My wife and I live in Italy; we arrived about a year ago on a student residence permit. We’re not planning to finish our studies and want to switch to self-employment (lavoro autonomo) — my wife is a designer and I do manual work (electrical and plumbing). Is it possible for one of us to register as self-employed (lavoro autonomo) and for the other to stay here somehow through family status? And generally, I don’t understand what should come first — opening a partita IVA (VAT number) or obtaining a nulla osta (authorization)? If anyone has gone through this, please tell me how it works in practice.
About your wife — there’s a thing called familiare al seguito (accompanying family member): that’s when the main applicant has already gotten the visa and, before entering, requests a nulla osta (clearance) for family members. So first you need to set up self-employment (lavoro autonomo) for yourself, and only after that bring your wife over through family reunification. Also open a Partita IVA before applying for the residence permit (permesso di soggiorno), because without it the questura (immigration police office) won’t even listen to you.
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Thanks, that makes the procedure clearer. Can I open a partita IVA (VAT number) while my student residence permit is still valid, or do I need to convert it first?
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and here’s an important point — you can open a Partita IVA (VAT number) even with a student permit; a commercialista (accountant/tax advisor) will do that without problems. But converting the permesso (permesso di soggiorno — residence permit) from a student one to lavoro autonomo (self-employment) is tied to the Decreto Flussi (flow decree / annual work-permit quota system), and the quotas vary each year. One person said they applied outside the quotas and got refused, and had to wait for the next Decreto. So first check with the commercialista when the next quotas will open.
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When I was sorting out a partita IVA (VAT number), I ran into the fact that different accountants say completely opposite things — some set it up without any problem, others refuse flat-out. So the commercialista (tax advisor/accountant) is really the key here; not everyone approaches it the same way.
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About the chamber of commerce — first thing, ask them for the list of documents to submit. If you’re going as a self-employed professional (libera professionista), they usually want the codice fiscale (Italian tax code), a bank statement, and a couple more papers. And be prepared to show between €19,000 and €32,000 in your account, plus €8,500 for living expenses — that’s what the chamber usually wants to see. A commercialista (accountant) will pull all this together for you, but it’s better to understand in advance what they’ll require.
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By the way, since we’re talking about electrical work and plumbing — for self-employment (lavoro autonomo) as a self-employed professional (libera professionista) you need to belong to the professional association for your field. Without that they simply won’t grant a D visa, even if everything else is in order. So check with a commercialista (tax consultant/accountant) which exact albo (professional register) you need — that’s something you must find out right at the very beginning.
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With electricity and plumbing it’s a whole different story — those are licensed professions in Italy: you need local training and to obtain qualifications. You can’t just open a Partita IVA (Italian VAT number) and start working. If I were you, I’d first check with the Chamber of Commerce exactly what the requirements for abilitazione (professional authorization/licensing) are for those specialties, because without that the whole self-employment (lavoro autonomo) plan might not take off. And for your wife as a designer it’s easier — being a libera professionista (freelance/self‑employed professional) usually doesn’t require a license.
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A detailed breakdown of all options for converting a residence permit (ВНЖ) (student → work, DN → LA, family → LA) with real cases from the community:
Key path for your case: student → attesa di occupazione (1 year) → Lavoro Autonomo (by opening a Partita IVA (VAT number)). More about forfettario (flat‑rate tax regime) and P.IVA (Partita IVA):
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In fact these are two different cases and they need to be separated — your wife as a designer can go through as a self-employed freelancer (libera professionista) without a license, while electrical and plumbing work is a totally different story that requires a professional qualification/license (abilitazione). First thing I’d do is go to an accountant/tax advisor (commercialista) who’s actually worked with converting student permits, because the decreto flussi (immigration quota decree) is a lottery and the deadlines fluctuate. Then bring your wife over via family reunification (ricongiungimento), yeah.
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Basically, when it comes to electrical work here everything hinges on the abilitazione (Italian authorization/qualification), and it’s not just a piece of paper — without the Italian qualification nobody will let you near the wiring; it’s a matter of safety and insurance. If I were the author I’d seriously consider the option where the wife is the main applicant as a designer — that route is much simpler, and the husband can come later through family reunification (ricongiungimento). Because converting a student permit via the decreto flussi (the “flow decree” on work permits) plus obtaining a license for an artisan/craft trade is two quests at once, and both have unpredictable outcomes.
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oh, by the way, the option where the wife is the main applicant — that really can be easier. I went through family reunification (ricongiungimento) myself and I know the process is straightforward, just long. and having two quests in parallel with abilitazione (authorization) and decreto flussi (Decreto Flussi) honestly sounds like a recipe for a nervous breakdown) find a good commercialista (accountant/tax advisor) who specifically worked with conversions — they’re not all up to speed.