Italy’s Ministry of Labour and Social Policies has topped-up the 2026 Decreto Flussi quota with 8,865 additional permits reserved for seasonal workers in the country’s two most labour-hungry industries—agriculture (5,389 permits) and tourism-hospitality (3,476 permits). The decision, communicated in notes 1433 and 1434 of 28 April but made public on 6 May, responds to pressure from farm unions and hotel associations that warned of acute staffing shortages ahead of the summer harvest and peak holiday season. Employers that had already filed sponsorship requests through the “click-day” portal will be automatically considered; new applications can still be submitted until quotas are exhausted. Seasonal hires enter on a type-C national visa that can run up to nine months and may be converted to a multi-year permit in sectors facing chronic shortages. Companies must provide accommodation, pay return travel, and register workers with INPS social security within 48 hours of arrival.
![Italy Allocates 8,865 Extra Seasonal Work Permits for 2026 Agriculture and Tourism]()
At this stage, VisaHQ can prove invaluable: the platform’s Italy desk walks sponsors through every step of the Decreto Flussi, from compiling invitation letters to securing the type-C seasonal visa, and its dashboard at https://www.visahq.com/italy/ lets HR teams monitor applications in real time.
For mobility managers in multinationals, the extra quota offers a last-minute avenue to bolster Italian production sites that rely on foreign pickers, chefs and wait-staff. However, consultants advise acting quickly: in 2025 the supplementary quota closed in under two weeks. They also remind sponsors that digital fingerprints will be collected on entry under the new EU Entry/Exit System (EES), so advance appointment scheduling remains critical. Looking ahead, the government is expected to publish the main 2027 quota decree by October, and insiders hint it could introduce differentiated caps for highly skilled seasonal roles such as agritech drone pilots and sustainability auditors.
At this stage, VisaHQ can prove invaluable: the platform’s Italy desk walks sponsors through every step of the Decreto Flussi, from compiling invitation letters to securing the type-C seasonal visa, and its dashboard at https://www.visahq.com/italy/ lets HR teams monitor applications in real time.
For mobility managers in multinationals, the extra quota offers a last-minute avenue to bolster Italian production sites that rely on foreign pickers, chefs and wait-staff. However, consultants advise acting quickly: in 2025 the supplementary quota closed in under two weeks. They also remind sponsors that digital fingerprints will be collected on entry under the new EU Entry/Exit System (EES), so advance appointment scheduling remains critical. Looking ahead, the government is expected to publish the main 2027 quota decree by October, and insiders hint it could introduce differentiated caps for highly skilled seasonal roles such as agritech drone pilots and sustainability auditors.
