janeiro
- VistosofficialConsolato d'Italia a Recife
- VistosofficialConsolato Generale d'Italia a Curitiba
- VistosofficialConsolato Generale d'Italia a Porto Alegre
- Traduzione e legalizzazione dei documentiofficialConsolato Generale d'Italia a Rio de Janeiro
