Italy — Work (EU Blue Card (Carta Blu UE))

Main requirements

The EU Blue Card (Carta Blu UE, art. 27-quater of the Immigration Act) is for highly qualified work and sits outside the Decreto Flussi quotas. Per the Labour Ministry's Integrazione Migranti site you need a tertiary degree (or a post-secondary professional qualification of at least 3 years), or instead professional experience: 5 years in general, or for ICT specialists at least 3 years within the last 7. You need a contract or binding offer of at least 6 months, paying at least the collective-agreement minimum and at least ISTAT's average gross annual salary. Per the Labour Ministry's Integrazione Migranti FAQ (updated January 2026) that average is about EUR 36,300 gross a year (as of October 2026); the EU Immigration Portal still shows the older EUR 33,500, so ask the employer to check the current figure. The employer must also first check with the local job centre (Centro per l'impiego) that no suitable worker is available; the Ministry confirms this applies to highly qualified workers too.

Documents

Contract or binding offer; nulla osta obtained by the employer; passport; degree with legalised official translation plus a Dichiarazione di Valore or a CIMEA statement of comparability (or proof of experience); health insurance; D visa form; photos; proof of accommodation.

Language

No language certificate is listed in the official Blue Card requirements, but Italian helps a lot in finding a job and an Italian test is needed later for long-term residence.

Costs and proof of funds

No separate proof of funds; the contract salary is the test. Your own costs: translations/legalisation, EUR 116 visa plus VisaMetric fee, Blue Card EUR 50 plus EUR 76.46 admin (EU portal), flight, rent deposit and living until the first salary.

Steps and timeline

1) Find an employer from Iran (the long part); 2) the employer files online with SPID on the Interior Ministry portal to the Sportello Unico; 3) the nulla osta is issued and sent to the embassy (Labour Ministry says within 30 days, EU portal says max 90 days); 4) D visa from Tehran (up to 365 days); 5) after arrival, go to the Sportello Unico and apply for the Blue Card. It is valid 2 years for permanent contracts or contract length plus 3 months for fixed-term.

Notes for Iranian applicants

You get the national D work visa from the Italian Embassy in Tehran via VisaMetric. Booking is free but a 50 million rial (about EUR 25) deposit is taken and refunded at submission; slots follow registration order and each visa type's checklist is on the site. The national visa fee is EUR 116 plus the VisaMetric fee. The embassy was closed from February to June 2026 and resumed all consular services on 8 July 2026; during the closure Iranians could apply at any reachable Italian embassy where they could stay legally. The embassy stresses that no intermediary has special channels; only the consular and VisaMetric fees are allowed. Iranian documents (degrees, work records, shenasnameh) usually need official translation and legalisation by Justice and Foreign Affairs, since Iran is not in the Apostille Convention.

Men: without a completed-service card or exemption you cannot leave Iran for work; per Iranian secondary sources, the bonded exit permit is only for master's/PhD study.

After arrival (work during studies, post-study stay, path to permanent residence)

You renew the Blue Card (EUR 50 renewal per the EU portal). Your spouse and children can join through family reunification whatever the length of your Blue Card, under the general reunification conditions (art. 29). The EU long-term residence permit needs 5 years of legal residence, income at least equal to the assegno sociale, suitable housing and an Italian language test pass.