- Italy has released 8,865 extra work permits for the 2026 seasonal labor quota to address shortages.
- The allocation prioritizes agriculture and tourism sectors with 5,389 and 3,476 slots respectively.
- Employers can apply through the existing click-day portal without waiting for a new filing event.
(ITALY) — Italy’s Ministry of Labour and Social Policies allocated 8,865 additional seasonal work permits for 2026 through notes 1433 and 1434 issued on April 28, 2026, with the decision made public on May 6, 2026. The extra permits add to this year’s Decreto Flussi quota and target two sectors that have pressed for more workers ahead of summer: agriculture, which received 5,389 of the new slots, and tourism-hospitality, which received 3,476.
The increase comes after farm unions and hotel associations pressed for more staffing, citing labor shortages as harvest work and the tourist season approach. Employers can use the same click-day portal that handled the original applications, and the added quotas remain available until all 8,865 places are used.
Officials had already set the base 2026 seasonal quota at 88,000 permits, a 10% increase from 2025, under guidance published on February 6, 2026. That allocation reserved 47,000 permits for agriculture and 13,000 for tourism and hospitality, with the remainder assigned to construction and other sectors.
Employers submitted those initial requests through the Interior Ministry’s online click-day portal between January 12 and February 18, 2026. The agriculture window opened on January 12, 2026 at 09:00, while tourism opened on February 9.
Applications moved on a first-come, first-served basis, a system that has long defined how seasonal work permits are distributed under Decreto Flussi. Last year’s agriculture quota filled in under 8 hours, underscoring the speed with which employers move once the portal opens.
Each employer could submit up to three applications per quota, and provincial Sportelli Unici offices issue nulla osta authorizations within 30 days. By May 2026, the first round had closed, but the extra allocation remains open through the same online system.
Employers that already filed sponsorship requests in the original click-day round will be considered automatically for the added quota. Others can still file new requests through the same portal, and the ministry did not require a new click-day for the extra permits.
That change matters in practical terms for businesses that missed the first rush. A hotel, farm, restaurant, resort, processor, or construction employer does not have to wait for another one-day filing event to seek one of the added places; it can proceed through the existing online channel while quotas last.
The permits cover work tied to seasonal cycles in agriculture, including grape and olive harvests in Tuscany, Piedmont, Veneto, Sicily and Puglia, along with tomato and strawberry picking. They also apply to tourism jobs in hotels, restaurants and resorts, as well as food processing and construction.
Workers admitted under the 2026 rules enter on a Type-C national visa valid for up to 9 months within any 12-month rolling period. The validity period was extended from prior limits to align with Poland and Sweden.
Italian rules for these positions do not require a labor market test for most roles. Once admitted, seasonal workers hold the same rights on minimum wage, overtime, rest periods and safety standards as Italian workers.
The rules also allow employment with multiple employers if the worker gives notification. After repeated stays, workers in shortage sectors can convert to multi-year permits, creating a path from one-season hiring toward longer-term labor arrangements in parts of the economy that struggle to recruit.
Employers that bring in workers under the seasonal system must provide accommodation and return travel. They also must register workers with INPS social security within 48 hours of arrival, tying the permit system directly to Italy’s employment and welfare administration.
Workers must arrive with a valid passport that remains valid for at least 3 months beyond the end of the contract. They also need a genuine job offer from a registered Italian employer and private health insurance covering the full stay, unless the employer provides that coverage.
The extra allocation sits inside a broader 2026-2028 triennial plan that admits nearly 500,000 foreign workers across the three-year period. Authorities have given priority to southern and central Italy, where agriculture and seasonal tourism carry particular weight in local labor demand.
Decreto Flussi has become one of the main channels through which Italy tries to match foreign labor to recurring shortages in sectors that depend on tight seasonal calendars. Harvest windows do not move, and hotel staffing needs rise quickly as summer bookings build, which is why the timing of a quota increase in late April carries weight for employers still short of staff in early May.
The additional 5,389 permits for agriculture arrive as farms prepare for successive cycles of picking and processing across multiple regions. The 3,476 reserved for tourism-hospitality come as hotels, restaurants and resorts build rosters for the busiest stretch of the year, when missed hiring can translate directly into fewer rooms serviced, fewer tables covered and more strain on existing staff.
The click-day portal remains the focal point of the process. Employers that already entered the system through earlier sponsorship requests keep their place in the pipeline for automatic consideration, while new applicants still have access to the same channel without a fresh filing day, a choice that eases some of the pressure created by a first-come, first-served model.
Provincial Sportelli Unici offices now carry the next part of the process as they review requests and issue nulla osta within 30 days. That timetable, combined with the visa rules and the employer obligations on housing, travel and INPS registration, determines how quickly workers can move from an online request to a legal job at a farm, hotel, restaurant, resort, processing facility or construction site.
Applications for the added seasonal work permits continue through the ministry portal until the quota is exhausted. Employers seeking workers under Decreto Flussi are left watching the portal status closely, knowing from past rounds that demand on the click-day portal can outpace available places in a matter of hours.
