A non-EU student with a study permit can work as an employee for up to 20 hours a week and no more than 1,040 hours a year. If the work is concentrated in a short period, such as the summer break, individual weeks may exceed 20 hours as long as the annual cap is respected. Internships (tirocini) do not count towards the limit, and self-employment is not capped by law. After graduation you can convert the permit to a work permit without quotas or apply for a 9–12 month job-search permit.
Euro amounts are official; dollar figures are approximate, at the ECB rate of 23 September 2026 (€1 = $1.1411).
The 20-hour and 1,040-hour rule in practice
The rule sits in Article 14 of Presidential Decree 394/1999: salaried work of no more than 20 hours a week, which can be spread over 52 weeks, within an annual limit of 1,040 hours. Study has to remain your main activity.
In a note dated 24 May 2022, Italy's National Labour Inspectorate explained how to apply the limits:
- Year-round contract: both limits apply at once, 20 hours a week and 1,040 a year.
- Work concentrated in a shorter period (for example, during holidays): you may organise hours so that some weeks exceed 20, provided you stay within 1,040 for the year.
- More than 1,040 hours a year: you need to convert to a work permit.
| Scenario | Allowed? | What to keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Weekend bar job, 12 hours a week, all year | Yes | About 624 hours a year, well under the cap |
| Full-time, 40 hours a week, in July and August | Generally yes | About 350 hours, concentrated in the break. Keep your contract and rota as evidence |
| 25 hours a week all year | No | Breaks both the weekly and the annual limit (1,300 hours) |
| Full-time offer after exams | Only after conversion | Convert to a work permit with a contract of more than 20 hours |
| Paid internship within your degree | Yes, outside the limit | An internship is not an employment contract |
Count hours across all employers. The limit applies to you, not to each contract.
What does not count towards the limit
- Internships (tirocini). The Ministry of Labour confirms that a study permit covers both curricular internships within your degree and extracurricular ones aimed at employment. An internship is not an employment relationship, so the 20/1,040 limit does not apply.
- Self-employment. The law does not cap self-employment on a study permit, and a permit that allows work is enough to open a VAT number (partita IVA). Work out social security contributions, taxes and bookkeeping before you register.
Documents you need to work legally
| Document | Why | Where to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Study permit or filing receipt | Proves legal residence | Questura and post office; see our permesso di soggiorno guide |
| Tax code (codice fiscale) | Needed for any contract and payroll | Assigned by the Questura with your permit; earlier from the consulate or the Revenue Agency by appointment |
| Account with an IBAN | Salaries are paid into an account | An Italian bank or a payment provider with an Italian IBAN |
| Written contract | Records hours, pay and contract type | Your employer |
Undeclared work (lavoro in nero) is illegal and puts your status at risk: you have no protection and no documented income for renewal. An offer to pay without a contract is a reason to say no.
Contract types offered to students
| Contract | How it works | What students should check |
|---|---|---|
| Part-time (tempo parziale) | Fixed schedule with set weekly hours | The simplest way to stay within 20 hours; hours must be written into the contract |
| Intermittent or on-call (lavoro intermittente, "a chiamata") | The employer calls you in for shifts as needed | The law always allows it for workers under 24 (with work completed by age 25) and over 55; otherwise only where a collective agreement provides for it. Every hour worked counts |
| Vocational apprenticeship (apprendistato professionalizzante) | Work with training for ages 18–29 | Usually a post-study step: full-time apprenticeship needs a converted permit |
| Internship (tirocinio) | On-the-job training under a project with a university or agency | Not an employment contract; outside the hour limit |
| Self-employment (partita IVA) | Working for yourself with a VAT number | No hour limit, but taxes and contributions apply |
Where students find work
At university
- "150 hours" student collaborations (collaborazioni studentesche). Universities and regional student-support agencies hire students for libraries, labs and help desks. Legislative Decree 68/2012 caps them at 200 hours per academic year, with selection by academic merit and income. Pay and conditions are set in each university's call (bando). Example: the University of Ferrara's 2026/27 call offers up to 150 hours at $8.60 (€7.50) an hour, exempt from income tax. Bachelor's and single-cycle students apply from their second year, master's students from their first; a minimum number of credits must be earned by 10 August, and applications close on 2 November 2026. The University of Bari's 2025/26 call reserved 16 of its 333 places (5%) for international students.
- Tutoring and department support. Faculties post openings; Italian is often required.
- Career service (job placement). Vacancies, internships and employer fairs.
In town
- Hospitality and tourism: bars, restaurants, hotels, front desks. Most roles need conversational Italian.
- Tutoring and languages: English, Russian, maths, exam preparation.
- Seasonal work during breaks, a practical way to use your hours without hurting your studies.
- Job boards and LinkedIn for office, digital and junior roles.
In your field. An internship at a company in your field can turn into a first contract, which is exactly the job offer you need to convert your permit.
How much students earn
Italy has no statutory national minimum wage: according to Eurostat, as of 1 July 2026 it is one of five EU countries without one. Pay rates come from sector collective agreements (CCNL) for tourism, retail, catering and other sectors. Before accepting, ask which CCNL and grade (livello) your contract uses and check the rate against that agreement's pay table.
Treat part-time income as help, not as the foundation of your budget. For the visa you must show $11,616 (€10,179.85) for the year up front, and future wages do not count. For a full-year budget, see our Italy country page.
Work and permit renewal
At renewal the Questura checks your means of support, and working students can document income with Form 2 of the postal kit. The decisive condition, however, is exams: one passed in the first year, two in each later year. A job that makes you fail exams ends up costing you the permit, so reduce shifts in exam months.
How to stay and work after graduation
Graduates of Italian universities have four legal routes. All of them work better if you start before your study permit expires.
| Route | For whom | Conditions and timing |
|---|---|---|
| Conversion to an employment permit | You have a job offer for more than 20 hours a week | Since Law 50/2023 (the "Cutro decree"), converting a study permit needs no quota; apply online at any time of year while the permit is valid. University students can convert even before graduating. Italian graduates use form V2 |
| Conversion to a self-employment permit | Your own project, freelancing or practice | Documents on the activity, income above $9,700 (€8,500) a year, Chamber of Commerce registration for trade and crafts. Italian graduates use form Z2 |
| Job-search or start-up permit (Art. 39-bis.1 of the Consolidated Immigration Act, often called "attesa occupazione") | You have graduated and have no job yet | 9–12 months after a Laurea, Laurea Magistrale, PhD, master universitario, AFAM or ITS diploma. You need income at least equal to the annual social allowance (assegno sociale), health cover and a declaration of immediate availability for work (DID) signed at a public employment centre. Apply when the study permit expires. On the filing receipt you may already work without the 20-hour cap; once hired, convert to a work permit |
| EU Blue Card (Carta blu UE) | Highly qualified employment | Contract or binding offer of at least 6 months; salary no lower than the collective agreement and no lower than the average annual gross salary measured by ISTAT, which the Massa-Carrara prefecture puts at about $38,200 (€33,500). A degree of at least three years or documented professional experience. Issued for 2 years with a permanent contract, otherwise for the contract term plus 3 months |
Timing. File a conversion while your study permit is valid. Italy's Council of State has accepted some flexibility for late applications, but do not plan around it. If you defend your thesis in March and your permit runs to October, you have months to job-hunt before moving to a job-search permit.
Regulated professions. Working as a doctor, architect, chartered engineer or in other regulated professions requires a state exam or recognition of qualifications on top of your degree.
A year-by-year plan
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| First year | Focus on exams, get your codice fiscale and bank account, bring your Italian to working level |
| From the second year (first year for master's) | Apply for "150 hours" if your credits qualify; take part-time work within 20 hours |
| Second-to-last year | Do a curricular internship in your field and register with the career service |
| Final semester | Job-hunt; with an offer, convert your permit straight away rather than waiting for the degree |
| After graduation | No offer yet: apply for the job-search permit as your study permit expires and register with the employment centre |
Common mistakes
- Counting the limit per employer. 20 hours a week and 1,040 a year cover all contracts together.
- Working without a contract and planning to "regularise later". That income will not support renewal or conversion.
- Confusing internships with jobs. A tirocinio has its own rules and is outside the limit; a café job is an employment contract.
- Counting on wages in the visa budget. Consulates want proof of funds in advance.
- Waiting for the permit to expire before job-hunting. Most routes need a valid permit.
- Opening a partita IVA without costing it. Self-employment is allowed, but obligations start immediately.
Who decides, and how StudyU helps
The law sets hour limits and conversion rules; the Questura issues permits; the prefecture's Single Immigration Desk handles conversions; universities run internships and "150 hours" schemes. StudyU does not promise employment. Under a paid contract we help you choose a programme and city with your career goal in mind, prepare documents and plan deadlines. Start with our Italy country page and the profiles of Politecnico di Milano, the University of Bologna and Sapienza. The first step of the move is covered in our student visa guide.
FAQ
Up to 20 hours a week as an employee, with a maximum of 1,040 hours a year. If the work is concentrated in a short period such as holidays, some weeks may exceed 20 hours within the annual cap, as the National Labour Inspectorate clarified in 2022. Beyond 1,040 hours you need a work permit.
Generally yes, provided you stay within 1,040 hours for the year and do not work more than 20 hours a week all year round. Keep your contract and rota to show how your hours were distributed.
No. Curricular and extracurricular internships are allowed on a study permit and are not employment contracts, so the limit does not apply. Regional rules and the agreement with your university govern the internship itself.
Yes. The law does not cap self-employment on a study permit, and a permit that allows work is enough to open a partita IVA. Taxes and contributions start straight away, so do the maths first.
Paid part-time roles in university services such as libraries, labs and help desks. The law caps them at 200 hours a year, with selection by merit and income. Each university's call sets pay and conditions; Ferrara's 2026/27 call pays $8.60 (€7.50) an hour.
Yes. Graduates of Italian universities can request a 9–12 month permit to look for work or start a business. You need income at least equal to the annual social allowance, health cover and a declaration of availability for work signed at a public employment centre. Apply as your study permit expires, without a gap.
Yes. Under Article 5(9-bis) of the Consolidated Immigration Act, while the Questura processes the issue, renewal or conversion of a permit, a foreign national holding the filing receipt may work temporarily, provided the other legal requirements are met. For a student, that means the 20-hour and 1,040-hour limits still apply.
No. Since 2023, converting a study permit to a work permit does not depend on "decreto flussi" quotas and is possible at any time of year while the permit is valid. You need a contract for more than 20 hours a week.
Sources
- Ministry of Labour (Integrazione Migranti): working and internships on a study permit
- Ministry of Labour: converting a study permit after the Cutro decree
- Immigration Portal: study permit and the 20/1,040-hour limit
- Consolidated Immigration Act (Legislative Decree 286/1998): Art. 5 on working with a receipt, Art. 39-bis.1 on the job-search permit, Art. 27-quater on the Blue Card
- Legislative Decree 81/2015: intermittent work (Art. 13) and apprenticeship (Art. 44)
- Legislative Decree 68/2012, Art. 11: student part-time collaborations
- University of Ferrara: "150 hours", 2026/27 call and University of Bari: student collaborations
- Prefecture of Massa-Carrara: EU Blue Card and Ministry of Labour: 2024 Blue Card circular
- Eurostat: minimum wage statistics
- Revenue Agency: tax code for foreign citizens
Facts checked against official sources on 23 September 2026.
