{"id":3404,"date":"2025-09-08T06:23:32","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T06:23:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.italyvisainvestments.com\/?page_id=3404"},"modified":"2026-04-23T06:56:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T06:56:18","slug":"visa-for-professional-athletes","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.italyvisainvestments.com\/en\/international-work\/visa-for-professional-athletes\/","title":{"rendered":"Visa for professional athletes"},"content":{"rendered":"
International Work<\/div>\n

Visa for professional athletes<\/h1>\n
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Practicing or working in sports in Italy requires specific entry visas and residence permits. The sports visa and the residence permit for sports activities allow non-EU athletes, coaches, and staff to enter and legally remain in the country for competitions, sports seasons, or professional contracts.<\/p>\n

The regulatory framework is clear: Article 27 of the Italian Immigration Consolidated Act provides a dedicated pathway for professional athletes, while the CONI Circular of 24 July 2018 outlines operational procedures and requirements for clubs and federations. In many cases, the traditional work authorization (nulla osta) is replaced by the official declaration of consent issued by CONI, a key document for registration and entry.<\/p>\n

Depending on the duration and nature of the engagement, different solutions are available: a short-term sports competition visa (up to 90 days), a short-stay visa for sports purposes, or a sports employment visa with a corresponding residence permit valid for the entire season. For amateur sports, clubs are responsible for accommodation and support; for professional athletes, contracts, annual quotas, and federation timelines are essential factors.<\/p>\n

Boschetti Studio Legale assists athletes and sports clubs at every stage \u2014 from selecting the appropriate legal pathway to managing the entire application process, including renewals, transfers between clubs within the same federation, and, where possible, conversion into a residence permit for employment in Italy.<\/p>\n

Our goal is to ensure that you can step onto the field quickly and in full compliance, avoiding procedural errors that may delay registration or participation in competitions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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What Are the Requirements to Obtain a Residence Permit for Sports Activities in Italy?<\/h2>\n
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The requirements for obtaining a residence permit for sports activities vary depending on whether the applicant is a professional athlete, an amateur athlete, or participating in a specific sports competition.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A key element in all cases is the official declaration of consent issued by CONI (Italian National Olympic Committee)<\/strong>, which replaces the traditional work authorization (nulla osta). This declaration is issued upon request of the Italian Federation of the club that will register the athlete.<\/p>\n

In cases involving employment, the declaration is also forwarded to the Immigration Desk (Sportello Unico per l\u2019Immigrazione) for the signing of the residence contract.
For amateur activities, no residence contract is required; however, the hosting club must guarantee accommodation, financial support, and insurance coverage.<\/p>\n

Duration and Types of Residence Permit<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  • Short Stay: for sports competitions or tours lasting up to 90 days, the foreign national enters Italy with either a Type D or Type C visa, depending on the event schedule. If the stay exceeds 8 days, the application for the residence permit must still be filed through the designated postal procedure.<\/li>\n
  • Sports Season: for professional athletes or individuals entering under a sports employment visa, the residence permit covers the duration of the season or employment contract and allows multiple re-entries into Italy.<\/li>\n
  • Transfers: renewals and transfers between clubs within the same Federation are permitted, subject to a new CONI declaration of consent.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Annual Quotas and Conversion Opportunities<\/p>\n

    Each year, a specific entry quota is established for non-EU athletes. Availability of quota is verified by CONI before issuing its declaration of consent.<\/p>\n

    Since 2020, it has been possible, when legal requirements are met, to convert a residence permit for sports activities into a work permit, creating the opportunity for longer-term integration into the Italian labor market. trasformarlo in una versione pi\u00f9 commerciale per una landing dedicata a club sportivi internazionali.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    [sign-in]<\/p>\n

    What must a sports club do to recruit non-EU professional athletes?<\/h2>\n
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    An Italian sports club intending to register non-EU athletes must carefully plan each step. The first step is to prepare a proposal for a residence contract and request, through its Federation, the official declaration of consent issued by CONI for subordinate sports employment. The competent Police Headquarters issues the work authorization directly to CONI. Once the declaration of consent is received, the athlete applies for a sports visa at the relevant Italian consular authority. Within 8 days of entering Italy, the athlete must appear at the Immigration Desk to sign the residence contract and submit the postal kit application for the residence permit.<\/p>\n

    For amateur sports activity, the club submits to the Federation the request for the declaration of consent specifying accommodation, assistance, and insurance coverage. There is no residence contract, but fiscal and insurance obligations remain applicable. For sports competitions under 90 days, the Federation sends the official list of the delegation members to CONI in advance for the sports competition visa.<\/p>\n

    It must be specified that the Italian Football Federation does not process requests for amateur sports activities, allocating quotas exclusively to the professional sector.<\/p>\n

    Attention must be paid to the following elements:<\/p>\n

    \u2022 Quotas, the Federation verifies the availability of positions for the season.
    \u2022 Eligibility, failure to obtain sports medical clearance or failure of the athlete to arrive requires communication to CONI and the Embassy in order to release the quota.
    \u2022 International travel, verify the validity of the residence permit for re-entry.
    \u2022 Minors, authorization from the Territorial Labour Inspectorate and guarantees regarding the stay are required.<\/p>\n

    An error to avoid, which we frequently encounter in practice, is allowing a foreign national to work continuously for the club under a tourist visa or a competition-only visa. This may result in sanctions and suspension of registration.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Requirements to apply for a residence permit and a visa for sports activities in Italy<\/h2>\n
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    Italian regulations governing the entry of non-EU athletes are based on a complex system of annual quotas established by CONI in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture. Each year, maximum entry limits are defined and allocated among the various National Sports Federations. For the 2025\/2026 season, for example, the Italian Cycling Federation was allocated 70 quotas, while the Italian Dance Sport Federation received 10. These quotas include both athletes entering Italy for the first time and those already present in the country with valid residence permits.<\/p>\n

    For the athlete, the essential requirements include a valid passport with an expiry date at least three months beyond the intended stay, medical fitness for sports practice certified in accordance with Italian regulations and, most importantly, the official declaration of consent issued by CONI. This declaration replaces the traditional work authorization and is issued only after thorough verification of the athlete\u2019s and the requesting club\u2019s eligibility, always within the limits of the assigned quotas. The athlete must also demonstrate sufficient financial means, not lower than the annual social allowance threshold, hold valid health insurance with minimum coverage of 30,000 euros throughout the Schengen Area, and provide proof of accommodation through a hotel booking or a formal declaration of hospitality.<\/p>\n

    For delegations participating in sports competitions, the procedure requires complete nominative lists specifying athletes, coaches, medical staff and officials, including their roles, qualifications, passport numbers and duration of stay, excluding family members, journalists, photographers and supporters. Minors between 15 and 18 years of age require specific authorization from the competent Territorial Labour Inspectorate.<\/p>\n

    The sports club must be duly affiliated with the relevant Federation, submit a detailed technical project and assume full organizational responsibility for the athlete, including accommodation, healthcare assistance, insurance coverage and guarantee of repatriation expenses.<\/p>\n

    The administrative procedure requires the athlete to appear within eight days of entry before the competent Immigration Desk to sign the residence contract and apply for the residence permit through the postal kit, with registration permitted only upon presentation of the application receipt.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    How Studio Legale Internazionale Boschetti can help you obtain a professional sports visa in Italy<\/h2>\n

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    Relying on Boschetti Studio Legale means working with a team that has in-depth knowledge of every procedure concerning the entry of foreign nationals into Italy, regardless of title or qualification. Within our team, we also include consultants with extensive expertise in federation regulations, CONI practices and police headquarters procedures and timelines.<\/p>\n

    We always begin with a case assessment in order to identify the correct pathway among a sports employment visa, amateur sports activity or sports competition visa, evaluating quotas, competition calendars and possible overlaps of events. We prepare the dossiers for the Federation and CONI, coordinate communications with the Immigration Desk and consular authorities, and draft compliant letters, contracts and declarations, reducing the risk of rejection.<\/p>\n

    For clubs, we develop an operational checklist covering registration procedures, sports medical clearance, travel policies and fiscal and insurance compliance. For athletes, we handle the visa application, entry process, postal kit submission and appointments at the Police Headquarters, through to the issuance of the residence permit for sports activities. We assist with renewals and transfers between clubs within the same Federation and, where legal requirements are met, we manage the conversion of the permit into a work permit to support long-term stability in Italy.<\/p>\n

    Here are our strengths in this area:<\/p>\n

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    • Timelines, reduced thanks to accurate documentation and dedicated channels.<\/li>\n
    • Regulatory compliance, at every stage, including cases involving minors and technical staff.<\/li>\n
    • Ongoing support, through to effective registration with the Federation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      The result is a clear and efficient pathway from the first contact to taking the field, without obstacles that could compromise a season or sporting objectives.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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      International Work Visa for professional athletes Practicing or working in sports in Italy requires specific entry visas and residence permits. The sports visa and the residence permit for sports activities allow non-EU athletes, coaches, and staff to enter and legally remain in the country for competitions, sports seasons, or professional contracts. The regulatory framework is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":3480,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3404","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.italyvisainvestments.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.italyvisainvestments.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.italyvisainvestments.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.italyvisainvestments.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.italyvisainvestments.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3404"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.italyvisainvestments.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3404\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5427,"href":"https:\/\/www.italyvisainvestments.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3404\/revisions\/5427"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.italyvisainvestments.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.italyvisainvestments.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}