Do I need a degree for Italy's digital nomad visa?

Checked on 2026-10-25

Not necessarily. You must be highly qualified under art. 27-quater(1) of Italy's immigration law: a degree or post-secondary qualification of at least three years, a recognised regulated profession, five years of comparable professional experience, or, for ICT managers and specialists, three years of relevant experience in the last seven. You also need six months' experience.

Key facts

What	The law says	Source
Who counts as highly qualified	Someone who meets art. 27-quater(1) of the Testo unico	DM 29 Feb 2024, art. 2(2)
Route 1: education	Tertiary degree of at least three years, or a post-secondary professional qualification of at least three years or at least level 6 of the Italian qualifications framework	D.Lgs. 286/1998, art. 27-quater(1)(a)
Route 2: regulated profession	Meeting the requirements of D.Lgs. 206/2007 for a regulated profession	D.Lgs. 286/1998, art. 27-quater(1)(b)
Route 3: experience	A higher professional qualification shown by at least five years of experience at a level comparable to tertiary education	D.Lgs. 286/1998, art. 27-quater(1)(c)
Route 4: ICT	At least three years of relevant experience in the seven years before applying, for ICT managers and specialists (ISCO-08 133 and 25)	D.Lgs. 286/1998, art. 27-quater(1)(d)
Plus	At least six months’ previous experience in the work you will do	DM 29 Feb 2024, art. 3(1)(d)

A degree is one of four routes

The 2024 decree defines highly qualified work by pointing to art. 27-quater(1) of the immigration Testo unico, the article used for the EU Blue Card. That article accepts any one of four alternatives: a degree or professional qualification of at least three years, a recognised regulated profession, five years of comparable professional experience, or three years in the last seven for ICT managers and specialists.

On top of that, the decree requires at least six months’ previous experience in the work you will do as a digital nomad or remote worker.

How consulates want it proved

The Italian embassy in Zagreb’s guidance says:

for a regulated profession, the recognition must come from the competent Italian authority (listed under art. 5 of D.Lgs. 206/2007) before you apply for the visa;
five years’ experience is shown with documents from a public authority in the country where you worked (for example a chamber of commerce or social security body): the company’s details and sector, your position, the contract or pay slips (at least two for each year) and an employer statement with start and end dates;
documents from non-EU countries must be certified copies, legalised by an Italian consulate or apostilled, with a certified Italian translation;
for a degree, CIMEA’s comparability certificate can replace the Dichiarazione di Valore.

Other consulates’ lists may differ in detail.

The other conditions (income, health insurance, housing): DM 29 Feb 2024, art. 3(1).

Sources

Change history

2026-10-25: Page created

This is general information, not legal advice, and Lumen is not a law firm. Rules change and offices differ: check the official sources above before you act. Found something wrong or out of date? Write to support@lumen.observer.