{"id":2918,"date":"2026-01-11T18:39:53","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T17:39:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ambabidjan.esteri.it\/?page_id=2918"},"modified":"2026-01-12T18:26:52","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T17:26:52","slug":"self-employment-visa","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ambabidjan.esteri.it\/en\/servizi-consolari-e-visti\/servizi-per-il-cittadino-straniero\/visti\/national-visas-type-d\/self-employment-visa\/","title":{"rendered":"Self Employment Visa"},"content":{"rendered":"

VISA FEE<\/a>: CFA F 77,000\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The self\u2011employment visa<\/strong> is the entry document that allows third\u2011country nationals to carry out in Italy an economic activity organised in an independent form<\/strong>, that is, without any employment relationship. This includes entrepreneurial activities<\/strong> (individual or corporate), regulated or unregulated liberal professions<\/strong>, artisanal or commercial activities<\/strong>, as well as certain specific categories identified under Article 27 of the Consolidated Immigration Act (e.g., renowned artists, athletes, highly qualified professionals) when operating as self\u2011employed workers. It may be issued for short stays<\/strong> (e.g., start\u2011up procedures, contractual arrangements, preliminary formalities) or for long\u2011term stays<\/strong>, fixed\u2011term or open\u2011ended, aimed at establishing a stable economic presence in Italy.<\/p>\n

As a general rule, entry for self\u2011employment is subject to the annual quotas established by the Decreto Flussi<\/strong><\/a>, adopted by Prime Ministerial Decree (D.P.C.M.), which applicants are strongly advised to consult.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ENTRIES \u201cWITHIN THE QUOTAS\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Self\u2011employment entries within the quotas are permitted exclusively<\/strong> for the specific categories expressly listed<\/strong> in the current Decreto Flussi:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Entrepreneurs<\/strong> carrying out activities of interest to the Italian economy<\/strong>, demonstrated through a business plan clearly showing the availability<\/strong> of personal financial resources<\/strong>\u2014of lawful origin\u2014of no less than \u20ac500,000<\/strong> for the investment project, and the prospect of creating at least three (3)<\/strong> new jobs.<\/li>\n
  2. Liberal professionals<\/strong> exercising regulated or supervised professions<\/strong> (lawyers, doctors, engineers, etc.). The relevant professional body verifies qualifications and issues the required certification, possibly after recognition of foreign qualifications under sectoral legislation; or unregulated professions<\/strong>, provided they are represented by national associations registered in public administration lists<\/strong> and authorised to issue certificates of professional quality and qualification.<\/li>\n
  3. Holders of administrative or control positions in non\u2011cooperative Italian companies<\/strong> (joint\u2011stock companies, limited liability companies, and limited partnerships with share capital), strictly listed in Interministerial Decree 850\/2011: President, Board Member, Chief Executive Officer, and Statutory Auditor<\/strong>. In this case, the financial resource certification is replaced by the company\u2019s registration certificate<\/strong> in the Companies Register and a formal declaration<\/strong> by the company\u2019s legal representative to the Territorial Labour Directorate<\/strong> confirming that no employment relationship will be established with the applicant.<\/li>\n
  4. Renowned or Highly Qualified Artists<\/strong>, who must provide: a copy of the self\u2011employment contract<\/strong> guaranteeing remuneration higher than that provided by national collective agreements for comparable employed workers; a\u00a0f<\/strong>ormal declaration<\/strong>\u00a0by the legal representative of the hosting entity to the Territorial Labour Directorate<\/strong> confirming that no employment relationship will be established; a police clearance (nulla osta)<\/strong> issued by the competent Questura; proof of accommodation<\/strong> (hotel booking or declaration by the contracting party providing suitable housing). Short\u2011term self\u2011employment\/entertainment visas are issued outside the quotas<\/strong>, upon presentation of the contract alone.<\/li>\n
  5. Foreign nationals intending to establish an innovative start\u2011up in Italy<\/strong> (as defined in Article 25(2) of Law 221\/2012), who must submit: the nulla osta issued by the \u201cItalia Start\u2011up Visa<\/em>\u201d Technical Committee<\/strong>, created within the Ministry of Economic Development (https:\/\/italiastartupvisa.mise.gov.it\/<\/span><\/i><\/a>); documentation proving the availability of financial resources<\/strong>\u2014of lawful origin\u2014dedicated to the start\u2011up, of no less than \u20ac50,000<\/strong>; proof of suitable accommodation<\/strong> (hotel booking, rental contract, or declaration by a third party providing suitable housing); proof of having earned<\/strong> in the previous year in the country of origin a lawful income exceeding the minimum threshold required for exemption from healthcare co\u2011payment<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Foreign athletes<\/strong> called to Italy to perform self\u2011employment activities<\/strong> may obtain a visa only upon presentation of a nominal authorisation from CONI<\/strong>, accompanied by the nulla osta from the competent Questura, explicitly stating that the activity falls under self\u2011employment. These entries are outside the quotas<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    Forms of \u201cself\u2011employment\u201d that in fact resemble subordinate employment<\/strong> (e.g., coordinated and continuous collaborations\u2014CO.CO.CO.) are not<\/strong> included within the quota categories, particularly when they involve predetermined periodic remuneration<\/strong>, a fixed workplace<\/strong>, organisational constraints<\/strong>, or long\u2011term continuity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Required Documentation <\/strong><\/h5>\n

    To obtain the visa, the applicant must submit, in addition to the duly completed and signed application form, a valid travel document and passport photos:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Declaration of no impediments<\/strong> issued by the competent Italian administrative authority, when authorisations, licences, activity notifications, or registrations in specific registers are required;<\/li>\n
    • Certification of the financial resources necessary for the activity,<\/strong> issued by the competent Chamber of Commerce (CCIAA) or relevant professional body;<\/li>\n
    • Provisional nulla osta<\/strong> issued by the Questura competent for the place where the activity will be carried out, valid for no more than three months from issuance;<\/li>\n
    • Proof of suitable accommodation<\/strong> (property deed, rental contract, hotel booking, or declaration by the contracting party providing suitable housing);<\/li>\n
    • Proof of an annual income<\/strong>\u2014of lawful origin\u2014exceeding the minimum threshold required for exemption from healthcare co\u2011payment<\/strong>. This income cannot<\/strong> be demonstrated through bank guarantees or insurance policies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

       <\/p>\n

      ENTRIES \u201cOUTSIDE THE QUOTAS\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Self\u2011employment entries outside the quotas are permitted for the following categories, strictly listed in Article 27(1)(a\u2013d) of Legislative Decree 286\/1998:<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Managers or highly specialised staff of foreign or Italian companies<\/strong> with headquarters, branches, or representative offices in Italy, employed in the same sector for at least six months prior to transfer;<\/li>\n
      2. University language assistants<\/strong> engaged in academic activities within exchange or linguistic teaching programmes<\/strong>;<\/li>\n
      3. University professors<\/strong> assigned to academic positions at Italian universities<\/strong>;<\/li>\n
      4. Professional translators and interpreters<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Required Documentation <\/strong><\/h5>\n

        To obtain the visa, the applicant must submit, in addition to the duly completed and signed application form, a valid travel document and passport photos:<\/p>\n

          \n
        • Certification from the Territorial Labour Directorate<\/strong> confirming that the professional services contract does not constitute an employment relationship;<\/li>\n
        • Copy of the professional services contract<\/strong>;<\/li>\n
        • Provisional nulla osta<\/strong> issued by the competent Questura, valid for no more than three months from issuance;<\/li>\n
        • Proof of suitable accommodation<\/strong> (property deed, rental contract, hotel booking, or declaration by the contracting party providing suitable housing);<\/li>\n
        • Proof of an annual income<\/strong>\u2014of lawful origin\u2014exceeding the minimum threshold required for exemption from healthcare co\u2011payment<\/strong>. This income cannot<\/strong> be demonstrated through bank guarantees or insurance policies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"VISA FEE: CFA F 77,000\u00a0 The self\u2011employment visa is the entry document that allows third\u2011country nationals to carry out in Italy an economic activity organised in an independent form, that is, without any employment relationship. This includes entrepreneurial activities (individual or corporate), regulated or unregulated liberal professions, artisanal or commercial activities, as well as certain […]","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":2809,"menu_order":4,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2918","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ambabidjan.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ambabidjan.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ambabidjan.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ambabidjan.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ambabidjan.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2918"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ambabidjan.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2918\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2919,"href":"https:\/\/ambabidjan.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2918\/revisions\/2919"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ambabidjan.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2809"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ambabidjan.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}