Who is eligible to apply to convert their permit issued by another EU Member State into an Italian permit?

There are 3 types of residence permits issued by another EU Member State that can be converted into an Italian work permit:

  1. Long-term residence permit (also known as permanent residence permit), valid for 10 years from the date of issue.
  2. Highly qualified work permit, known as the EU Blue Card.
  3. Intra-company work permit for transnational secondment.

The reason why these permits can be converted into an Italian permit is that they are regulated uniformly within the European Union. Consequently, they are commutable from one Member State to another.

Main requirements to apply for the conversion:

  • Possession of a valid residence permit issued by another EU Member State corresponding to one of the permits listed above.
  • An employment opportunity in Italy. In the case of the transnational secondment permit (point 3), the work opportunity in Italy must be with the same company or corporate group where the foreigner is already working in another EU Member State.

Lastly, it should be noted that the conversion from a long-term residence permit issued by another EU Member State (case 1 of the previous chapter) is subject to yearly quantitative limits established by the so-called “Decreto Flussi,” (Flow Decree), a regulatory Act adopted yearly by the Government. On the contrary, conversions under points 2 and 3 are not subject to any quantitative limit.

Main procedural steps:

  1. Applying for the ‘Nulla Osta’ (Certificate of No Impediment) at the competent Immigration Desk (a territorial office of the Ministry of Interior).
  2. Application for the residence permit at the competent Police Headquarters.
  3. Issuance of the residence permit.

The distinctive trait of this procedure is that it is not required for non-EU citizens to apply for a Visa, as they can move to Italy and complete the whole procedure to obtain their first Italian residence permit from Italy.

Validity of the Italian residence permit:

The residence permit issued in Italy will have a duration corresponding to the job offer in Italy, but it cannot any case exceed 2 years.
The residence permit is renewable under the same substantive conditions as for the issuance of the first one, as long as the foreign national is never absent from the Italian territory for longer than 6 continuous months.
The applicant can renew the residence permit on their own or be assisted by us.
After 5 years of continuous registered legal residency in Italy, the applicant would be eligible to apply for a permanent residence permit. However, a foreigner who has held an EU Blue Card for 5 years in another EU country and has subsequently spent only two years in Italy with a Blue Card obtained there can already apply for a long-term residence permit (also known as “permanent” residence permit)

Get in touch

Do not hesitate to write to us if you wish to have additional information on the matter.