Temporary work as a ski instructor

All citizens legally resident in another Member State of the European Union, the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) or Switzerland may practise their profession in Italy on a temporary and occasional basis. A person is considered to be legally established in a country when they meet all the requirements to practise their profession in that country and are not subject to any prohibition, even a temporary one, on practising that profession.

Before providing services in Italy, it is necessary to submit a prior declaration accompanied by the documentation required under Directive 2005/36/EC.

With the adoption of Resolution No. 1851 of 28 November 2025, the Provincial Executive approved the criteria and procedures for assessing the temporary nature of ski instructor services in the Province of Trento, by foreign nationals from European Union Member States.

Below is a summary of the criteria and operational procedures set out in the aforementioned resolution. For further details, please refer to the resolution itself.

For service providers from EU Member States, the temporary and occasional practice of the profession of ski instructor on a self-employed basis is permitted for those in possession of the relevant qualification and certificate of competence (CTT – Common Training Test – obtained by passing the common training test – PFC), as provided for in Delegated Regulation 907/2019.

For service providers who do not meet the necessary requirements to sit the PFC (common training test) or who have not passed the PFC, the competent authority shall, given that this activity has implications for public health and safety, carry out a preliminary verification of professional qualifications in accordance with Article 11 of Legislative Decree 206/2007, which provides that: “in the event of substantial differences between the service provider’s professional qualifications and the training required by national regulations, to the extent that such a difference is such as to jeopardise public safety or public health, and cannot be offset by the service provider’s professional experience or by knowledge, skills and competences acquired through lifelong learning, formally validated for this purpose by a competent body, the service provider may bridge these differences by passing a specific aptitude test, the costs of which shall be borne by the person concerned”.

Service providers from Member States which do not regulate the profession are required to demonstrate professional experience in accordance with the provisions of Article 9(2) of the aforementioned Legislative Decree 206/2007, namely that they have practised the profession for at least one year during the ten years preceding the provision of services, subject to verification of the qualification held. Proof of professional experience as a ski instructor may be provided, in accordance with the Code of Conduct approved by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers for the implementation of Directive 2005/36/EC, by means of: tax or social security certificates, payslips or a certificate from the employer (tax documentation attesting to the actual performance of the activity) which clearly identifies the professional activity carried out as a ski instructor.

European citizens and citizens of the Swiss Confederation and of the States party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area referred to in Law No. 300/1993, who hold professional qualifications to practise as ski instructors obtained in those States.

The availability of an online platform, in English and Italian, will enable the service provider – and only the service provider – to complete the declaration entirely online.

The prior declaration must be submitted well in advance of the start of the activity. After completing the form and attaching all the required documentation, the service provider submits the declaration and receives a confirmation of submission bearing a reference number, which must be used for any subsequent amendments to the declaration. The competent authority will inform the service provider that no preliminary checks are required, or will communicate the outcome of the check. If the declaration is found to be incomplete or irregular, the competent tourism authority will ask the service provider to supplement the documentation or may reject the declaration, requesting the submission of a new, correct and complete declaration.

Following the preliminary check, if the outcome is positive, the competent authority may authorise the ski instructor to:

• to practise the profession independently; 

or

• to practise within an Italian ski school recognised by the Autonomous Province of Trento.

In this case, the service provider must contact the relevant ski school directly.

It is advisable for the service provider to contact the relevant Italian ski school before submitting the preliminary declaration.

Should the outcome of the check be negative, the service provider may not practise the profession.

It will not be possible to submit advance declarations for the temporary and occasional practice of the profession of ski instructor via email or post, nor to supplement an incomplete or rejected declaration by sending documentation via email.

For service providers from EU Member States, the temporary and occasional practice of the profession of ski instructor on a self-employed basis is permitted for those in possession of the relevant qualification and certificate of competence (CTT – Common Training Test – obtained by passing the common training test – PFC), as provided for in Delegated Regulation 907/2019.

Where a service provider holds the highest-level qualification but does not hold the certificate of competence (CTT), or holds a ski instructor qualification that does not allow them to sit the common training test (PFC), issued by a training body listed in Annex 1 to EU Delegated Regulation No 907/2019, subject to proof of at least one year’s professional experience in the case of service providers from Member States that do not regulate the profession, such persons may make up for any gaps in their training by submitting documentation, validated by the competent body, attesting to additional skills and knowledge, including:

• professional experience exceeding one year;
• attendance at supplementary or specialisation courses demonstrating professional development;
• a declaration that they have undertaken a recognised and qualifying training programme aimed at bridging the gaps in technical and safety knowledge;
• certificates regarding training and the passing of qualification examinations in safety and first aid;
• certificates issued by recognised training bodies confirming attendance at periodic refresher courses.

The competent authority assesses, on a case-by-case basis, and also on the basis of the ski instructor qualification submitted and the relevant training programme, what further documentation attesting to additional skills and knowledge is required in order to practise the profession of ski instructor independently.

Should this shortfall not be made up by the required documentation, the service provider retains the option of making up the shortfall by passing an aptitude test.

The service provider is required to provide the recipients of the service with evidence of PROFESSIONAL INSURANCE COVER in accordance with the provisions of Article 15(f) of the aforementioned Legislative Decree 206/2007, as amended by Legislative Decree 15/2016, with effect from a date prior to the start of the activity and valid for the entire duration of the service within the province, clearly indicating the scope of their professional activities.

The following documents must be attached to the declaration of temporary and occasional practice of the profession of ski instructor:

1. a copy of a valid identity document – both the front and back of the document must be attached (Article 10(2)(a) of Legislative Decree 206/2007);
2. a copy of the training qualification – a valid membership card for the current year – both the front and back of the document must be attached (Article 10(2)(c) of Legislative Decree 206/2007), where required by the legislation of the country of establishment;
3. a document proving possession of the professional qualification (vocational diploma), authenticated by the issuing body (Article 10(2)(c) of Legislative Decree 206/2007), where required by the legislation of the country of establishment;
4. documentation certifying professional experience (compulsory for foreign service providers from Member States where the profession is not regulated), (Article 10(2)(d) of Legislative Decree 206/2007); for service providers holding a top-level qualification without a CTT or qualifications other than top-level qualifications, this must be for a period of more than one year;
5. documentation attesting to further skills and knowledge;
6. certification from the competent authority confirming that the holder is legally established in a Member State to practise as a ski instructor and that they are not prohibited from practising at the time of issue of the certificate (Article 10(2)(b) of Legislative Decree 206/2007). Where the professional card bears details proving its actual validity (validity for the current year – ‘stamp’ – and expiry date of the licence), it is not necessary to submit the above certification;
7. for licences other than the highest level, it is necessary to submit a complete and detailed record of the training programme (training hours and subjects covered – relating exclusively to the technical, practical and teaching training of ski instructors), certified by an authorised training body, as defined in Annex 1 to European Commission Delegated Regulation No 907/2019. This certificate may also be provided by the relevant training body;
8. a certificate of good conduct and pending legal proceedings, issued no more than 6 months prior to the start of employment (Article 10(2)(e) of Legislative Decree 206/2007);
9. a copy of the CTT Certificate of Competence, where available. Alternatively, a copy of the PFC-T Technical common training assessment and a copy of the PFC-S Safety common training assessment.

The documents listed above in points 4, 5, 6 and 7 must be accompanied by an official translation into Italian or English certified as a true copy of the original, drawn up by an independent translator recognised by the Member State of origin or by another EU Member State.

The time limit begins from the moment the complete application, including all the required documentation, is received; the duration varies depending on whether or not a verification of qualifications is carried out.

Within one month of receiving the complete declaration and the relevant documentation, the competent authority shall either inform the service provider that no preliminary checks are required, or notify them of the outcome of the check. If the declaration is found to be incomplete or irregular, the competent tourism authority shall request the service provider to supplement the documentation or may reject the declaration and request the submission of a new, correct and complete declaration.

Where additional documents are requested, the 30-day assessment period is suspended until the requested supplementary information has been received.

Once the 30-day period has elapsed without a decision being made by the competent authority, the service provider may proceed with the provision of services.