Professional Recognition in Italy: Having Your Degrees Recognized

Do you want to work or study in Italy in the field you’ve studied? If so, you’ll often need to have your foreign degree recognized (recognition of academic credentials). How time-consuming this is depends largely on whether your profession is regulated and whether your degree is from the EU. This guide will walk you through the system.

Two Types of Recognition

First, you need to know why you need the certification:

• Academic Recognition: in Italy to study, to enroll or to be allowed to use a title (equivalence, equality).
• Professional Recognition: in order to be allowed to practice a particular profession.

Regulated or not? The key difference

This is the most important switch:

• Unregulated professions: Here's what you need no formal recognition; the employer makes the decision. A certificate of comparability (see below) can still be helpful when applying for a job.
• Regulated Professions (regulated professions) such as doctor, nurse, lawyer, engineer, architect, teacher: Here is a full recognition through the relevant ministry or professional association (Order/Albo) is required before you can start working.

The guide explains how to find a job in general Find a Job and Work.

EU degree or non-EU degree?

The type of degree also determines the amount of work involved:

• Degrees from the EU/EEA (e.g., Germany, Austria) benefit from the EU Directive on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications—the process is more standardized and, for many professions, faster.
• Degrees from Third Countries (e.g., the U.S., the U.K., Switzerland) go through a more complex process; for regulated professions, it can 18 to 24 months last.

Important Documents: CIMEA and Dichiarazione di valore

There are three terms you should know:

• CIMEA: The Italian Information Center for Academic Recognition. It provides a Certificate of Comparability (Certificate of Comparability) that classifies your degree.
• Declaration of Value (Declaration of Equivalence): a document issued by an Italian diplomatic mission abroad that describes the value of your degree in your country of origin. It is for informational purposes only; it does not constitute recognition.
• Certified Translation (certified translation) and Apostille/Legalization your documents.

Good to know: Since 2024, the CIMEA certificate has been considered equivalent to the Dichiarazione di valore in public tenders.

Duration and Procedure

The times vary greatly: For a Enrollment Often, just a few weeks are enough to fully Professional Recognition for Degrees from Non-EU Countries It can take 18 to 24 months. So start early, gather your documents (with an apostille and translation), and check with CIMEA to find out which procedure to follow and which ministry or Order is responsible for you. For many professions, you'll also need to know Italian—see Learn Italian.

What You Need to Do Next

First, determine whether your profession is regulated and whether your degree was earned in the EU. Obtain the CIMEA certificate and—if necessary—the Dichiarazione di valore, have your documents translated and apostilled, and submit your application to the relevant ministry or professional association. Allow plenty of time.