If you are an EU citizen and wish to work in Italy, you have the right to work, whether as an employee or as a self-employed person, without the need for a work permit.
Under EU law, workers moving within the EU are subject to the legislation of the country in which they carry out their activity (territoriality principle).
All workers meeting the conditions laid down in Articles 1 and 4 of Presidential Decree No 1124 of 30 June 1965, as amended, must be insured with Inail (the National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work). For employees, the insurance and the payment of the premium are the sole responsibility of the employer, while self-employed workers (e.g. artisans or farmers) are responsible for arranging this themselves. For workers on long-term contracts (known as ‘Cococo’ or ‘Cocopro’ contracts) the employer pays the premium, but the employee contributes one third.
The insurance covers injuries due to accidents at work, with the only limitation being elective risk, i.e. extraneous risk that is unrelated to the work activity and due to an arbitrary choice by the worker. The insurance also extends to illness attributable to the performance of your work activities.
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT AT WORK IF THE INSURANCE PREMIUM HAS NOT BEEN PAID?
If you have an accident at work but your employer has not paid the insurance premium, you are still entitled to the benefits provided by Inail.
Under the principle of automatic entitlement to benefits, Inail’s insurance cover arises automatically from the employment relationship, even if the insurance premium has not been paid.
This principle does not apply to self-employed workers (artisan business owners, farmers, etc.). In this case, the right to financial benefits is suspended until the worker has settled the outstanding premium payments.
The suspension only affects benefits of a financial nature, while social and health benefits (healthcare, treatments, provision of prostheses and aids) are still guaranteed. The financial benefits provided for the worker’s survivors in the event of death due to an occupational accident or disease are also guaranteed (survivors’ pension, funeral allowance, and a one-off allowance paid by a special fund set up at the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies).
For domestic accident insurance, which is governed by Law No 493/1999 (household insurance), the right to benefits only applies to accidents occurring from the day following the date on which the payments were settled.
DOMESTIC ACCIDENT INSURANCE
EU citizens who reside in Italy and are exclusively engaged in taking care of the home and family without payment, are protected against accidents in the home.
Law No 493/1999, as amended and supplemented, provides for insurance against accidents in the home for persons between 18 and 67 years of age who take care of the home and family free of charge, without an employment relationship, on a habitual and exclusive basis.
EU citizens who transfer their residence to Italy and have registered their domicile in Italy with the competent registry office enjoy the same protections as Italian citizens under the aforementioned law.
To obtain insurance cover, you must apply for registration electronically and pay an annual insurance premium of EUR 24 to Inail in accordance with the established procedure. For subsequent years, you must renew the insurance by paying the premium by 31 January.
Insured persons have access to an online service allowing them to view their insurance situation and payments for the years in which they are insured.
Protection is provided for accidents of a degree equal to or greater than 6% of incapacity and for fatal accidents.
The degree of incapacity is assessed on the basis of the industry-sector table attached to Consolidated Text No 1124/1965.
Low-income workers are covered by a special registration scheme whereby the state pays the insurance premium on their behalf.
