Is EOR Legal in Italy? It’s Illegal, Except in One Case

Last updated: 29 October 2026 · Written by the Peoitaly team, a Ministry-licensed Employer of Record in Italy.

Is EOR legal in Italy? Many articles say an Employer of Record “cannot be used in Italy”. Others say it is perfectly legal. Both are half right. In Italy, the EOR model is forbidden as a general rule and allowed in one specific case: when the provider holds an authorisation from the Italian Ministry of Labour to supply workers, and is listed in the Ministry’s official register.

This guide explains why the rule exists, how to check a provider in a few minutes, and what happens to your company if you skip the check.

Is EOR legal in Italy by default? Why the answer is no

An Employer of Record is the employer on paper: it signs the employment contract, runs payroll and pays contributions. The employee, however, works for you, under your direction and control.

Italian law has a name for this: labour supply (somministrazione di lavoro), sometimes called staff leasing. Supplying workers who work under another company’s direction is reserved to agencies authorised by the Ministry of Labour. Anyone else doing it is carrying out unlawful labour supply, whatever the service is called in the sales deck: EOR, PEO, “global employment” or “payroll only”. Source: Legislative Decree 276/2003, Articles 4–5

In Italy the question is not “is EOR legal?” but “is this provider licensed?”.

When is EOR legal in Italy? The one exception: a Ministry licence

An EOR arrangement is lawful when the company that employs your staff is an employment agency authorised for labour supply and entered in the Albo informatico delle Agenzie per il lavoro, the online register kept by the Ministry of Labour.

Not every section of the register is enough. To employ people on your behalf, the agency must be registered for Somministrazione di lavoro, of the generalista or specialista type. Sections such as Ricerca e selezione (recruitment) or Intermediazione (placement) do not allow a company to act as the employer of workers who work for you.

Peoitaly is registered in Section II of the register, Somministrazione di lavoro di tipo specialista (D.D. n. 7 of 07/01/2026), and in Section IV, Ricerca e selezione del personale (D.D. n. 601 of 18/12/2025).

How to check a provider in 3 minutes

The register is public and free: no login, no account, no fees. All you need is the provider’s Italian company name or tax code.

1. Open the register at politicheattive.lavoro.gov.it/albi-informatici and click Consultazione Albo.
2. Type the provider’s Italian company name in Ragione sociale, or its tax code in Codice fiscale / Partita IVA, then click Filtra.
3. Read the result. Stato (status) must read In corso di validità (valid). Sezione must be Somministrazione di lavoro.
4. Check that the name and tax code in the register match the company that signs your contract.

No result for the provider’s name? Then that company is not authorised to supply workers in Italy, whatever its website says.

What about global EOR platforms?

Many global EOR platforms do not employ people directly in Italy: they subcontract to a local company. That can be lawful, but only if that local company is itself in the register for labour supply and you contract directly with it.

If the contract is signed by the platform’s parent company abroad, or the Italian employer is an unnamed “local partner”, ask for its name and tax code and check it in the register in the same way. More on this in why global EOR platforms work through local partners in Italy.

What does your company risk with an unlicensed provider?

Using an unlicensed provider is an offence for the provider and for the company that uses the workers. Since March 2024 it is again punished under criminal law, not only with administrative fines. Source: Decree-Law 19/2024, Article 29, amending Legislative Decree 276/2003, Article 18

• Criminal liability for your company. Arrest or a fine calculated per worker and per working day, from a minimum of €5,000 up to €50,000, increased by 20% for repeat offences within three years.
• The worker can become your employee. A worker supplied unlawfully can ask an Italian labour court to recognise an employment relationship directly with your company, from day one. Source: Legislative Decree 81/2015, Article 38
• Unpaid salary and contributions. Your company can be held liable for salary, social security contributions and severance pay (TFR) that the provider failed to pay.
• Heavier penalties if the aim was to avoid the rules. When the set-up is designed to get around mandatory law or the collective agreement, an aggravating circumstance applies.

A lower fee from an unlicensed provider does not remove the legal risk. It moves it onto you.

Six questions to ask any provider

A licensed provider can answer all of them in a single email.

What does a lawful EOR contract look like?

A lawful arrangement involves three parties and two contracts:

• a commercial labour supply contract between the authorised agency and your company, in writing and stating the agency’s authorisation;
• an employment contract between the agency and the employee, which names your company as the user and describes the assignment.

Your company directs the employee’s daily work. The agency is the employer: it pays salary and contributions, applies the collective agreement and handles disciplinary matters. The employee must receive overall pay and conditions no worse than those of your own employees doing the same job.

If the labour supply contract is not in writing, it is void and the worker is considered your employee. Source: Legislative Decree 81/2015, Articles 33–38

Frequently asked questions

This article provides general information as of October 2026 and is not legal advice. For your specific case, consult a labour lawyer or consulente del lavoro.