In Italy, there are two professional categories:

1) professions which are not regulated by law;
2) professions which are regulated by law.

1) The professions that are not regulated by law can be practised without specific qualification and they are open to people holding both Italian and foreign qualifications.
In the Italian labour market, it is not necessary to obtain legal recognition of foreign qualification to practice professions that are not regulated by law.

Some examples of this first type of professions are: roles in advertising, marketing and communication, in arts and music: such as interior designer, actor/actress, dancer, singer, composer, conductor, musician, decorator, designer, fashion designer, painter, director, stage designer, sculptor, etc.; as well as roles in the field of linguistic mediation such as interpreters and translators and in many other sectors.

In any case, it could be useful to attach to the foreign qualification, the statement of validity (Dichiarazione di Valore in loco - DV) or any other type of official document describing the main features of the foreign degree: such a document could represent a valid support for the employer to better understand the candidate's qualification.

2) In order to practice a profession regulated by law, it is required to hold a degree and to meet all necessary qualifications for the practice of the profession, such as work experience and/or the professional licence obtained by taking State examinations, as well as knowledge of the professional ethics.

The practice of such professions is safeguarded by law and it is reserved only to those people authorized to practice the profession, in compliance with the regulations for the type of profession in question. In order to be authorized to practice a profession, applicants holding a foreign professional qualification must obtain the official acknowledgement by the competent Italian authority.

The term “professional qualification” indicates a title that grants authorization for the practice of a certain profession in the country where it has been issued.
In Italy, professional qualifications (the so-called professional recognition) are recognized as follows:
- for professional qualifications issued in EU countries, the EU legislation is applied, in compliance with Directive 2005/36/EC, which regulates the recognition of foreign professional qualifications: the Italian competent authorities can grant the recognition subject to a further compensatory measure, such as an aptitude test or a period of supervised practice for the purpose of qualification adjustment;
- for professional qualifications issued in non-EU countries, the Presidential Decree 394/99, art. 49-50, is applied in conjunction with the Presidential Decree n. 334/04, which grants to professional qualifications awarded in non-EU countries the possibility to be officially recognized in Italy by complying to compensatory measures.

Check the list of the Italian professions regulated by law and of the authorities in charge of their recognition (List of Contacts for various Professions).

For further information please contact the Italian National Contact Point for information on recognition of professional qualifications:
Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri
Dipartimento Politiche Comunitarie - Ufficio Mercato Interno e Competitività
Piazza Nicosia, 20; I - 00186 Roma
Contact person: Ms. Lucia Monaco
email: lu.monaco@palazzochigi.it
tel: +39 06 67795322; fax: +39 06 67795064
web: http://www.politichecomunitarie.it

Issues related to professional recognition

If you have encountered problems related to legal proceedings caused by the misapplication of EU Directive 2005/36/EC by Italian or foreign (EU) public authorities during the recognition process of your EU professional qualification, you can contact:

Italian SOLVIT centre
Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri - Dipartimento per le Politiche Comunitarie
Piazza Nicosia, 20 - 00186 Roma
fax: +39 06 6779 5044
e-mail: solvit@palazzochigi.it
Contact persons:
Ms. Giuseppina Valente: tel. +39 06 67795195
Mr. Francesco Cipri: tel. +39 06 67795204
Mr. Massimo Santorelli: tel. +39 06 67795240

SOLVIT is an on-line problem solving network in which EU Member counties work together to solve problems caused by the misapplication of Internal Market law by public authorities, with no need to restort to legal proceedings. There is a SOLVIT centre in each European Union Member State.
SOLVIT Centres can help handling complaints from both citizens and companies. They are part of the national administration and are committed to providing actual solutions to problems within ten weeks. Using SOLVIT is a free service:
http://ec.europa.eu/solvit/site/index_en.htm

Please note that the Italian National Contact Point for information on recognition of professional qualifications is:
Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri
Dipartimento Politiche Comunitarie - Ufficio Mercato Interno e Competitività
Piazza Nicosia, 20; I - 00186 Roma
Contact person: Ms. Lucia Monaco
email: lu.monaco@palazzochigi.it
tel: +39 06 67795322; fax: +39 06 67795064
web: http://www.politichecomunitarie.it