Foreign securities: an end to automatic blocking

The Lazio Regional Administrative Court (judgement 11829/2026) has set a clear limit for the Ministry: applications for the recognition of teaching qualifications obtained in Romania cannot be automatically rejected simply because a document is missing. According to the administrative judges, a ‘no’ cannot be based on bureaucratic grounds alone. First, one must properly examine the teacher’s educational background, analyse what they have studied, what they have done, and what skills they have acquired; only then should one assess whether all this is truly equivalent to what is required in Italia.

The decision stems from an appeal lodged by a teacher who had been refused recognition of her teaching qualification because she had not attached the so-called ‘Adeverinta ministeriale’ – the certificate issued by the Romanian authorities specifying the subject she is authorised to teach and the age group of her pupils. The Ministry considered that document essential for assessing her application. The Regional Administrative Court, however, took a different approach. Referring to European legislation on the recognition of professional qualifications, the judges pointed out that the aim is to facilitate the free movement of professionals within the European Union, avoiding unjustified bureaucratic obstacles. For this reason, the mere absence of the “Adeverinta” is not sufficient grounds to conclude the proceedings with a refusal.

The Ministry must analyse all the qualifications submitted, compare the training undertaken abroad with that required in Italia and, if differences emerge, assess whether compensatory measures – such as a work placement or an aptitude test – might be applied, rather than rejecting the application without further verification. According to the Rome Administrative Court, the administration had requested additional documentation with considerable delay and had then concluded the proceedings rapidly without a proper assessment of the applicant’s professional background. The message of the judgement is clear: automatic procedures and formalities must not take precedence when recognising foreign qualifications.