Italy Decreto Flussi 2026–2028: How the Click Day Really Works

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Italy decreto flussi 2026–2028: how the click day really works

Italy’s decreto flussi for 2026–2028 fixes how many non-EU workers may enter for employment and, more importantly for a UAE resident, who is allowed to ask for a place. Only an employer in Italy can file. The 2026 submission windows closed in January and February, and the 2027 cycle will again begin with employer pre-compilation in Italy. We are asked regularly in Dubai and Abu Dhabi about offers to sell a nulla osta or a click-day place; no such thing can be bought, and this guide sets out the process as at August 2026 so you can check any offer against it.

At a glance

  • The decree (DPCM 2 October 2025, published 15 October 2025) sets 497,550 entries over three years: 164,850 in 2026, 165,850 in 2027 and 166,850 in 2028.
  • Only an employer in Italy can file, on the Ministry of Interior’s ALI portal with SPID or CIE digital identity and a PEC email; a worker abroad cannot self-apply.
  • 2026 click days ran at 09:00 Italian time on 12 January (seasonal agriculture), 9 February (seasonal tourism), 16 February (non-seasonal employment) and 18 February (family and care assistance).
  • After the nulla osta, the worker applies for a type D visa at the Italian mission for their emirate; the nulla osta must be used within 6 months.
  • Nobody can sell you a quota place, a “priority” click or a faster consular appointment; the Italian Embassy in Colombo reported the arrest of intermediaries doing exactly that.

What the 2026–2028 decree actually sets

The decree covers three years rather than one. The figures below come from the joint ministerial circular n. 8047 of 16 October 2025.

Entry type 2026 2027 2028
Non-seasonal employment (lavoro subordinato) 76,200 76,200 76,200
Self-employment (lavoro autonomo) 650 650 650
Seasonal work, agriculture and tourism 88,000 89,000 90,000
Total 164,850 165,850 166,850

Non-seasonal places in 2026 are split as follows: 25,000 for nationals of listed countries that cooperate with Italy on migration (including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Nigeria and Ghana); 18,000 for countries whose agreements come into force during the period; 13,600 for home and care assistance; 300 for refugees and stateless persons; and 19,300 unreserved places, falling to 10,900 in 2027 and 2,700 in 2028.

The sectors are fixed by the decree: agriculture, forestry and fishing; food, beverage and tobacco; textiles, clothing and footwear; metallurgy and metal products; other industry; construction; wholesale and retail; accommodation and food service; tourism; transport, logistics and warehousing; business and personal support services; private healthcare and social care; and other services.

Who applies: the Italian employer, never you

The request for a nulla osta al lavoro is filed by an employer in Italy, which may be a company or a private household, at the Sportello Unico per l’Immigrazione (SUI) of the province where the work will take place. The request names the worker. The Ministry of Interior’s own visa page states that the work visa “is obtained only after” that nulla osta. There is no form for the worker to complete and no portal account for the worker to open.

Before the click day the employer has to satisfy several conditions:

  • Ask the local Centro per l’Impiego whether a worker already in Italy is available; no reply within eight calendar days counts as a negative.
  • Obtain an asseverazione from a professional authorised under Law 12/1979 or from an employer organisation, in every sector including family assistance.
  • Show economic capacity: outside the domestic sector, taxable income or turnover of at least EUR 30,000 a year; a household hiring a carer needs EUR 20,000 (single) or EUR 27,000 (with cohabiting family).
  • File no more than three requests a year as a private employer (Decree-Law 146/2025); employer organisations, authorised professionals and staffing agencies are exempt from the cap.

Decree-Law 146/2025 also made truthfulness checks systematic. Every application is cross-matched against Interior, Chamber of Commerce, tax, social security and customs databases, and the Labour Inspectorate checks that the number of requests is proportionate to the employer’s economic capacity, in order to identify mass filings.

How the click day really works

The click day is the moment at which applications already prepared and saved during pre-compilation are transmitted. Nothing is drafted on the day itself. The steps for the 2026 cycle were as follows.

2026 timeline

Date (Italian time) What happened Who acts
23 Oct 2025, 09:00 to 7 Dec 2025, 20:00 Pre-compilation on the ALI portal (SPID or CIE, PEC required); documents uploaded and signed digitally Employer or its professional
9 to 13 Dec 2025 Portal reopened only to edit and save pre-filled forms Employer
12 Jan 2026, 09:00 Click day: seasonal agriculture (model C-Stag agricolo) Employer
9 Feb 2026, 09:00 Click day: seasonal tourism (model C-Stag turistico) Employer
16 Feb 2026, 09:00 Click day: non-seasonal employment in the listed sectors (model B2020) Employer
18 Feb 2026, 09:00 Click day: non-seasonal family and care assistance (model A-bis) Employer
Within 10 days of each click day Ministry of Labour distributes quotas by province and sector; requests are assigned in order of arrival, or wait Ministry of Labour
20 days (seasonal) or 60 days (non-seasonal) from quota assignment SUI decides; silence counts as approval unless the Questura objects (not automatic for Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Sri Lankan and Moroccan nationals) SUI, Questura, Labour Inspectorate
Until 31 Dec 2026 Applications may still be lodged, only against quotas that remain available Employer

The worker is not a party to any of these steps. The first document that reaches the worker is the nulla osta itself, once the SUI has issued it.

After the nulla osta: visa, entry, contract, permit

A nulla osta is an authorisation to hire, not a visa. The remaining steps are these:

  1. The nulla osta is addressed to a specific Italian mission – for most UAE residents that is Abu Dhabi or Dubai, but the rules also allow the mission in your country of origin, so check which one your employer named.
  2. You book a type D visa appointment. The SUI then asks the employer by PEC to confirm the hire within 15 days; without confirmation the nulla osta is revoked, and only after it does the mission issue the visa.
  3. The nulla osta must be used within 6 months of issue; fingerprints are taken for national visas.
  4. Within 15 days of entering Italy, you and the employer sign the contratto di soggiorno digitally (you may sign by hand) and the employer uploads it to the ALI portal.
  5. You apply for the permesso di soggiorno within 8 working days of entry and may work from the day the receipt is issued. A permit for open-ended employment lasts up to two years, seasonal up to nine months; renew at least 60 days before expiry.

“Buy a nulla osta”: what a real process never involves

Offers of this kind usually price a “quota place” together with the click-day filing, and sometimes add a “priority” consular appointment. None of these can be sold. The quota is assigned by the Ministry of Labour to the employer’s request in order of arrival; the filing is made by the employer under its own digital identity; consular appointments in Abu Dhabi are booked through Prenot@mi after the embassy has been emailed. The Italian Embassy in Colombo reported the arrest of a group charging roughly EUR 6,000 for a promised visa and EUR 600 for a “priority appointment”, and reminded applicants that no intermediary can give preferential access to consular services.

Points to check before paying anyone:

  • You cannot name the Italian employer, its Chamber of Commerce registration or the SUI province.
  • You are told to pay for the nulla osta itself. The employer files it, in its own name.
  • Nobody can show you the request on the ALI portal, or the asseverazione behind it.
  • You are told to fly on a visit visa and “sort it out in Italy”. The route runs through a type D visa issued where you live.

If you cannot get clear answers on these points, do not pay. Our credential verification page sets out how to check who you are dealing with.

From the UAE: what this means for you

Which mission. Only holders of a UAE residence visa issued in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra) apply at the Embassy in Abu Dhabi; residence visas issued in Dubai or another emirate go to the Consulate General of Italy in Dubai.

Timing. Abu Dhabi accepts applications between six months and 15 calendar days before travel, keeps your passport and may take up to 90 calendar days; once the nulla osta arrives you email visa.abudhabi@esteri.it and book on Prenot@mi. Dubai requires filing at least 15 days before travel and a UAE residence visa with at least six months left. Notice periods and flight bookings should allow for the full 90-day processing window.

Documents from the UAE side. The D form, a passport issued within the last 10 years with two blank pages, a no-objection letter from your UAE sponsor or a resignation acceptance or termination letter, medical insurance of at least EUR 30,000 (Abu Dhabi requires a UAE-based insurer), proof of accommodation in Italy and a flight booking.

Degrees and attestation. Neither mission’s subordinate work checklist asks for degree certificates, so there is no attestation step for this route. Only Blue Card applicants need apostilled or legalised degrees with a Declaration of Value and Italian translation.

Realistic outlook. The 2026 click days have passed. Applications for 2026 can still be lodged until 31 December 2026, but only against quotas that remain available. Pre-compilation is now a permanent feature of the procedure, so the 2027 cycle will again open with employer pre-compilation on the ALI portal. Our Italy page covers the routes that sit outside the click day.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply for the decreto flussi myself from Dubai?

No. The employer in Italy files the nulla osta request on the ALI portal. Your part starts after it is issued, with the type D visa application.

Are Indian, Pakistani and Filipino nationals eligible?

Yes. All three are on the decree’s list of countries with reserved non-seasonal quotas. Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Sri Lankan and Moroccan files do not get the automatic silence-approval; the Questura and Labour Inspectorate must clear them.

Is there a route outside the quota?

Yes. The EU Blue Card, intra-company transfers and a 10,000-a-year allocation for carers of people over 80, people with disabilities and children under six sit outside the click day, but each still needs an Italian employer to file the nulla osta.

What to do next

If you hold a real Italian job offer, or a document that claims to be a nulla osta, we can check it against the decree before you spend anything on flights. Book a free eligibility assessment, call 04 357 7796, or arrange a 20-minute review through our contact page. We do not promise outcomes. More guides: all-guides library.

Sources

Cover photo: Duc Tinh Ngo via Pexels

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