In short
The EU Blue Card is Italy's route for highly qualified non-EU workers and operates outside the Decreto Flussi quota system. It requires istruzione superiore di livello terziario di almeno 3 anni or, for ICT managers and specialists, 3 anni nei 7 anni precedenti, a contract of at least 6 mesi and a gross annual salary of no less than € 36.278,51.
The structural advantage
The Blue Card's value to an employer is not a lighter procedure — it is predictability. The quota route requires aligning with a government calendar: a pre-filing window, a single submission day, and competition with every other Italian company. The outcome depends in part on factors outside the company.
The Blue Card has no quota and no window. The application is filed when the role needs filling. For a company that must have someone in post by a given date, that difference outweighs everything else.
The 2023 reform widened access
Legislative Decree 152/2023, implementing Directive (EU) 2021/1883, changed two things that matter in practice.
It cut the minimum contract duration to 6 mesi, down from twelve months. And it introduced an alternative route based on professional experience for ICT managers and specialists in ISCO-08 groups 133 and 25: 3 anni nei 7 anni precedenti replaces the degree requirement.
That second change is the least known and the most useful. A substantial number of technical profiles that appear to be excluded for lack of a degree qualify through it.
The salary threshold needs checking every time
The threshold is indexed to the average gross annual salary recorded by ISTAT and is revised periodically. Sources available online report figures between roughly €33,500 and €36,300 depending on when they were updated. We currently record € 36.278,51.
The value that counts is the one in force on the date the application is filed at the immigration office. Formalising an offer to a candidate on the basis of a superseded threshold creates a concrete risk: the application is refused and the commitment to the person remains. This is a check to run before every offer, not once a year.
A medium-term advantage
The Blue Card also offers more favourable terms for the worker's subsequent path. For EU long-term residence the requirement is 5 anni nell'UE, di cui almeno 2 con Carta Blu, with the possibility of counting periods spent in other EU member states.
For a company investing in bringing in a qualified professional, the stability of that person's status over the medium term is a real consideration: it reduces the risk of having to repeat the whole exercise.
The figures cited on this page
Every amount, threshold and deadline comes from our public register of legal parameters, each recorded with its legal reference and the date we last checked it. When a value changes, this page changes with it.
| Parameter | Value | Legal reference | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Titolo di studio richiesto per la Carta Blu UE | istruzione superiore di livello terziario di almeno 3 anni | Art. 27-quater D.Lgs. 286/1998 | |
| Esperienza professionale alternativa per dirigenti e specialisti ICT | 3 anni nei 7 anni precedenti | Art. 27-quater D.Lgs. 286/1998, come modificato dal D.Lgs. 152/2023 | |
| Durata minima del contratto o dell'offerta vincolante | 6 mesi | Art. 27-quater D.Lgs. 286/1998, come modificato dal D.Lgs. 152/2023 | |
| Soglia retributiva annua lorda per la Carta Blu UE | € 36.278,51 | Art. 27-quater D.Lgs. 286/1998, come modificato dal D.Lgs. 18 ottobre 2023, n. 152 | |
| Anni nell'UE per il lungo periodo da titolare di Carta Blu | 5 anni nell'UE, di cui almeno 2 con Carta Blu | Artt. 9-bis e 9-ter D.Lgs. 286/1998 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the EU Blue Card salary threshold in Italy?
Can someone without a degree qualify?
Is the EU Blue Card subject to quotas?
How long does a Blue Card application take?
Professional scope. Italy Immigration Hub is an administrative consultancy, not a law firm, and does not carry out activities reserved to members of the Italian Bar. Legal advice on disputes, court filings and representation before judicial authorities are handled by qualified lawyers we work with, instructed directly by the client. We are a private, independent operator with no affiliation to Italian public authorities, and the outcome and timing of any procedure depend on the competent authority. Legal notice (Italian).
Related pages in English
Full procedural detail in Italian
The Italian pages carry the complete document lists, cost breakdowns, step-by-step procedures and the mistakes that most often cause refusals.