Decreto Flussi: Italy's work-entry quota, and how it actually works

Last updated 26 July 2026 · Information, not legal advice

Quick answer

The decreto flussi is Italy's annual quota of work entries for non-EU citizens: 164,850 places for 2026, within 497,550 for 2026-2028. Only an Italian employer can file the application, on a fixed "click day", and places are taken in order of submission until the quota runs out. Success produces a nulla osta, then a work visa at the consulate.

For most people from outside the EU who come to Italy to work, this is the door. It is also the single most misunderstood part of Italian immigration, and the misunderstanding costs people real money: because the process is employer-led, competitive and time-boxed, it is fertile ground for intermediaries who sell certainty that nobody can sell.

What it is, and the numbers

Italian law does not let non-EU workers simply apply for a work visa. Instead the government sets, by decree, how many may enter for work each year and in which sectors. The programme covering 2026 to 2028 authorises 497,550 entries in total: 164,850 for 2026, 165,850 for 2027 and 166,850 for 2028. Those are split between non-seasonal subordinate and self-employed work (230,550 across the three years) and seasonal agricultural and tourism work (267,000).

Seasonal work is a large and growing share — 88,000 places in 2026 alone — and a portion of the agricultural quota is reserved each year for nationals of specific countries that cooperate with Italy on migration. Whether your nationality falls inside a reserved share genuinely changes your odds.

Only an employer can apply — and what that means for you

The application is filed by an Italian employer who wants to hire a specific named person, through the interior ministry's portal. You cannot file for yourself, and there is no version of this where you pay a fee and receive a place. If someone offers to guarantee you a spot, they are describing something that does not exist.

This is the practical consequence: the scarce thing is not the application, it is the employer. Everything useful you can do sits on that side — finding a real Italian employer willing to hire you and to do the paperwork, and getting your documents ready so that when the window opens they are not waiting on you.

Precompilation and the click day

The process runs in two stages. First a precompilation window, in which employers prepare and save applications on the portal. Then the click day: at 9:00 on a fixed date, saved applications can be submitted, and they are accepted in chronological order of sending until the quota is exhausted. Quotas for popular categories can be consumed in minutes, which is why the preparation matters more than the day itself.

For the 2026 quota, precompilation closed at 20:00 on 7 December 2025 and the click days were 12 January 2026 for seasonal agricultural work, 9 February for seasonal tourism, 16 February for non-seasonal work and 18 February for domestic and care work. The 2027 cycle follows the same shape, with the precompilation window expected in late 2026 — dates are published by decree and should be confirmed against the interior ministry before you rely on them.

After the nulla osta: the part people forget

A successful application produces a nulla osta from the Sportello Unico per l'Immigrazione — clearance for you to be hired, not a visa. You then apply for the work visa at the Italian consulate covering your area, and you must enter Italy within the validity of the nulla osta.

Then the Italian sequence starts, and it has a hard deadline: within 8 working days of arriving you must begin your permesso di soggiorno application, and you sign the contratto di soggiorno at the Sportello Unico. After that come the codice fiscale, the bank account, residenza at the comune, the utilities in your name, and health-service enrolment. This is where a lot of people, having survived the quota, run out of information — and it is exactly what Approdo maps.

What you need

✓A concrete job offer from an Italian employer willing to file the application
✓Valid passport with sufficient remaining validity
✓Civil-status documents, legalized (Apostille or consular) and translated into Italian
✓Qualification or experience evidence where the role requires it
✓After the nulla osta: the work visa application at your consulate

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Frequently asked questions

What is the decreto flussi?+

It is the decree by which the Italian government sets how many non-EU citizens may enter Italy for work each year, and in which sectors. The 2026-2028 programme authorises 497,550 entries in total, with 164,850 available for 2026. Without a place inside a quota, most non-EU work migration to Italy is not possible.

Can I apply for the decreto flussi myself?+

No. The application is filed by an Italian employer who wants to hire a specific named person, through the interior ministry's portal. There is no self-application route and no fee that secures a place. Anyone offering to guarantee you a spot is selling something that does not exist.

What is a click day?+

The fixed date and time — 9:00 on a published day — when employers may submit applications they have already prepared during the precompilation window. Applications are accepted in the chronological order they are sent, until the quota for that category is exhausted, which for popular categories can take minutes.

When is the next decreto flussi click day?+

The 2026 quota click days have passed: 12 January 2026 for seasonal agricultural work, 9 February for seasonal tourism, 16 February for non-seasonal work and 18 February for domestic and care work, with precompilation having closed on 7 December 2025. The 2027 cycle follows the same pattern with precompilation expected in late 2026. Dates are set by decree — confirm them against the interior ministry rather than any third party.

What happens after the nulla osta is issued?+

The nulla osta is clearance to be hired, not a visa. You apply for the work visa at the Italian consulate covering your area and must enter Italy while the nulla osta is valid. Within 8 working days of arriving you begin your permesso di soggiorno application and sign the contratto di soggiorno at the Sportello Unico, then handle the codice fiscale, bank account, residenza and health enrolment.

Are some nationalities given priority in the decreto flussi?+

Yes, in part. A share of the agricultural quota — 47,000 units per year — is reserved for nationals of countries listed in the decree, generally those cooperating with Italy on migration management, and there is provision for nationals of countries running joint information campaigns on the risks of irregular migration. Whether your nationality falls inside a reserved share affects your realistic chances.

Official sources

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Approdo provides information, not legal or tax advice. Requirements and figures change; always confirm with the official sources linked above.