Who is eligible to apply for a Visa and residence permit for Nurses?
The visa application for nurses is designed specifically for non-EU citizens who have obtained a degree in nursing not in Italy.
The application for the entry clearance (“Nulla Osta”) can be submitted either directly by the employing healthcare facility or by a staffing agency, as well as by cooperatives, if they directly manage the entire healthcare facility or a department or service thereof.
Upon entering Italy, a nurse must register with the relevant professional order (“Albo Professionale infermieri”) to obtain recognition of their foreign qualification. This registration is conditioned to passing an Italian language test, whereas demonstrating specific nursing knowledge is no longer required.
The Italian language test can be taken once the nurse has obtained a visa and has entered Italy.
Main requirements to apply for the Nurse Visa
- A university degree in nursing;
- Recognition of the professional nursing qualification by the Ministry of Health;
- In the case of employment requested directly by an Italian healthcare facility or cooperative, a proposal for a contract of employment must be provided. Also a fixed-term contract for no less than 20 hours per week is accepted.
- Only in the case of recruitment requested by an Italian temporary or supply agency, the candidate must have a contract of employment or supply contract between the agency and the public or private healthcare facility.
Main Procedural Steps
- Recognition of the professional nursing qualification by the Ministry of Health;
- Applying for and collecting the ‘Nulla Osta’ (the Certificate of No Impediment issued by the competent Immigration Desk);
- Filing the Visa application at the Italian Consulate;
- Entering Italy and applying for the residence permit at the competent Police headquarters;
- Registration of the applicant’s fingerprints at the Police headquarters;
- Issuance of the residence permit.
Validity of the Residence Permit
The residency permit for nurses has a maximum duration of 2 years, renewable.
The residence permit is renewable under the same substantive conditions 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, but he cannot convert it into another type.
After 5 years of continuous registered legal residency in Italy, the applicant would be eligible to apply for a permanent residence permit.
Time Frame
The average time frame to obtain a visa for Nursing is approximately 3 months from the application for the certificate of no impediment. Once the applicant obtains the visa, they can travel to Italy, apply for the residence permit and reside there legally.
Do the eligibility visa test and find out which type of visa you might be eligible for. One of our legal consultants will get back to you within 24 hours with useful information regarding your case.
