Recognition in Italy of Foreign Academic Qualification

In order to carry out certain professional or economic activities in Italy, foreign citizens, both EU and non-EU, must hold a professional qualification obtained abroad. This qualification must be assessed by the competent public body in Italy for recognition.

 

A specific qualification is required to carry out one of the following professional activities in Italy:

- hairdresser

- brokerage agent

- sales agent and representative

- car repairer

- systems

- freight forwarder

- food and beverage service

- pest control, rodent control, and sanitization

- dry cleaners and laundries

- shipping brokers

- industrial property consultant

- professions that require registration in the professional register:

• lawyers​​

• doctors​

• dentists​

• pharmacists

• psycologist​

• veterinarians​

• notaries​

• journalists​

• chartered accountants

• engineers​

• architects​

• biologists​

• chemists​

• employment consultants

• actuaries​

• ​nurses

• midwievs​

• biomedical laboratory technicians

• physioterapists​

• speech therapists

• dental hygienists

• medical radiology technicians

• industrial experts

• social workers

• healthcare technicians of various specialties (e.g., orthoptists, dieticians, etc.)

• ​surveys

• agricultural experts

• industrial experts

• agrotechnicians​

• geologists​

• agronomists and forestry specialists

• food technologists

 

To obtain recognition of a foreign qualification in Italy, it is generally necessary to attach:

 

- the application to the competent body (for example, a university for the equivalence in Italy of degrees obtained abroad, the Ministry of Justice for legal professions, or other ministries for specific professions) following the instructions. Instructions; sometimes the application can be submitted online or by submitting paper documents;

- the competent body will evaluate the documentation and decide whether to:

• grant full recognition,

• grant partial recognition, or

• require additional exams or tests;

• reject the application;

- the foreign qualification must be legalized: legalization certifies the authenticity of the signature of the public official who issued the document; the apostille issued by the consulate replaces legalization for countries adhering to the Hague Convention;

- translation of documents into Italian performed by a certified translator or at the Italian consulate abroad;

- any other documents demonstrating the applicant's education, for example: attendance certificates, report cards, study plans, master's degrees, specialization courses;

- declaration of value: this is a document issued by Italian consulates abroad that certifies the qualification's value.

 

In its assessment, the competent Italian public body will also take into account the provisions of any bilateral international agreements signed by Italy with other states regarding the recognition of qualifications obtained abroad.

 

Stamp fees apply for document authentication, and recognition can take a long time.