Recognition of foreign professional qualifications

Recognition of foreign professional qualifications is the procedure by which a person who has obtained abroad a qualification giving access to a profession may practise a regulated profession in Italy, from doctor to architect, from lawyer to nurse. It serves to establish that the training matches Italian standards, and it is a route distinct from academic recognition, which concerns the academic title and the continuation of studies.

When recognition of a professional qualification is needed

Recognition is required only for regulated professions, those whose practice is subject to holding a specific qualification or to enrolment on a register or membership of a professional order or college. The same activity may be regulated in Italy and unrestricted elsewhere, so the first check concerns the status of the profession in this country. For unregulated professions no formal recognition is required, and the qualification may be used freely as a point in one’s curriculum.

Who grants professional recognition

Recognition falls to the Ministry that supervises the individual profession: the Ministry of Health for doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and the other healthcare professions, the Ministry of Justice for lawyers, and so on. The governing framework is European Directive 2005/36/EC, amended by Directive 2013/55/EU and transposed in Italy by Legislative Decree 206 of 2007. The procedure concludes with a decree of the Ministry, the precondition for registration with the professional body and for practice.

How it works, in brief

The process begins with an application accompanied by the qualification, the certificates of competence and the details of the course of training. The authority compares the training and experience gained abroad with those required in Italy and, where it finds substantial differences, may make recognition subject to a compensation measure, an adaptation period or an aptitude test.

European Union qualifications and third-country qualifications

The regime changes according to where the qualification was obtained. For qualifications obtained in the European Union, in the European Economic Area or in Switzerland, Directive 2005/36/EC applies and, in place of the Declaration of Value, the declaration of conformity issued by the competent authority of the country of origin is required. For qualifications obtained in a third country, the documentation includes the Declaration of Value (Dichiarazione di Valore) issued by the territorially competent consulate, the sworn translation and legalisation or a Hague Apostille.

The healthcare professions and the language requirement

Healthcare qualifications follow a dedicated channel, within the competence of the Ministry of Health, with one requirement that admits no exception, knowledge of the Italian language, as a safeguard for patient safety. Once the decree has been obtained, practice remains subject to registration with the competent order.

Legal references: Directive 2005/36/EC as amended by Directive 2013/55/EU, Legislative Decree 206 of 2007.