Dismissed in Italy: What to Do Immediately and How to Challenge It Within 60 Days

In a nutshell

When you receive a dismissal letter, the most important deadline is 60 days: by that date you must formally challenge the dismissal in writing, or you lose all your rights. The challenge is simply a letter stating that you reject the dismissal — a union or a Patronato (free union-run office that helps with employment and social-security paperwork) will draft it for you at no cost. In parallel, within 68 days of your last working day, you must apply for NASPI (Italy's unemployment benefit) from INPS (Italy's social-security agency): every type of dismissal entitles you to this benefit.

At a glance

Cost	Out-of-court challenge: free with a union or Patronato. Labour Court claim: court fee €43–€518 + lawyer (legal aid available if household taxable income ≤ €12,838.01)
Timeline	60 days to challenge dismissal (strict, non-extendable); then 180 days to go to court or attempt conciliation; 68 days to apply for NASPi
Where in Rome	Unions (CGIL, CISL, UIL, USB), Patronato offices (ACLI, INCA, ITAL, INAS), ITL Roma Via De Lollis 6, Labour Court Viale Giulio Cesare 54/B
Documents	Dismissal letter, employment contract, last 6 pay slips, any prior disciplinary notices, photo ID and Codice Fiscale (Italian tax ID)

The first few days: act immediately

When you receive the letter, note the exact date you received it: that is day zero of the 60-day countdown. Keep the original letter together with the envelope or delivery receipt.

In the first few days, do not sign anything your employer puts in front of you — no settlement agreements, no "full and final" receipts, no conciliation records. Get advice first.

Go right away — within a week — to a union (CGIL, CISL, UIL, USB, or your sector union) or a Patronato office (ACLI, INCA, ITAL, INAS): all of them provide free assistance. Bring the dismissal letter, your contract, your last six pay slips, your photo ID and Codice Fiscale, any disciplinary notices you received in the past, and any relevant messages or emails from your employer.

How to challenge within 60 days

The challenge is a written statement that essentially says: I contest my dismissal dated [date], I consider it unlawful, and I reserve all legal remedies. You do not need a lawyer to write it — unions have ready-made templates.

You can send it by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt (raccomandata A/R) or by PEC (certified email — legally valid in Italy), or deliver it in person with a signed receipt. It can be signed by you directly, by your authorised union representative, or by a lawyer.

Once you have sent the challenge, you have 180 days to choose between two routes: bring the case before the Labour Court, or attempt conciliation at the conciliation commission of the ITL Roma (Ispettorato Territoriale del Lavoro — the local labour inspectorate) at Via De Lollis 6, at a union office, or at a university certification commission. If an agreement is reached, the conciliation record has the force of an enforceable court order and cannot be challenged further.

What the law says about your case

The outcome depends on three factors: the type of dismissal, the number of employees in your company, and your hiring date.

If you were hired before 7 March 2015 in a company with more than 15 employees, Article 18 of the Workers' Statute (Legge 300/1970) applies: for dismissal without just cause (giusta causa) or justified objective reason (giustificato motivo), you can obtain reinstatement (with up to 12 months' back pay) or compensation of between 12 and 24 months' salary. Null-and-void dismissals — those during maternity, discriminatory ones, verbal dismissals, or dismissals without written reasons — always entitle you to mandatory reinstatement plus full compensation for all lost pay.

If you were hired after 7 March 2015, the tutele crescenti (rising-protection) rules of D.Lgs. 23/2015 apply: for an unlawful dismissal you receive compensation of 2 months' salary per year of service, with a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 36 months (criteria adjusted by Constitutional Court ruling 194/2018). Reinstatement is reserved only for null-and-void dismissals. In companies with fewer than 15 employees, amounts are halved.

Every dismissal must be in writing, with a specific stated reason, an effective date, and the employer's signature. If any of these elements is missing, the dismissal can already be challenged on procedural grounds.

Going to the Labour Court in Rome

If conciliation fails, the next step is a claim to the Labour Court (Giudice del Lavoro) within 180 days of the initial challenge. For claims above €1,100 you need a lawyer. The Tribunale del Lavoro di Roma is at Viale Giulio Cesare 54/B, 00192 Roma — tel. 06 322671 — registry open Mon–Fri 9:00–13:00.

If your household taxable income is at or below €12,838.01 (2026 threshold) you are entitled to gratuito patrocinio (legal aid): a state-funded lawyer. Details on the Ministero della Giustizia website.

Mistakes to avoid

1. Waiting too long. The 60 days run from when you receive the letter — not from when you feel ready or when you find a lawyer. Contact a union or Patronato immediately, if only to protect the deadline.
2. Signing informal agreements. Settlements made "in the corridor" or by phone — "I'll pay you €5,000 and you sign that everything is settled" — have no legal weight unless they take place in a protected setting (ITL, union office, court, or certification commission).
3. Resigning after the dismissal. If you sign a resignation, you lose your right to NASPi and all claims against the dismissal. Never do this, even under pressure.

Special cases

Dismissal during maternity: always null and void from the start of pregnancy until the child's first birthday. The same protection applies to fathers during mandatory paternity leave. Entitles you to automatic reinstatement plus full compensation.

Dismissal during sick leave: a medically certified illness suspends dismissal on objective grounds. Dismissal for just cause is only valid if the contested behaviour is unrelated to the illness.

You are a foreign national on a work-based residence permit: dismissal does not automatically mean losing your permit. If you register with the Centro per l'Impiego (public employment centre) and receive NASPi, you are entitled to a job-search residence permit (permesso per attesa occupazione) valid for at least one year.

Oral dismissal or dismissal by WhatsApp: null and void. Written form is mandatory. Show up for work the following day to demonstrate your availability, then challenge the dismissal.

Official sources

• Ministero del Lavoro — Focus on Dismissals
• Ispettorato del Lavoro — Single conciliation
• INPS — NASPi unemployment benefit
• Tribunale di Roma — Labour Section
• Ministero della Giustizia — Legal aid

Legal references: Legge 604/1966, Legge 300/1970 art. 18, Legge 92/2012, D.Lgs. 23/2015, Legge 223/1991, Codice Civile artt. 2118–2119, Codice di Procedura Civile artt. 409–412 ter, Corte Costituzionale 194/2018.