Public employment in Italy is accessed through competitions, and every competition notice states the qualification required. A candidate who holds that qualification from a foreign institution does not need to have it recognised as an Italian title: article 38 of Legislative Decree 165 of 2001 provides a simplified procedure, called equivalence, by which the Department of the Civil Service declares the foreign qualification equivalent to the Italian one for the purpose of that competition. The candidate is admitted with reservation, takes the tests and, if successful, obtains the final decision. The procedure is open to EU citizens and, within the limits set by law, to third-country nationals, and it is one of the services the firm handles most often for teachers, nurses, engineers and administrative staff trained abroad.
Non-formal recognition and its purposes
Alongside academic and professional recognition, article 5 of Law 148 of 2002 and Presidential Decree 189 of 2009 introduced recognition for purposes other than study and professional practice: admission to public competitions, points for the ranking of a competition on the basis of additional qualifications, career progression within a public administration, redemption of years of study for pension purposes, registration with employment centres, access to post-degree traineeships and scholarships. These decisions do not produce an Italian title and are valid only for the purpose stated: a candidate who takes part in a second competition applies again. Their advantage is speed and cost, since no comparison of curricula course by course is required.
How the procedure works
The application for equivalence is filed on the form published by the Department of the Civil Service, together with the competition notice and the documents on the qualification, with the Department and at the same time with the Ministry of University, or with the Ministry of Education for school qualifications, which gives a binding opinion. The candidate applies to the competition in the meantime and is admitted with reservation. Under article 38, paragraph 3, as amended by Law 15 of 2022, the Department concludes the procedure only for the winners of the competition, who must notify the publication of the final ranking to the competent ministry within fifteen days, failing which they lose the benefit. The term for the decision is one hundred and twenty days, suspended while the ministry waits for documents it has requested; where the ministry needs to identify the Italian degree class corresponding to the foreign programme, it may consult internal or external bodies, which lengthens the procedure.
Additional qualifications and career progression
A candidate who already holds the qualification required for admission and wants a foreign qualification counted for additional points, a master’s degree or a second degree for instance, follows a different route under article 3 of Presidential Decree 189/2009: the request is made to the administration that issued the competition notice, which forwards it to the competent ministry, and the ministry decides within ninety days. The same route serves public employees who want a foreign qualification recognised for career progression. In both cases the application is filed with the documents listed in the competition notice.
Who may apply and what is excluded
The procedure is open to Italian and EU citizens, to family members of EU citizens who hold a right of residence, and under paragraph 3-bis of article 38 to third-country nationals who hold an EU long-term residence permit, refugee status or subsidiary protection. It applies to competitions for employment, fixed-term or permanent, with public administrations. It does not apply to competitions for teaching staff in schools, which follow the rules of the Ministry of Education and the procedure for the recognition of the teaching qualification, nor to regulated professions such as doctor, architect or lawyer, for which professional recognition is required, nor to admission to doctoral programmes, which is a matter for the universities.
Documents and timing
The application is accompanied by the qualification with an apostille, the transcript of records, the Dichiarazione di valore or the CIMEA statements, the competition notice, the identity document and the residence permit where applicable, and sworn translations of every foreign document. Because the competition deadlines are short, the file should be ready before the notice is published: candidates who know they will apply for competitions in a given sector prepare the documents in advance and attach the notice when it comes out. The firm prepares and files the application, follows it with the Department and the ministry and reminds the winners of the fifteen-day notification, which is the step most often missed.
Frequently asked questions
Can I take the tests before the equivalence decision arrives?
Yes. Candidates who have applied for equivalence are admitted with reservation and take the tests like everyone else. The decision is issued only if they win, and the appointment is conditional on it.
Is one equivalence decision valid for all future competitions?
No. The decision is issued for the competition indicated in the application. For a new competition a new application is filed, although the documents already prepared are reused and the ministry’s assessment of the same qualification is normally quicker.
I am a nurse trained abroad: is this the procedure for me?
Only in part. To work as a nurse in Italy you first need professional recognition by the Ministry of Health and registration with the professional body, because nursing is a regulated profession. Once registered, you take part in public competitions with your recognised qualification, and equivalence may still be needed for the degree required by the notice.
What happens if I win and forget the fifteen-day notification?
The law provides that the winner loses the benefit of the procedure. The notification is a simple communication to the ministry that the ranking has been published, and the firm sends it on behalf of its clients as soon as the ranking appears.
Are you applying for an Italian public competition with a foreign qualification?
Send us the competition notice and a scan of your qualification: you receive within one working day the procedure to follow, the documents required and a written quote.
