Moving a non-EU employee from your Nordic office to Italy: the permit process

A Swedish, Danish or Finnish citizen can move to Italy and start work without a permit, as can Norwegians and Icelanders under EEA rules. But many Nordic tech and engineering teams are international. The developer from India in your Stockholm office, the engineer from Brazil in Copenhagen or the product manager from the US in Helsinki may hold a Nordic residence and work permit. That permit does not give them the right to work in Italy.

If one of them wants to move to Italy, or you want to place them there, they need an Italian work permit first.

Two main routes  

EU Blue Card  

For highly qualified roles above a minimum salary threshold. In 2026 the threshold is about €36,300 gross a year; the official reference still needs confirming. The Blue Card is not subject to the annual quotas and gives mobility rights within the EU.

If the employee already holds a Blue Card from Sweden, Finland or another member state, intra-EU mobility rules can simplify the process. The details depend on the case. [confirm intra-EU Blue Card mobility procedure for Italy]

Ordinary work permit under the quotas  

Other employees come in under the annual quota system, the Decreto Flussi. The 2026–2028 planning sets, for 2026, 43,300 non-seasonal entries: 25,000 for nationals of certain countries, 18,000 for countries with agreements, and 300 for stateless people and refugees (investireoggi.it, secondary source). Applications are filed in set windows, so timing depends on the calendar.

For most professional roles at Nordic salary levels, the Blue Card is the route to try first.

The steps  

1. Eligibility. We check degree, salary and role against the route.
2. Italian employment contract. As Employer of Record (EOR), we are the Italian employer and sign the contract under the right CCNL, conditional on the permit.
3. Work authorisation (nulla osta). We file it with the Immigration Office (Sportello Unico).
4. Visa. The employee applies at the Italian consulate responsible for where they live, which may be in the Nordics.
5. Arrival. Residence permit application, tax code, registration with the national health service.
6. First payslip.

Planning around it  

• Do not resign the Nordic job too early. The employee should keep their current permit and job until the Italian visa is granted.
• Family. Family members usually follow through family reunification, with its own procedure.
• Pension and social security. Contributions paid in the Nordics stay there; Italian contributions start with the Italian employment. EU coordination rules help combine periods for some benefits.
• Housing and relocation. Tax code, housing, bank account and health service registration take time; our relocation support covers them.

Cost  

The permit case costs €2,500, covering the eligibility check, nulla osta application, consulate appointment and residence permit. The employment cost and our €250 monthly fee start with the employment.

Questions we hear from Nordic companies  

Can the employee keep working for us remotely from Italy while waiting? Not without the right to work in Italy. Working in Italy before the permit is granted is a risk for both sides. Keep them in their current role until the visa is issued.

Does the Nordic employer have to end the contract? Usually the Nordic employment ends when the Italian employment starts. Coordinate end and start dates so there is no gap in pay or insurance.

Can a spouse work in Italy? Family members who join through family reunification can usually work. The conditions depend on the permit; we check them as part of the case.

How long does it take? Blue Card cases are generally faster than quota permits, which depend on application windows. We give a timeline after the eligibility check.

In short  

A Nordic residence permit does not allow work in Italy. For a non-EU employee who moves, start with the Blue Card if the role and salary qualify, and with the quota route otherwise. Sign the Italian contract conditionally, file the nulla osta, and let the employee keep the Nordic job until the visa is granted. Plan housing, family and the first payslip as one project, and leave enough time for each step.

See work permits for an overview, and estimate the salary cost in the cost calculator .