Key facts
- Rule
- Art. 27, paragraph 1-octies, Legislative Decree 286/1998, added by Law 74/2025 1
- Included countries
- Argentina, Brazil, the United States, Australia, Canada, Venezuela and Uruguay 3
- Criterion for choosing the countries
- Countries outside Europe with more than 100,000 Italians registered in AIRE on 31/12/2024 2
- Countries decree
- 17 November 2025, Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 273 of 24 November 2025 2
- Validity of the nulla osta (general rule)
- 6 months from issue 6
What changed in 2025
Decree-Law 36/2025 on citizenship was converted into Law 74/2025. That law added a new paragraph 1-octies to article 27 of the Consolidated Immigration Act (Legislative Decree 286/1998) 1. The rule allows, outside the quotas of article 3, paragraph 4, and with the procedure of article 22, the entry and stay for employed work of a person who 1:
- resides abroad;
- is a descendant of an Italian citizen;
- holds the citizenship of a State of destination of relevant flows of Italian emigration, set by decree of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Outside the quota means that the application does not compete for the places of the yearly flows decree (decreto flussi) 1 5. You still need an employer and an employment contract.
This route gives a permit to work and reside in Italy. If you are looking for citizenship, read the guide on citizenship after Law 74/2025.
Which countries are included
The decree of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of 17 November 2025, signed with the Ministries of the Interior and of Labour, was published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale on 24 November 2025 2 4. It includes seven countries: Argentina, Brazil, the United States, Australia, Canada, Venezuela and Uruguay 3.
The criterion was the size of the resident Italian community: countries outside Europe with more than 100,000 Italian citizens registered in AIRE (the register of Italians abroad) on 31 December 2024 were included 2 3. The decree leaves open the extension to other countries with later measures, and for now rejected the proposal of the General Council of Italians Abroad to add South Africa, Mexico, Peru and Chile 2.
What counts is your citizenship. If you are a Colombian, Peruvian, Mexican or Chilean with an Italian grandparent, today you are not covered by this route even if you live in Argentina, because the rule requires the citizenship of one of the countries in the decree 1 3. If you hold dual nationality, for example Venezuelan and Colombian, confirm with a lawyer which one you can use.
The procedure: nulla osta, visa and residence contract
The rule refers to the procedure of article 22 of the Consolidated Act, the same one used for employed work in general 1. In that procedure 5 6:
- The employer applies for the nulla osta. An Italian employer, or a foreign one with regular residence in Italy, files the application online with the Sportello Unico per l'Immigrazione (SUI) of the prefecture 5.
- The SUI issues the nulla osta and sends it to the consulate. Under the general rule it is valid for 6 months from issue and must be used before it expires. The visa office does not receive your application until it receives the nulla osta from the SUI 6.
- You apply for the work visa at the consulate of your country of residence, in person, with the contract or the promise of hiring and your documents. In Bogotá you can apply from six months to 15 working days before the trip 6.
- You enter Italy and sign the residence contract (contratto di soggiorno) at the SUI within 8 days of your entry; that contract is needed for the residence permit for work 5.
As an example of the documents a consulate asks for, the Embassy of Italy in Bogotá requires a signed form, two 3 x 4 cm photos, payment of consular fees, a passport valid for at least 3 months beyond the visa, an identity document, a copy of the nulla osta, a contract or promise of hiring signed by the employer, apostilled degrees, a current or last employment certificate and a one-way flight reservation to Italy 6. The Embassy clarifies that the procedure is personal and that it has not authorised any agency or intermediary 6. Check the list of your consulate in Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Caracas, São Paulo or another city: each one publishes its own.
What is still unclear
The official pages we found describe the rule and the countries, but not the operational detail 3 4. We did not find in official sources:
- What degree of descent is accepted. The rule says "descendant of an Italian citizen" without setting generations 1.
- How and before whom descent is proved: whether before the SUI with the employer's application or before the consulate with the visa, and with which certificates.
- Whether the prior check that no workers are available in Italy applies, as it does in other employed work routes.
- Real processing times for the nulla osta in this category.
Until the Ministry of the Interior or the consulates publish instructions, treat these points as open and consult an immigration lawyer in Italy.
Step by step
- Step 2 of 6Gather the proof of descent
Collect the birth and marriage certificates linking your line to the Italian ancestor, apostilled and translated. Confirm with a lawyer which documents are accepted.
- Step 3 of 6Get a job offer
You need an employer in Italy willing to hire you and to apply for the nulla osta at the SUI 5.
- Step 4 of 6Wait for the nulla osta
The SUI sends it to the consulate; under the general rule it is valid for 6 months 6.
- Step 5 of 6Apply for the visa at the consulate
Submit your application with the copy of the nulla osta, the contract and your documents 6.
- Step 6 of 6Sign the residence contract
Within 8 days after entering Italy, at the SUI 5.
Documents you will need 9 documents
- Passport of a country included in the decree
- Proof of residence in the country where you apply for the visa
- Certificates proving descent from an Italian citizen, apostilled and translated
- Copy of the nulla osta of the Sportello Unico per l'Immigrazione
- Contract or promise of hiring
- Apostilled degrees when the consulate asks for them
- Current or last employment certificateif your consulate asks for it as Bogotá does
- One-way flight reservation to Italy
- Signed visa formphoto and payment of consular fees
Questions
Do I need Italian citizenship to use this route?
No. It is meant for foreigners who descend from Italians, live abroad and hold the citizenship of one of the countries in the decree 1.
I am Colombian with an Italian great-grandfather, can I use it?
Do I have to wait for the click day of the flows decree?
The rule provides for entry outside the annual quotas 1. The Portale Integrazione Migranti describes the outside-quota entries of article 27 as possible all year round and without a numerical cap 5. How the employer files the application for this specific category must be confirmed with the SUI or a lawyer.
Before you rely on this
- We did not find official operational instructions (a Ministry of the Interior circular or a consular page) specific to this category. The accepted degree of descent, the proof documents and the moment they are filed must be confirmed with an immigration lawyer in Italy 3.
- The steps and the 6-month validity of the nulla osta correspond to the general rule for employed work published by the Embassy in Bogotá 6. Confirm whether they apply equally to this category of article 27.
- The list of countries may be extended by new decrees. Check the Gazzetta Ufficiale before you start 4.
- We use the Embassy of Italy in Bogotá as an example of visa requirements; your consulate in Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela or Brazil may ask for other documents 6.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change: confirm with the consulate or a lawyer before you apply.
Sources6 sources, 6 official
- Ley 74/2025, conversión del DL 36/2025: art. 27, apartado 1-octies, D.Lgs. 286/1998officialGazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana
- Decreto 17 novembre 2025: Individuazione degli Stati di destinazione di rilevanti flussi di emigrazione italianaofficialGazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana
- Discendenti di italiani: ingressi per lavoro fuori quota da alcuni Paesi (27.11.2025)officialMinistero del Lavoro e delle Politiche Sociali
- Discendenti di italiani, da questi Paesi gli ingressi per lavoro saranno fuori quotaofficialPortale Integrazione Migranti (Ministero del Lavoro)
- Gli ingressi dall'estero per motivi di lavoroofficialPortale Integrazione Migranti (Ministero del Lavoro)
- Visto per Lavoro SubordinatoofficialEmbajada de Italia en Bogotá
