Last updated on 8 September 2021
Teachers who have obtained a teaching qualification in ITALY and wish to pursue their activity abroad must apply for a certificate of professional qualification as a teacher in accordance with Directive 2013/55/EU at the Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR) Directorate General for Educational Regulations and the Evaluation of the National Education and Training System – Office VIII.
Pursuant to Directive 2013/55/EU, implemented in Italy by Legislative Decree No 15 of 28 January 2016, it is possible to apply for a certificate for your qualification for the profession as a:
- nursery school teacher;
- primary school teacher;
- lower secondary school teacher;
- upper secondary school teacher.
An application must be submitted using the downloadable form and sent by post with a standard revenue stamp and the required documentation.
Applications and the related documentation may not be submitted online.
The national competent authorities, identified at Article 5 of the Legislative Decree, will ensure, at the request of the person concerned, that the administrative procedures necessary to authorise the professional to gain access to and pursue that profession are put in place.
The professional recognition procedure provides for a comparison between training and professional pathways provided for in the host state and those in the state of origin, based on the levels of qualification provided for in Article 11 of Directive 2013/55/UE, in application of the current Article 53 (ex Article 47) of the Treaty on European Union as described by Article 19 of Legislative Decree 206/07, graded based on the existing training structure.
The Directive establishes that the competent authority of the host Member State may not refuse to recognise the professional qualification of a citizen from another EU country if classified at the same level as the qualification required in the national territory or at the level immediately below.
The placement of a regulated profession at a certain level is determined by the national rules governing the access to that particular profession. In addition, the Directive (Article 12) introduced the concept of 'equal treatment of a qualification', in order to take into account both possible training that does not fall within the five levels provided for, but that may be considered equivalent to one of these levels, and any legislative amendments at national level.
If, for example, a formal qualification issued by a competent authority of a Member State certifies successful completion of training obtained in the Community and is recognised by that Member State as being of a level equivalent to that referred to in Article 11, that qualification can be considered equivalent.
Certificate of professional qualification as an educator
Legislative Decree No 65 of 13 April 2017 and Ministerial Decree No 378 of 9 May 2018 regulate the requirements for exercising the profession of early years educator.