Recognition of a foreign engineer’s qualification

An engineer who has obtained the qualification abroad and intends to register with the order and practise in Italy must obtain recognition of the qualification from the Ministry of Justice, indicating the sector of the register for which recognition is sought.

When recognition is required

The profession of engineer is regulated under Italian law. A person who has obtained abroad the qualification that, in the country of origin, gives access to that profession must obtain its recognition in order to register with the order and practise lawfully, or to make use of the corresponding professional title. Activities that the law does not reserve to members of the register remain permitted, subject to the prohibition on using the regulated title.

Who grants recognition

The competent authority is the Ministry of Justice, which supervises the profession and provides for the recognition of qualifications obtained abroad, in the European Union or in third countries, by Italian or foreign nationals. The procedure concludes with a decree without expiry, published for about ninety days, with official value, on the official page of the Ministry of Justice. For the purpose of professional recognition, homologation of the academic qualification in Italy is not required.

The application and the documentation

The application is submitted in Italian, on the ministerial forms, and reconstructs the entire academic and professional background starting from the foreign academic qualification. The following are required in particular:

• the academic qualification, with an indication of the duration of the course
• the transcript of examinations taken, with an indication of place and date
• any professional qualification obtained after the academic qualification
• the certificate of the authority of the country of origin attesting access to or authorisation to practise the profession

For the application it is sufficient to hold the requirements for access to the profession in the country of origin, such as the academic qualification, the traineeship and any State examination where provided. It is not, on the other hand, necessary to have completed the requirements for practice, such as registration with the territorially competent Order of Engineers, which is the final step following the decree.

Qualifications obtained in the European Union

For qualifications obtained in a country of the Union, Directives 2005/36/EC and 2013/55/EU apply, transposed by Legislative Decree 206/2007. In that case the Declaration of Value is not required. In its place the declaration of conformity issued by the competent authority of the country of origin applies, attesting access to or authorisation to practise the profession under the law of that country. The academic qualification and the transcript of examinations may be submitted by means of a self-declaration and a simple copy, without legalisation.

Qualifications obtained in non-EU countries

For non-EU qualifications, recognition is governed by Articles 49 and 50 of Presidential Decree 394/1999 and by Presidential Decree 334/2004. The non-EU national must also enclose the residence permit. The documentation of the qualification is submitted in one of the two forms admitted by the Ministry:

• the Declaration of Value issued by the Italian diplomatic or consular mission in the country of origin, submitted as a certified copy, with which a simple copy and a simple translation of the academic qualification certificate and the transcript of examinations are sufficient
• in the absence of the Declaration of Value, the qualification in the original or a certified copy, after legalisation or an Apostille of the original, accompanied by an official translation

CIMEA certifications are not among the documents required by the Ministry of Justice for professional recognition and do not replace the Declaration of Value, although they may be enclosed. For holders of international protection the free CIMEA for refugees service is available.

Residence permit and entry visa

A person submitting the application from abroad, in order to obtain the entry visa for self-employment, first applies to the Ministry for the declaration that there are no grounds precluding the issue of the authorising title, under Article 39 of Presidential Decree 394/1999. Where recognition is made subject to a compensation measure and the person concerned is abroad, Article 49, paragraph 3-bis allows the issue of a study visa for the time needed to complete it. Registration with the register remains in any event subject to holding a valid residence permit.

Compensation measures

Where the examination of the application reveals a training deficiency in the subjects fundamental to practice in Italy, the decree may make recognition subject to a compensation measure, consisting of an aptitude test or an adaptation period, within the competence of the National Council of Engineers. Documented studies and professional experience are also taken into account in the assessment.

Sections and sectors of the register of engineers

The register of engineers is divided into the civil and environmental, industrial and information sectors, under Presidential Decree 328/2001. The application must indicate the sector or sectors for which recognition is sought, because the foreign course of training is compared with that provided for the corresponding Italian figure. A national list of biomedical and clinical engineers is also established at the National Council of Engineers, likewise within the competence of the Ministry of Justice.

For the purpose of the comparison and of any compensation measure, under Article 14, paragraph 1 of Directive 2005/36/EC, a simple copy of the transcript of examinations and a copy, with a simple translation, of the examination syllabuses must be submitted, limited to the subjects indicated for each sector.

The relevant subjects by sector

For the civil and environmental sector the following are relevant, among others: Technical physics, Technical architecture and architectural composition, Town planning and territorial planning, Topography, Structural mechanics, Structural design and seismic engineering, Geotechnics and foundation engineering, Bridge construction, Construction of roads, railways and airports, Hydrology and hydraulic works, and Technical installations in buildings and territory.

For the industrial sector the following are relevant: Technical physics, Materials technology, Mechanical technology, Machine design, Energy systems, Chemical plants, Electrical engineering and electrical installations, Thermo-hydraulic installations, Industrial plants, and Project management. For the information sector the following are relevant: Software engineering, Applied electronics, Telecommunications systems and installations, Radiofrequency engineering, Business economics and organisation, Control and automation technology, and Electronic technology.

Timeframes and stamp duty

The procedure takes on average four months. Within thirty days of receipt of the application the office confirms that the file is complete or that additions are required. Stamp duty is settled by means of two sixteen-euro stamps, one for the application and one for the final decision, for a total of thirty-two euros, to which a third is added, for a total of forty-eight euros, where a certified paper copy of the decree is requested in place of the digital signature. The decree is transmitted with a digital signature by certified or ordinary email.

Legal references: Directive 2005/36/EC Article 14, Directive 2013/55/EU, Legislative Decree 206/2007, Presidential Decree 328/2001, Presidential Decree 394/1999 Articles 39, 49 and 50, Presidential Decree 334/2004, Ministerial Decree 60/2020.