The EU Intra-company Transfer Work Permit is for non-EU employees of multinational companies who are temporarily transferred to an Italian branch or facility. Italian companies that are part of multinational companies with branches or headquarters located abroad can opt to utilize employees from their foreign offices or headquarters instead of hiring local workers. They can achieve this by temporarily transferring the foreign employee to Italy through a secondment process, using Intra-Company Transfer Visas.

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Italy Intra-Company Transfer Visas are divided into two categories: Annual Quota and Extra Quota System.

 

Non-EU citizens must secure a work permit (Nulla Osta) to engage in employment in Italy. The issuance of these permits is regulated by an Annual Quota System, which sets a numerical limit on the "Nulla Osta" that an employer can request for each category of foreign workers. Additionally, there are designated periods during the year for submitting applications. 

 

Fortunately, certain categories of workers are exempt from the quota system, meaning their admission is not subject to a fixed limit. One such category includes Intra-Company Transferees, i.e., employees temporarily assigned to the Italian branch of a foreign company.

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The Italian Immigration Law defines two primary categories of Intra-Company Transferee Work Permits:

1. National Intra-Company Work Permit (Art. 27 c.1 lett. (a) of the Italian Immigration Law).

2. EU ICT Work Permit (Art. 27 sexies of Italian Immigration Law).

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Under both of these permits, workers do not become employees of the host company in Italy. Instead, they continue to maintain their employment relationship with their home country employer.

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Who Is Eligible for "Standard ICT" Work Permit?

 

Article 27 letter a) of Italian Immigration Law, through a specific work permit, allows companies incorporated and located outside the European Union to temporarily assign (for up to 5 years) their highly specialized manager, director, executive, staff to a branch or a subsidiary located in the Italian territory, in the framework of an intra-company secondment, provided that both the sending and host companies are part of the same company or group of companies.

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It specifically applies to highly-skilled staff or managers working for companies with their headquarters or subsidiaries in Italy, or for representative offices of foreign companies operating primarily within WTO member countries. Additionally, it applies to managers of corporate headquarters in Italy for Italian or EU companies. The residence permit granted through this process is referred to as the Permesso di Soggiorno Casi Particolari.

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Who is Eligible for "EU ICT" Work Permit?

 

An Intra-company transfer (ICT) work permit is available for managers, specialists, and trainees who are temporarily assigned from a company based outside the EU, provided that the worker has been employed for at least 3 months before the transfer. The transfer is to a host entity in Italy, either directly owned by the non-EU sending company or by another company within the same corporate group, as outlined in Articles 27 quinquies and 27 sexies of Italian Immigration law.

 

The maximum duration of the permit is 3 years for managers and specialists, and 1 year for trainees. This also applies to workers holding an ICT Permit from another EU member state who are being temporarily transferred to a company within the same group in Italy. These workers are not required to obtain a visa to enter  Italy. However, they must apply for an ICT work permit in Italy if their assignment exceeds 90 days within 180 days. The residence permits granted under these regulations are referred to as Permesso di Soggiorno ICT and Permesso di Soggiorno Mobile ICT.

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Application Procedure for Intra-Company Transfer Work Permit

 

​The mandatory process for acquiring the Intra-Company Transfer Work Permit, despite minor differences across categories, is as follows:

• The work permit (Nulla Osta) application must be submitted online by the Italian employer or host company. The worker then files a work visa (Visto) application at the Italian Consulate responsible for their place of residence. 

• Upon entry into Italy, the worker must visit the local Immigration Office (Sportello Unico per l'Immigrazione) within 8 days to sign the stay contract (contratto di soggiorno) and/or submit the residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) application.

• Finally, the worker will receive the residence permit (Permesso di Soggiorno), which is issued by the Police and valid for 2 years.

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Our Services and Assistance for Italy Intra-Company Transfer Work Permit

 

Working with us ensures that your Italy Intra-Company Transfer Visa and Work Permit application package has all the necessary documentation, increasing your chances of approval. Our team can also ensure that all documents are correctly translated and formatted to meet the guidelines of the Italian consulates.

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