The Ministry of Culture (formerly Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities and for Tourism) is the Italian authority responsible for recognising the foreign professional qualifications of:
- Restoration Technician of Cultural Heritage
- Restorer of Cultural Heritage
In Italy, both are regulated professions, the access and practice of which are subject to the possession of specific professional qualifications under EU Directive 2013/55/UE, implemented in Italy with legislative decree n. 15 dated 28 January 2016.
Two cases are envisaged:
- the freedom to provide services, a temporary mobility that allows the professional to immediately practice the profession and involves the submission of an annual, renewable advance declaration that attests to the qualifications possessed and/or professional experience of at least one year in the last 10 years (the year of practice is not required if the profession or the training qualifying for it is regulated)
- on right of establishment, which involves the permanent participation in a State’s economy and calls for a procedure of recognition of the foreign qualification based on a comparison between the educational-professional path required to practice the profession in Italy and what was completed by the applicant, following the submission of a specific application. The Administration, once a complete application for recognition is received, has three months to conclude the procedure, in one of three ways:
- acceptance of the application, with appropriate decree posted on the website https://professionisti.cultura.gov.it/
- acceptance of the application upon completion of compensatory measures (e.g., aptitude test or adaptation traineeship), when there are substantial differences in duration or subjects in the education possessed, as compared to Italian education; studies and professional experience, if documented, are also evaluated in order to possible decrease compensatory measures
- rejection of the application when there are differences in training that cannot be made up, or in the absence of requirements under the Directive
Extra-EU Professional Qualifications
Professional qualifications acquired by a citizen of a non-EU country can be recognised, for the sole case of right of establishment, based on the provisions of the D.P.R. 394/99, articles 39, 49 and 50, (implementing the Consolidated Immigration Act), and the subsequent D.P.R. 334/04, which extends the possibility of obtaining recognition of professional qualifications to non-EU degrees as well.
Tali norme, a partire dal 1 gennaio 2021, si applicano anche alle qualifiche conseguite nel Regno Unito (pagina di approfondimento)
Application Procedure
Submission of applications for recognition of professional qualifications is done exclusively electronically with the following procedure:
- Register on the Cultural Heritage Professionals platform via the menu item Register
- Access the menu item Accedi (Log In), inserting user (fiscal code) and the password chosen during registration
- Select the menu item “Foreign qualifications” and application from the list
- Fill out the application, attaching the requested documentation, and send by pressing “Invia” (Send)
No other form of production or submission of the application for professional recognition is permitted. Any documentation received in other ways at the Ministry offices will be considered inadmissible.
Regulatory References
D.lgs n. 15 dated 28 January 2016, implementing EU Directive 2013/55/UE
D.lgs n. 206 dated 9 November 2007, implementing EC Directive 2005/36/CE
D.P.R. 334/04 Regulation on amendments and additions to D.P.R. 394/99 on immigration
D.P.R. 394/99, Regulation implementing the Consolidated Immigration Act d.lgs n. 286 dated 25 July 1998
Note on the recognition in the European Union of professional qualifications acquired in the UK
Decrees recognising foreign qualifications
List of names – temporary service
(last update: 13 October 2021)