Decreto di riconoscimento (Italian recognition decree)

The Ministry of Health says that everyone holding a health qualification obtained outside the EU, whether EU, EEA, Swiss or non-EU nationals, must apply for recognition to be authorised to practise in Italy. The application is handled by the ministry's directorate for health professions (DGPROF, Office 2). Article 49 of DPR 394/1999 adds that you can apply from abroad and that entry to Italy to work in a health profession depends on this recognition.

Recognition concerns the professional qualification, not academic equivalence. Article 50 says that a declaration of equivalence of a foreign degree (equipollenza) does not by itself give the right to practise; the ministry's opinion is needed first.

At the end of the review the ministry issues one of three outcomes:

• a recognition decree;
• recognition subject to passing a compensation measure, either an aptitude test or an adaptation period;
• a refusal.

1. Download the form and checklist for your profession from the ministry's recognition pages (for nurses, model D2-1 INF).
2. Have your foreign documents legalised by the Italian embassy or consulate, or with an apostille, then make authenticated copies.
3. Get translations into Italian certified by the Italian consulate or sworn before an Italian court (see certified translation).
4. Pay the €16 revenue stamp for each qualification, online, with a physical stamp or by bank transfer.
5. Send the application by post or deliver it by hand to the ministry in Rome, or use the online form.

The ministry does not give a preliminary assessment of your documents; missing items are requested during the review.

The ministry gives four months from a complete file for nurses, and three months for doctors with a non-EU degree already formally recognised in an EU or EEA country or Switzerland. If a compensation measure is required and you are abroad, article 49 provides for a study visa for the time needed to complete it. The ministry publishes session dates, such as a nursing compensation session on 18 December 2026.

Specialist titles from outside the EU can only be recognised after your basic qualification has been recognised.

A decree issued to a non-EU citizen loses its effect after two years if you do not register with the relevant professional register, under article 50(8-bis) of DPR 394/1999. The ministry has a renewal form for this case.

After the decree, the next steps are the Italian language check and iscrizione all'albo with your Ordine, then your permesso di soggiorno for work.

Common problems:

• Unlegalised originals and translations not certified in the way the ministry asks.
• Unreported changes of address. The ministry sends every communication to the address in your application.
• Waiting for publication. Decrees appear on the ministry portal months after they are issued, with no fixed timescale; the decree you receive is what counts.
• Letting the two-year deadline pass.