How to Resign in Italy: The Online Resignation Portal Explained

In a nutshell

Online resignation (dimissioni telematiche) is the only legally valid way to quit an employed job in Italy. Since March 2016, a signed letter or a verbal notice has no legal effect whatsoever. You must submit the form online at servizi.lavoro.gov.it using SPID (Italy's digital identity system for accessing online public services), CIE (the Italian electronic ID card), or CNS (the national services card). The service is free, and you have 7 days to change your mind.

At a glance

Cost	Free, regardless of how you submit
Timeline	5–10 minutes online; takes effect from the date you enter in the form, after your notice period has been worked
Where in Rome	Online, on your own; or through a Patronato (ACLI, INCA, ITAL, INAS — all free), a union, or an employment consultant
Documents	SPID level 2 / CIE 3.0 / CNS, your employer's details, the mandatory-communication code from your UNILAV (the standard employment notification form)

How the online process works

Go to servizi.lavoro.gov.it and log in with SPID level 2, CIE, or CNS. Click "Nuova comunicazione" in the Dimissioni Volontarie section and fill in the form. Your personal details are pre-populated; you will need to enter your employer's details (company name, tax code, PEC address), the terms of your contract (contract type, start date, collective bargaining agreement, job title), and the Codice Comunicazione Obbligatoria — the reference number on the UNILAV form you received when you were hired.

Choose the type of termination — standard resignation, mutual agreement, or revocation — and set the effective date: that is your last day of work, after you have worked out the notice period required by your collective bargaining agreement (CCNL). Hit "Invia" and the system generates a digitally signed PDF with a unique reference number, which it sends automatically to your employer and to the competent local labour inspectorate (Ispettorato Territoriale del Lavoro, ITL).

If you don't have SPID or would rather not go through it alone, any Patronato (free union-run assistance office — ACLI, INCA-CGIL, ITAL-UIL, INAS-CISL) will handle it at no charge. So will a union, an employment consultant (consulente del lavoro), or a labour lawyer. Alternatively you can call the INL contact centre on freephone 800 196 196 (Mon–Fri 8:00–18:00) and an operator will submit the form on your behalf.

Notice periods: how many days do you owe?

Notice depends on your CCNL (the collective bargaining agreement that covers your sector) and your length of service. Some rough benchmarks: in retail (Confcommercio) notice ranges from 20 to 60 days for blue-collar and white-collar workers; in the manufacturing/engineering sector it runs from 15 to 30 days. In many contracts the notice period starts on either the 1st or the 16th of the month — check your specific CCNL.

If you fail to work the full notice period, your employer can deduct an indennità di mancato preavviso (payment in lieu of notice) from your final pay packet — equivalent to the salary you would have earned during the days you didn't work.

There is one important exception: if you resign for just cause (giusta causa) — for example because your employer has stopped paying your salary, has failed to pay INPS (Italy's social-security agency) contributions on your behalf, has subjected you to mobbing, or has materially worsened your working conditions — you are not obliged to give notice. In that case you are also entitled to receive payment in lieu of notice yourself, and crucially, you can claim NASpI (Italy's unemployment benefit). Before ticking "giusta causa" on the form, though, consult a union or a lawyer: just cause must be fully documented.

The 7-day cooling-off window

You have 7 calendar days from submitting the form to withdraw your resignation. Go back to servizi.lavoro.gov.it, find the communication you sent, and click "Revoca". Submit with your SPID/CIE/CNS. The resignation is cancelled as if it never happened — your employment continues normally and your employer is legally required to take you back.

During those 7 days you carry on working as usual. The deadline is absolute: if you have second thoughts on day eight, there is nothing more you can do.

Who is exempt from the online process

Not every employee has to use the portal. The following are excluded:

• Domestic workers (housekeepers, live-in carers, babysitters): a written letter sent by registered post is sufficient, under the Domestic Workers CCNL.
• Public-sector employees: use your organisation's internal procedure.
• Resignations during a probationary period: no particular form required.
• Mothers or fathers within the first year of the child's life (or within the first three years of an adoption): resignation requires mandatory validation by the local labour inspectorate (ITL), not the online portal.

For ITL validation in Rome: Ispettorato Territoriale del Lavoro, Via Cesare De Lollis 6, 00185 Roma — tel. 06 4416 1 — email: itl.roma@ispettorato.gov.it — public counter (sportello URP): Mon–Fri 9:00–12:00, Tue–Thu also 14:30–16:30.

Mistakes to avoid

1. Signing a paper resignation letter. Since 2016 it has no legal value at all. If your employer asks you to sign one "as a formality", refuse and report it to the labour inspectorate.
2. Leaving without calculating your notice period. Walking out without working the required notice days means your employer can withhold a significant chunk of your final pay.
3. Claiming just cause without evidence. If your employer challenges it in court and you have no documentation, you lose your right to NASpI and to payment in lieu of notice. Get advice first.

Special cases

You are on sick leave: you can resign normally. The notice period is suspended for the duration of certified sick leave and resumes when you recover. If you want, you can enter an effective date after your expected return to health.

You have more than one employer: you must submit a separate form for each employment relationship. Each resignation is independent.

You can't log in with SPID: check that you have SPID level 2 (the one that uses a one-time password). If you only have level 1, contact your identity provider (Poste Italiane, Aruba, InfoCert, etc.) to upgrade for free.

You work off the books (in nero): the online form doesn't apply because there is no registered employment relationship. Contact a union or the labour inspectorate to have the relationship formally recognised so you can recover your unpaid TFR (severance pay accrued during employment in Italy) and social-security contributions.

Official sources

• Ministero del Lavoro — Voluntary Resignation
• servizi.lavoro.gov.it (SPID/CIE/CNS login)
• Ministero del Lavoro — Focus on Voluntary Resignations
• Ispettorato Nazionale del Lavoro — Online Resignations
• INPS — Voluntary Resignation information sheet

Legal references: D.Lgs. 151/2015 art. 26, DM 15/12/2015, DM 4/2/2022, Codice Civile arts. 2118–2119.