Trade-union confederation CGIL and its social-security patronage arm INCA staged a protest outside the Florence Prefecture on the morning of 6 November against what they call an “unconstitutional surcharge” of €80–€200 levied on foreign residents renewing or obtaining Italian residence permits. The fee, re-introduced by the government after earlier court defeats, affects some 210,000 non-EU nationals living in Tuscany.
The unions recall that the European Court of Justice struck down similar charges in 2016 as disproportionate and discriminatory. While Italian courts initially annulled the levy, the Council of State suspended that ruling in September 2025 pending full appeal, allowing the higher fees to take effect again.
![Florence Demonstration Challenges ‘Surcharge’ on Residence-Permit Applications]()
At the rally, CGIL provincial secretary Paola Galgani warned that the surcharge adds financial pressure on low-income families and students and could push more applicants into irregular status if they postpone renewals. INCA lawyers distributed multilingual leaflets explaining how to file reimbursement claims should the courts ultimately revoke the fee.
For employers, the revived surcharge raises the total cost of new hires from outside the EU and could lengthen processing times if applicants wait to see the legal outcome. Companies arranging intra-company transfers or EU Blue-Card applications should adjust budgets and communicate the possibility of retroactive refunds to affected staff.
Observers note that the dispute may set a precedent for other administrative fees introduced under the 2025 security decree. A final Council-of-State decision is expected in early 2026; if the fee is struck down again, the government would need to reimburse payments with interest, as happened after the 2016 judgment.
The unions recall that the European Court of Justice struck down similar charges in 2016 as disproportionate and discriminatory. While Italian courts initially annulled the levy, the Council of State suspended that ruling in September 2025 pending full appeal, allowing the higher fees to take effect again.
At the rally, CGIL provincial secretary Paola Galgani warned that the surcharge adds financial pressure on low-income families and students and could push more applicants into irregular status if they postpone renewals. INCA lawyers distributed multilingual leaflets explaining how to file reimbursement claims should the courts ultimately revoke the fee.
For employers, the revived surcharge raises the total cost of new hires from outside the EU and could lengthen processing times if applicants wait to see the legal outcome. Companies arranging intra-company transfers or EU Blue-Card applications should adjust budgets and communicate the possibility of retroactive refunds to affected staff.
Observers note that the dispute may set a precedent for other administrative fees introduced under the 2025 security decree. A final Council-of-State decision is expected in early 2026; if the fee is struck down again, the government would need to reimburse payments with interest, as happened after the 2016 judgment.
