Italy work permit check: how to tell if your nulla osta is real

No, you can't check an Italian work permit by passport number. The employer files the nulla osta request on Italy's Interior Ministry portal, and only the employer can see its status there. From India, you can check that your details, protocol number and issue date match, that the employer exists, and that nobody asks you to pay the employer.

In June 2026, Italy's Carabinieri described a network in Taranto that allegedly filed nulla osta requests for jobs that did not exist. Workers allegedly paid up to €6,500 each. The investigation is at a preliminary stage, so nobody has been found guilty.

This guide covers who issues an Italian work permit, what you can check yourself, what to pay, and the warning signs that a real document hides a fake job.

Can you check an Italian work permit online?

An Italian work permit can't be checked online by passport number. The employer applies on the Interior Ministry's ALI portal and sees the status there; the worker cannot. If approved, the Sportello Unico per l'Immigrazione sends the nulla osta electronically to the Italian consulate covering your state. You can still check the details, the employer and the payments.

• Who files: the employer, on the ALI portal, logging in with SPID or CIE digital identity and a PEC certified email address (Prefettura di Macerata).
• Who sees the status: the applicant, which is the employer, through "Visualizza lo stato della pratica" in the portal (Interior Ministry user manual).
• Where it goes: the Sportello Unico per l'Immigrazione (SUI) at the Prefettura issues the nulla osta and sends it to the consulate (cliclavoro).
• What must match: when you book your visa appointment, your name, date of birth, passport number, the nulla osta protocol number and its issue date must be correct, or the appointment is rejected (Embassy of Italy, New Delhi).

A genuine nulla osta proves the paperwork went through. It does not prove the job is real, so check the employer too.

Got a nulla osta? Check it before you pay →

How is a real Italian work permit issued?

A real Italian work permit follows five steps. The employer applies within the Decreto Flussi quotas, the Sportello Unico issues the nulla osta, you apply for a national D visa through VFS, you sign a residence contract within eight days of arrival, and you then apply for a residence permit.

Which consulate? The Embassy in New Delhi covers Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Chandigarh. The consulates in Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore cover the other states (Embassy of Italy, New Delhi).

What should you compare on your nulla osta?

A nulla osta should be compared against three things: your passport, your contract proposal and the employer's official registry entry. Your name, passport number and date of birth must match your passport exactly. The protocol number and issue date are what the Embassy checks when you book. The employer and job must match the registry.

• Against your passport: spelling of your name, passport number and date of birth. The Embassy rejects appointment requests with errors in any of these (Embassy notice).
• Against the booking rules: the nulla osta protocol number and issue date. An issue date more than six months old means the nulla osta has lapsed, because it is valid for up to six months (cliclavoro).
• Against your contract proposal: salary, hours, place of work and job type (seasonal or non-seasonal).
• Against the business register: the employer's name, tax code and address in the Registro Imprese.

Can a real nulla osta still hide a fake job?

A real nulla osta can still hide a fake job. It proves the paperwork passed through the official system, not that a job is waiting. In June 2026 the Carabinieri described a network that allegedly used complicit companies to obtain nulla osta for non-existent jobs. The warning sign was money flowing from workers to the "employer".

According to the Carabinieri press release (30 June 2026), police in Taranto carried out 29 precautionary measures. The group allegedly filed nulla osta requests on the official portal for non-existent jobs. Workers allegedly paid up to €6,500 each, about €5,000 of it to the "employer". Many then ended up working off the books on other farms. The case is at the preliminary-investigation stage, and the presumption of innocence applies.

The lesson: if you or your agent are paying the Italian employer, or the job has nothing to do with your skills, stop. You risk arriving without a real job, and without a real job the residence contract and permit that follow are at risk too.

How do you check your Italian job offer and nulla osta?

Checking an Italian job offer and nulla osta takes seven steps before you pay anything more: match the details, check the employer in the business register, contact the employer yourself, check the dates, check your Indian agent, book VFS yourself, and report anything suspicious to the Embassy. Each step uses an official source you can open from India.

1. Match the details

Your name, passport number, date of birth, the protocol number and the issue date must be exactly right. Any error leads the Embassy to reject the appointment (Embassy notice).

2. Check the employer in the Registro Imprese

Search registroimprese.it for the company name, tax code, address and registered activity. Then compare what you find with the nulla osta and the contract proposal:

• Is the company name spelled the same way everywhere?
• Does the address on the contract match the registered address or a branch of the company?
• Does the registered activity fit the job? A dairy job from a company registered for something unrelated is a reason to ask questions.
• Does the company look large enough to need the number of workers the agent says it is hiring?

If you can't find the company at all, don't pay anything until the employer explains why.

3. Contact the employer directly

Use contact details you found yourself, such as the company's own website or its registered address, not the number on the agent's PDF. A genuine employer that filed a nulla osta for you knows your name and the job. Ask:

• Which job, at which site, and from which date?
• What salary and hours does the contract proposal state?
• Is accommodation provided, and what does it cost?
• Who is paying for what, and is anyone asking you for money?

If the employer has never heard of you, or the answers differ from the agent's documents, stop and get advice before paying.

4. Check the timeline

The nulla osta is valid for up to six months (cliclavoro). Apply for the visa well within that time.

5. Check your Indian agent

Indian recruiting agents must be registered. Look up the agent on the MEA's list of registered recruiting agents on eMigrate.

6. Book VFS yourself

Book your own appointment for the correct consulate and pay only the visa and VFS fees. The Embassy says nobody outside its premises or VFS can influence a visa decision (Embassy of Italy, New Delhi). The Embassy has also warned that falsely claiming a nulla osta is about to expire, to get an earlier date, leads to a three-month block (Embassy notice).

7. Report suspected fraud

Email the Embassy at visti.newdelhi@esteri.it and include a contact number, because anonymous emails are not considered (Embassy of Italy, New Delhi). In India, file a police complaint, complain to the office of the Protector General of Emigrants with the agent's details, as the MEA advises, and report online payment fraud at cybercrime.gov.in or call the national cyber crime helpline 1930 (PIB).

If the documents still look doubtful after these checks, have them examined independently (see the last section). Get my nulla osta checked →

What should you pay for an Italian work visa, and what shouldn't you?

The Embassy of Italy in New Delhi lists €116 for a national D visa, plus the VFS service fee, and paying it doesn't guarantee a visa. Paying an Italian employer for a job, "contributions" or "sponsorship" was the pattern in the Carabinieri case. Anyone selling a visa for extra money should be reported.

• Visa fee: €116 for the national D visa, plus the VFS service fee (Embassy of Italy, New Delhi).
• What the fee buys: an application, not a decision. The Embassy says the fee does not guarantee a visa.
• Payments to the employer: a red flag. In the Taranto case, workers allegedly paid about €5,000 to the "employer" (Carabinieri).
• Agencies in Italy: Italian law says employment agencies may in principle not charge workers, directly or indirectly. Collective agreements allow narrow exceptions for some highly qualified roles, and breaches are penalised (d.lgs. 276/2003, Art. 11, Normattiva). This rule covers agencies in Italy, not agents in India.
• "Guaranteed visa" offers: report them to the Embassy at visti.newdelhi@esteri.it.

How are seasonal jobs in Italy different?

Seasonal farm and tourism jobs in Italy use a faster nulla osta, issued within 20 days instead of 60. The seasonal route is for seasonal work. Be cautious when an agent sells a seasonal job with the promise that it will turn into a permanent one later, because nothing in the official process promises that.

• Timing: the Sportello Unico issues seasonal nulla osta within 20 days (integrazionemigranti.gov.it).
• The same checks apply: the employer must exist in the Registro Imprese, and you should not be paying the employer.
• "Seasonal now, permanent later": treat this as a sales line until the employer confirms it in writing.

What are the warning signs of a fake Italy job offer?

The clearest warning signs of a fake Italy job offer are an agent offering to "check your nulla osta on our link", details that don't match your passport, a missing or old protocol number, and any request to pay the Italian employer. Promises of a guaranteed visa or a paid VFS slot are also red flags, according to the Embassy.

• ✗ "Check your nulla osta on our link." Only the employer can see the status, on the government portal.
• ✗ Your name, passport number or date of birth in your documents or appointment form doesn't match your passport exactly.
• ✗ No protocol number or issue date, or an issue date more than six months old.
• ✗ You're asked to pay the Italian employer for the job, "contributions" or "sponsorship".
• ✗ A job unrelated to your skills, or an employer whose registered activity doesn't match the job.
• ✗ A "guaranteed" visa, "embassy contacts" or paid VFS slots.
• ✗ The agent keeps your passport or asks you to sign blank forms.
• ✗ "Seasonal now, permanent later" promises.
• ✗ Pressure to pay before you've seen the nulla osta or the contract proposal.

Which Italy job scams have hit Indian applicants?

Police in Punjab and Haryana have registered several cases over money paid to agents for Italian work visas, between ₹13.5 lakh and ₹14.2 lakh per case. In Italy, the Carabinieri case shows a different risk: a real permit for a fake job. All of these are reported cases or allegations, not court verdicts.

• Taranto, Italy (Carabinieri, 30 June 2026): real nulla osta allegedly obtained for fake jobs; workers allegedly paid up to €6,500 each (Carabinieri).
• Panchkula (The Tribune, January 2026): six families paid ₹14 lakh for Italian work visas; two people were arrested (The Tribune).
• Ludhiana (Dainik Bhaskar): ₹13.5 lakh paid for an Italian construction job; the visa was refused and an FIR was registered against the agent (Dainik Bhaskar).
• Mukerian (Punjabi Jagran, June 2026): a case registered over ₹14.2 lakh taken for sending a person to Italy (Punjabi Jagran).

What should you check before you pay for an Italy job?

Before paying for an Italy job, tick ten boxes: matching details, a valid protocol number and issue date, an employer in the Registro Imprese that you contacted yourself, a job that fits your skills, no payment to the employer, a nulla osta under six months old, your own VFS booking, official fees only, and a registered Indian agent.

• ✓ My name, passport number and date of birth match my passport.
• ✓ The nulla osta has a protocol number and an issue date.
• ✓ The employer appears in the Registro Imprese.
• ✓ I contacted the employer using details I found myself.
• ✓ The job matches my skills and the employer's registered activity.
• ✓ I am not paying the employer anything.
• ✓ The nulla osta was issued less than six months ago.
• ✓ I booked VFS myself for the right consulate.
• ✓ I'm paying only the €116 visa fee and the VFS fee.
• ✓ My Indian agent is registered on eMigrate.

What if you can't check the documents yourself?

An independent check of your Italian documents is the next step if you only have scans from the agent, can't reach the employer, or your family wants a written answer before the next instalment. Do it after the official checks above. It adds to the Embassy and the registers; it doesn't replace them.

Testiy is an independent document check for overseas job offers, work permits and visas, run by ARK Tech & Logistics in Thrissur, Kerala. Testiy is not affiliated with any embassy, VFS Global or immigration agency. An AI scan helps a human expert in Germany find signs of editing, and the expert, not the AI, gives the verdict, often after contacting the employer named in the document. The verdict comes within 24 hours, with a certificate and a public verify link, from ₹1,600 incl. GST.

The service does not access the ALI portal, contact the Sportello Unico or the Embassy for you, or guarantee a visa. See how verification works, pricing and refund terms.

Frequently asked questions

Can I check my Italy work permit online by passport number?

No, an Italy work permit can't be checked online by passport number, because only the employer can see the nulla osta's status on the Italian Interior Ministry's portal. You can check that your name, passport number, protocol number and issue date match, that the employer exists, and that the job details make sense.

What is a nulla osta?

A nulla osta is the work authorisation that Italy's Sportello Unico per l'Immigrazione issues to an employer for a named worker. It is valid for up to six months and is sent electronically to the Italian consulate, where the worker then applies for a national D visa.

Can a real nulla osta still be a scam?

Yes, a real nulla osta can still be part of a scam. In June 2026, Italian police described a network that allegedly obtained genuine nulla osta for jobs that didn't exist, charging workers up to €6,500. A genuine document doesn't prove a genuine job, so check the employer and never pay an employer to hire you.

How much does an Italian work visa cost from India?

The Embassy of Italy in New Delhi lists €116 for a national D visa, plus the VFS service fee. Paying the fee doesn't guarantee a visa. The Embassy says nobody outside its premises or VFS can influence the decision, so anyone selling a faster or guaranteed visa is not part of the official process.

Which Italian consulate do I apply to?

The Italian consulate you apply to depends on your state. The Embassy in New Delhi covers Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Chandigarh. The consulates in Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore cover the other states, and applications go through VFS centres.

What happens after I arrive in Italy for work?

Within eight days of arriving in Italy, you contact the Sportello Unico and sign the residence contract (contratto di soggiorno) with your employer. You get your tax code and apply for a residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) with the post-office kit sent to the Questura.

How do I report a fake Italy job offer?

A fake Italy job offer can be reported to the Embassy of Italy in New Delhi at visti.newdelhi@esteri.it, with your contact number, because anonymous emails aren't considered. In India, file a police complaint, complain to the Protector General of Emigrants about the agent, and call the national cyber crime helpline 1930 if you paid online.

More country guides: Check any European work permit · Malta · Luxembourg · Greece · Serbia · Portugal · Bulgaria · Poland · Germany · Romania · Croatia

Last checked against official sources: 8 October 2026.