Now let’s talk about the visa per lavoro subordinato. This type of visa is very difficult to obtain. You have to remember that the Italian job market is very challenging even for Italians. There’s a high rate of unemployment here, and companies would always prefer to hire an Italian rather than go through the long, difficult, and costly procedure of applying for visa for an expat. 

You have a better chance of getting this kind of visa if you have a skill which is lacking among the Italian population. The professions that have the best chances of getting sponsored at the moment are:

• Engineers
• medical professionals
• IT careers like digital marketing
• cyber security
• cloud computing
• data mining
• data management
• and data engineering

If you are a doctor or nurse, you can contact Sanarix agency for information on jobs in Italy.

Now, a note for English teachers. Teaching English in Italy seems like it could be a good opportunity to get sponsored on a visa, right? Actually, it is extremely difficult, and almost unheard of, for English teachers to obtain a visa per lavoro subordinato.

It’s extremely difficult for English teachers to obtain a visa per lavoro subordinato.

It may be possible in some cases, for example working in an international school. In most cases, however, private language schools in Italy will not be able to get a visa per lavoro subordinato. The reason is simple: most private language schools cannot guarantee the 40 hours of work required for the visa, year round.  

Teaching hours typically fluctuate throughout the year, and it’s very rare that you can get full-time work from one school. Normally, English teachers work with more than one school in order to fill up their plate with full-time work.  

However, it’s an all-too-frequent situation that a hopeful English teacher gets an offer from a hopeful language school, but then that language school is not able to get the visa for the teacher. The fact is that most private language schools in Italy do not have the time, resources, or staff to obtain a work visa for a foreigner.

It’s just the way it is, so please don’t get fooled into coming to Italy under the assumption that they will eventually get you the visa—they usually won’t be able to. Believe me, this is exactly what happened to me in 2004, and 18 years later, I’m still hearing about similar stories with false promises.

By the way, if you’re a professor or researcher, you may qualify for a work visa under Article 27 so be sure to check that one out.

Keep in mind, all the difficulties I’ve been talking about so far have to do with getting a visa per lavoro subordinato, where you work for one single employer, full-time. But thankfully, there IS another way!

I eventually went for the visa per lavoro autonomo. No regrets, and all these years later, I’m still here. I worked as a freelancer in the beginning, and later I opened my own business. 

Now, before considering this as a possible route to Italy, just keep in mind one thing: this route requires a little bit of entrepreneurial spirit. You’ll have to seek out your own work, and keep on top of your own invoicing and taxes. But don’t worry—it’s not difficult, and even if you’ve never had a business before, it doesn’t mean you can’t go with this route to make your life and career in Italy.

It’s just that it requires a little but more independent effort and tenacity on your part.

So why apply for this type of visa? First of all, it’s usually easier to obtain it. There are usually more available places in the flusso, because fewer people apply for this type of visa. Secondly, this visa has many advantages because then you are not tied to one employer; you can work for whoever you want. 

On to the HOW of obtaining a visa per lavoro autonomo. I am going to explain the basic process in simple steps. However, I always recommend consulting with an immigration agency. 

One such agency is Agenzia Nobiato, but they work mainly in Vicenza. It’s always better to go through an immigration agent that’s working in the area you want to move to in Italy, since they will have connections with the local immigration authorities. 

Alright, so it went like this. 

1. Got an “offer” to work for a school on a freelance basis.
2. That school’s accountant drew up a document stating their intention to engage my services.
3. With that document and my passport they applied for a place in the flusso.
4. Got a place in the flusso and the nulla osta. They sent those documents to me in the US.
5. I took the nulla osta, my passport, and other documents to the Italian Embassy in my state.
6. Picked up my visa, and after celebrating, headed to Italy!

Please note I got my visa in 2005, but the process is still mostly the same (some parts moved online).

Another word of advice about getting a visa per lavoro autonomo. If you get this visa, after you arrive in Italy you will also need to get a Partita Iva, which is a business tax ID number. Then you have to find a competent commercialista, or accountant, to help you file your taxes every year.

Partita Iva = business tax ID number

Commercialista = accountant

I can recommend my accountant, Enrico Povolo, who speaks fluent English and specializes in both Italian and American taxes. Contact him at [email protected].

The good thing is, as a freelancer, you are not tied to one company, and have the freedom to work for different companies, and you have the potential to make more money. Then, if one company goes under, you can always find another one. 

As a freelancer or consultant, you have control over your time and over your life. You can take vacations whenever you want. Of course you work a lot too, in many ways you even may work more while having your own business, but at least then you’re working for yourself and not someone else. 

The last visa type is the Italian start-up visa. Nowadays the Italian government is trying to encourage innovation, and they want to attract entrepreneurs within certain fields, to come and do business on Italian soil. You can apply for this kind of visa in two ways:

• Direct application form to the Italian government

• Apply through a certified incubator

The good thing is, the instructions are all in English. The investment required to qualify for this visa is 250,000 euros.

One more visa option is the recently-introduced Digital Nomad Work Visa, which is not subject to the flusso, so if you work virtually, independently or through a company, be sure to check that one out! 

As a final note, I would like to say that if you want to come and live and work in Italy, there are several things that you need to understand. First of all, this is a different country. Things work very differently here. You may not have procedures that are as clear or as straightforward as what you’re used to.

There is a lot of bureaucracy in Italy and things take a really long time. You might find that sometimes it’s like a big black hole. You don’t know where your documents go and when you will get an answer. 

You need to exercise a lot of patience and persistence and remember the old adage, “When in Rome, do as the Romans.”

No matter what, be polite and respectful to the authorities, as that will get you a long way. Remember this is Italy, and the beauty of living here far outweighs any difficulties you may experience. If you can accept those differences and those uncertainties, you’ll be just fine here.

I hope this article was helpful for you and I wish you all the best of luck with reaching your dreams in Italy!