Temporarily practising as a mountain guide

All citizens legally established in another State of the European Union, the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) or Switzerland may exercise their profession in Italy on a temporary and occasional basis. You are legally established in a State when you meet all the requirements to exercise your profession in that State and you are not subject to any prohibition, even temporary, on exercising that profession. For professions that are not regulated in the country of origin, one year of professional experience during the last ten years must be demonstrated.

Before carrying out the service in Italy for the first time, a prior declaration must be sent with the documentation required by Directive 2005/36/EC attached.
This procedure includes mountain guides as Italy has joined a simplification project of the European Commission.

It should be noted that for this profession, this authority may carry out a prior check of the professional qualification before allowing temporary and occasional exercise of the profession. No later than one month after receipt of the declaration and the required documents, the service provider will be informed whether his professional qualifications will be verified. In the case of verification of qualifications, a compensatory test may be requested if there are substantial differences between the training obtained in the country of origin and that provided for by Italian legislation.

Before arranging for the test, any professional experience and/or continuous professional updating or any complementary training obtained that may compensate for the differences found will also be assessed.

This Administration will communicate the outcome of the preliminary investigation within a period that may vary from one month to four months, the period starting from the moment the application is received complete with all the required documentation; the period varies depending on whether or not the verification of qualifications is carried out.

WHAT IS ABOUT

All citizens legally established in another State of the European Union, the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) or Switzerland may exercise their profession in Italy on a temporary and occasional basis. You are legally established in a State when you meet all the requirements to exercise your profession in that State and you are not subject to any prohibition, even temporary, on exercising that profession. For professions that are not regulated in the country of origin, one year of professional experience during the last ten years must be demonstrated.

Before carrying out the service in Italy for the first time, a prior declaration must be sent with the documentation required by Directive 2005/36/EC attached.
This procedure includes mountain guides as Italy has joined a simplification project of the European Commission.

It should be noted that for this profession, this authority may carry out a prior check of the professional qualification before allowing the temporary and occasional exercise of the profession. No later than one month after receipt of the declaration and the required documents, the service provider will be informed whether his professional qualifications will be verified. In the case of verification of qualifications, a test may be requested if there are substantial differences between the training obtained in the country of origin and that provided for by Italian law.
Before arranging for the test to be taken, any professional experience and/or continuous professional updating or any complementary training obtained that may compensate for the differences found will also be assessed.

This Administration will communicate the outcome of the preliminary investigation within a period that may vary from one month to four months, the period starting from the moment the application is received, complete with all the required documentation; the period varies depending on whether or not the verification of qualifications is carried out.

Citizens of Member States of the European Union, of the Swiss Confederation and of the States adhering to the Agreement on the European Economic Area pursuant to Law 300/1993, who hold professional qualifications for the exercise of the activity of mountain guide obtained in these States.

Mountain guides who have obtained their professional qualification in a country outside the European Union and wish to exercise their activity in Italy must apply for recognition of their professional qualification in accordance with the ordinary procedure (practising as a mountain guide on a permanent basis) using, exclusively, the forms available on this site, to be sent to the following e-mail address serv.turismo@pec.provincia.tn.it

Who can apply?

European citizens and nationals of the Swiss Confederation and of the States parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area referred to in Law No. 300/1993, who hold professional qualifications obtained in those states for practicing as a mid-mountain guide.

Mountain guides who earned their professional qualification in a non-European Union country and intend to work in Italy must request recognition of their professional title. This follows the ordinary procedure for mountain guides under the establishment regime and requires the exclusive use of the forms provided on this website to be sent to: serv.turismo@pec.provincia.tn.it.

Submit the prior declaration for the temporary and occasional exercise of the profession of mountain guide to the competent provincial tourism service using the appropriate form and sending it by email to 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 mountain guides. 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 18 months in the case of temporary mobility.

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

Access the service

Submit the application to temporarily practice the profession of mountain guide to the provincial tourism service via email to serv.turismo@pec.provincia.tn.it.

Alternatively, it is possible to use the IMI electronic platform (for citizens of the European Union): on January 18, 2016, the"European Professional Card" (EPC) came into force for certain professions, including that of Mountain Guide. The procedure concerns both Italian Mountain Guides who intend to practice the profession in another EU country and European Mountain Guides who wish to practice the profession in Italy.

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

The card is not a "physical card" but an electronic procedure that simplifies the recognition of the professional qualification, reducing both time and bureaucratic burdens. It takes the form of an electronic certificate that confirms that the professional has completed all the procedures to obtain recognition of their professional qualification in the host country.

The recognition procedure takes place through IMI, the Internal Market Information System, which facilitates communication between the national regulatory authorities for professions.

The card is valid indefinitely in the case of long-term transfer (establishment), and for 18 months in the case of temporary mobility.

To apply for the European Professional Card, the professional must connect to the ECAS website, the European Commission's authentication service, and follow the procedure.

In cases where the profession is not regulated in the State of establishment, documentation attesting to the professional experience (tax, social security, payroll or employer's certification translated into Italian or English) must be submitted in addition to the above documentation.

Particular cases

If the profession is not regulated in the state of establishment, in addition to the documentation listed above, proof of professional experience must be submitted (tax certification, social security records, pay cheques or employer certification translated into Italian or English).

If you do not use the IMI electronic platform, you must submit the application, to which the following documents must be attached

1. the privacy policy ex art 13 and 14 of the EU Regulation n 679/2016 duly signed by the provider;
2. copy of a validpersonal identity document.

In addition, the following documentation must be accompanied by a certified Italian translation prepared by a third-party translator recognised by the Member State of origin or by another State of the Union

1. certificationfrom the competent authority stating that the holder is legally established in a Member State to exercise the activity of mountain guide and that he is not prohibited from doing so at the time the certificate is issued
2. copy of the training diploma obtained
3. copy of thevalid professional membership card for the relevant season;
4. copy of the validUIAGM professional membership card;
5. copy of the validprofessional insurance policy covering the risks deriving from the carrying out of the profession of mountain guide, with an indication of the maximum limits, the amount of which must guarantee adequate insurance cover for the period of activity in the province
6. certification of criminal record and pending charges (date of issue not earlier than six months);
7. a declaration by the service providerthat he/she has the necessary language skills to exercise the profession in the host Member State (Italian language), duly signed by the service provider (mountain guide).

What is needed

Documentation to be submitted

If the IMI electronic platform is not used, the application must be submitted with the following documentation:

1. privacy notice pursuant to Articles 13 and 14 of EU Regulation No. 679 of 2016, duly signed;
2. copy of a valid identity document.

In addition, the following documentation must be attached and accompanied by an official translation into Italian certified by a third-party translator recognized by the Member State of origin or by another State of the Union:

1. certificate from the competent authority attesting that the holder is legally established in a Member State to practice the activity of a mountain guide and that they are not prohibited from practicing it at the time of the certificate's issuance;
2. copy of the training diploma obtained;
3. copy of a valid professional card for the current season;
4. copy of a valid UIAGM professional card;
5. copy of a valid professional insurance policy covering risks arising from the practice of the mountain guide profession, specifying the maximums, the amount of which must guarantee adequate insurance coverage for the period of activity in the provincial territory;
6. criminal record certificate and pending charges (date of issue not older than six months);
7. declaration from the service provider stating they have the necessary language skills to practice the profession in the host Member State (Italian language), duly signed by the provider (mountain guide).

STEPS:

1. Submission of application
2. Assessment of qualifications by the provincial department responsible for tourism (with reference to the Italian training standards drawn up by the National College of Mountain Guides, which conform to the UIAGM training standards)
3. Communication of approval of the temporary exercise by the provincial tourism service or of any refusal