Practising permanently as a mountain guide

The stable exercise of the profession in the Province of Trento by foreign mountain guides is subject to a professional recognition procedure carried out by the provincial structure responsible for tourism on the basis of the assessment of professional qualifications acquired abroad.

The stable exercise of the profession is considered to be the activity carried out by a mountain guide who has an address, including a seasonal one, in the Province of Trento or who offers their services to clients in the territory of the province.

The stable exercise of the profession is also permitted subject to registration in theprofessional register of mountain guides, held by the Provincial College of Mountain Guides.

Nationals from Member States of the European Union, the Swiss Confederation and the States party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area referred to in Law 300/1993 who hold professional qualifications for the exercise of the activity of mountain guide or aspiring mountain guide obtained in those States.

Foreign nationals from States other than those indicated above and in possession of professional qualifications for the exercise of the activity of mountain guide obtained in those States.

Submit an application for recognition of the title of mountain guide to the provincial tourism service at serv.turismo@pec.provincia.tn.it

As an alternative to the above, it is possible to use the IMI electronic platform (for citizens of European Union Member States): On 18 January 2016, the"European Professional Card" (EPC) came into force for some professions, including that of Mountain Guide. The procedure concerns both Italian Mountain Guides wishing to exercise their profession in another EU country and European Mountain Guides wishing to exercise their profession in Italy.

The purpose of the procedure is to make it easier to transfer the activity, even if only temporarily, to another EU country.

The card is not a 'physical card' but an electronic procedure that simplifies the recognition of the professional title held by reducing both time and bureaucracy. It takes the form of an electronic certificate attesting that the professional has gone through all the procedures to obtain recognition of the professional qualification in the host country.

The recognition procedure is carried out through IMI, the Internal Market Information System, which facilitates communication between national professional regulatory authorities.

The card is valid indefinitely in the case of long-term transfer (establishment), for 12 months in the case of temporary mobility.

To apply for a European Professional Card, the professional must go to theECAS website, the European Commission's authentication service, and follow the procedure indicated.

In case you do not use the IMI electronic platform, you must submit the application with:

1. privacy policy pursuant to Articles 13 and 14 of EU Regulation No. 679 of 2016, duly signed,
2. copy of membership card (Association/Federation)
3. copy of valididentity document
4. copy of membership card of UIAGM(Union Internationale des associations de guides de Montagnes).

In addition, the following documents must be attached, accompanied by an authenticated Italian translation drafted by a third-party translator recognised by the Member State of origin or by another State of the Union

1. copy of the professional diploma obtained
2. certificate issued by the authority competent to issue the foreign qualification held, designated pursuant to the legislative, regulatory or administrative provisions of that State, containing the complete programme of the training courses attended specifying the days, hours, subjects;
3. adeclaration issued by the authority competent to issue the foreign qualification held, designated in accordance with the legislative, regulatory or administrative provisions of that State, containing the schedule of examinations taken;
4. certification of criminal record and pending charges (date of issue not less than six months old);
5. copy of valid professional liability insurance against third parties in the exercise of the profession of mountain guide;
6. declaration by the service providerthat they have the necessary linguistic knowledge to exercise the profession in the host Member State (Italian language) duly signed by the service provider (mountain guide)
7. certification of any temporary exercise of the profession of mountain guide

The maximum waiting time is 120.

Stages of the procedure

1. Submission of application
2. Evaluation of qualifications within the framework of the Services Conference specifically convened for this purpose
3. Determination by the Provincial Manager responsible for tourism of the recognition under the establishment system of the Alpine Guide qualification acquired abroad.