Practising a regulated profession in Italy, as a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, physiotherapist, engineer, architect, lawyer, accountant, teacher or any of the other professions whose access the law reserves to holders of specific qualifications, requires that a qualification obtained abroad be recognised by the competent Italian ministry. This is professional recognition, distinct from the academic recognition of degrees: it does not ask whether the foreign degree equals an Italian one but whether the training and experience it certifies qualify the holder to practise the profession as it is regulated in Italy. The rules come from Directive 2005/36/EC, as amended by Directive 2013/55/EU, implemented in Italy by Legislative Decree 206 of 9 November 2007.
Regulated and unregulated professions
A profession is regulated when the law makes access to it or its exercise conditional on specific professional qualifications, usually with registration in a professional register and often a State examination. For these professions a foreign qualification must be recognised before the holder can practise. For unregulated professions, which are the majority, no recognition is required: the employer assesses the foreign qualification as it sees fit, and a Dichiarazione di valore or a CIMEA statement of comparability is usually enough to document it. The first step of every file is therefore to establish whether the profession is regulated in Italy and under which ministry, since the same activity may be regulated in one country and free in another.
Which ministry decides
Unlike academic recognition, which belongs to the universities, professional recognition is centralised in the ministries, each for the professions in its field: the Ministry of Health for health professions, the Ministry of Justice for lawyers, accountants and other legal and economic professions, the Ministry of University for architects, engineers and the professions linked to university degrees, the Ministry of Education for school teachers, the Ministry of Enterprise for technical and commercial professions, and other ministries for specific sectors. Each ministry publishes the list of documents and the procedure, increasingly through online portals, and applies the same European rules with its own practice. The ministry acknowledges receipt within thirty days, indicating any missing documents, and must decide within one hundred and twenty days of a complete application with a reasoned decision.
Qualifications obtained in the European Union
Citizens of EU Member States, of the European Economic Area and of Switzerland who hold a qualification obtained in one of those countries benefit from the Directive. For the professions with harmonised training, doctors, nurses responsible for general care, dentists, veterinary surgeons, midwives, pharmacists and architects, recognition is automatic once the qualification is listed in the Directive’s annexes and accompanied by the certificate of conformity issued by the home authority. For all other professions the general system applies: the ministry compares the training and may impose compensatory measures, an aptitude test or an adaptation period of up to three years, where it finds substantial differences that professional experience or further training do not cover. Professionals from a Member State where the profession is not regulated may apply if they have practised it for at least one year in the last ten, unless their training was itself regulated. Partial access may be granted when the activity practised abroad is a separable part of a broader Italian profession and compensatory measures would amount to the full Italian training.
Qualifications obtained outside the European Union
Qualifications obtained in third countries, which since 2021 include the United Kingdom for qualifications awarded after the end of the transition period, are assessed under national rules. The ministry compares the training certified by the qualification with the Italian training for the profession, taking into account professional experience, and may grant recognition, grant it subject to compensatory measures, or refuse it. The application requires the Dichiarazione di valore issued by the Italian consulate in the country of study, the degree and transcript with apostille or consular legalisation, the certificate of the right to practise and of good standing issued by the authority of the country where the profession was exercised, proof of professional experience, and sworn translations of everything. Timing is longer than for EU qualifications, and for the health professions the aptitude test is frequent.
Establishment and temporary provision of services
Recognition is required for establishment, that is for practising the profession in Italy on a stable basis. EU professionals who intend to provide services in Italy temporarily and occasionally, while remaining established in their home country, do not need recognition but file a prior declaration with the competent ministry, renewed annually, with proof of their qualification and insurance; for professions affecting public health or safety the ministry may check the qualification before the first provision of services. The distinction matters for lawyers, consultants and health professionals who follow clients or patients across borders without moving.
After the decree
The recognition decree entitles the holder to register with the Italian professional body and to practise under the Italian professional title, on the same conditions as Italian nationals. For the health professions registration must take place within two years of the decree, after which the decree lapses; for professions without a professional body the decree lapses if not used within two years. Where compensatory measures were imposed, registration follows the aptitude test or the adaptation period. The firm follows the procedure from the first assessment to registration: it identifies the competent ministry and the applicable regime, obtains the Dichiarazione di valore, the certificates of good standing and the translations, prepares and files the application, answers the ministry’s requests and, where a test is imposed, explains its content and the ways to prepare for it.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to speak Italian to obtain recognition?
Recognition itself does not depend on language, but the professional bodies verify knowledge of Italian at registration, and for the health professions the law requires it expressly. The aptitude test, where imposed, is in Italian. A B2 level is the usual expectation, and the firm advises clients to start language preparation early.
My degree is British and was awarded in 2019: does the Directive still apply?
Qualifications awarded in the United Kingdom before the end of 2020 and recognised before that date keep their recognition. Applications filed afterwards are assessed under national rules for third-country qualifications, even for degrees awarded earlier, with the Dichiarazione di valore and the comparison of training. The firm has handled many such files since 2021.
Can I work while the application is pending?
Not in the regulated profession. Until the decree and the registration, the holder may work in related unregulated roles, for instance as a care assistant rather than a nurse or as a technical consultant rather than an engineer, within the limits set by the professional rules.
What is the aptitude test like?
It covers the subjects in which the ministry found substantial differences, listed in the decision, and is organised by the ministry or by a university, usually in written and oral form. It can be repeated. The adaptation period is a supervised practice of up to three years in Italy, offered as an alternative for most professions.
Do you want to practise your profession in Italy?
Send us a scan of your qualification and tell us your profession and the country where you qualified: you receive within one working day the competent ministry, the regime that applies, the documents required and a written quote.
