Household staff for families in Italy, selected in Spain
Milan, Rome, Tuscany, Lake Como and Sardinia
Live-in housekeepers, butlers, domestic couples and nannies for families in Rome's Olgiata and Parioli, Milan's Brera and Magenta, Tuscan estates, Como villas and the Costa Smeralda. Italy has a long tradition of live-in staff and a contract that spells everything out; we explain the colf contract and the permits before you start.
- Placement agency licensed by the SNE, no. 1300000318
- 4.8 · 79 Google reviews
- One-off fee · 6-month guarantee
Why Italian and international families in Italy hire through a Spanish agency
Italy has a deep tradition of live-in staff, the colf and the badante, and a national collective agreement that regulates it in detail. What Italian families and the international families living there tell us is that experienced, formal live-in staff has become hard to find locally, and that a Spanish or Filipino housekeeper trained in a Madrid or Marbella household brings a standard of service they recognise. The languages are close enough that a Spanish speaker is comfortable in Italian within months.
Most of the Italian requests we handle come from Rome — Olgiata, Parioli and the Appia Antica — and from Milan, where the larger homes often want a housekeeper and a butler working side by side. Requests from Tuscany, Lake Como and Sardinia are mostly for couples: an estate near Siena, a villa on the lake used in summer, a house on the Costa Smeralda that opens in June. They ask for staff who can live on the property and keep it when the family is away.
Italy is also where the legal frame is clearest for a live-in role: a written contract under the CCNL lavoro domestico, INPS registration by the family, published minimum pay by level, and, for a non-EU candidate, a dedicated quota for domestic work in the decreto flussi. We know the categories and we tell you which one your hire falls into.
Milan, Rome, Tuscany, Lake Como and Sardinia
Two cities where families live all year and three regions of second homes that need staff on the property.
Milan
Brera, Magenta, the Quadrilatero and the villas of San Siro and the Monza hinterland. Milanese families are executives and founders who want a formal, English-speaking housekeeper and, in the larger homes, a butler or house manager. In the largest of those homes the two roles are often filled at the same time.
Rome
Olgiata, Parioli, the Appia Antica and the EUR villas, plus the diplomatic community around the Vatican and the embassies. Rome is where most of our Italian families are: live-in housekeepers for large houses with gardens, often for Spanish, Latin American or international families who want Spanish at home.
Tuscany
Estates around Siena, Florence and the Chianti, restored farmhouses with vineyards, pools and guest houses. The request is almost always a domestic couple, the coppia di custodi, who lives on the estate all year, keeps the house and grounds and welcomes the family and its guests.
Lake Como
Villas in Cernobbio, Moltrasio, Bellagio and Tremezzo, many used from May to October and some all year. Owners ask for a couple or a housekeeper living on the property, a boat-capable houseman is a plus, and for a cook during the weeks the family is in residence.
Sardinia
The Costa Smeralda, Porto Cervo and Porto Rotondo: houses that open in June, run at full stretch in July and August and close in September. Seasonal staff who travel from the family's main home, or a caretaker couple all year with extra staff in summer, is the usual arrangement.
The profiles families in Italy ask us for
Housekeepers in Rome and Milan, couples for estates and lake or coast villas, and a butler where the house is run formally.
Live-in housekeeper (colf convivente)
Runs the house and laundry, cooks for the family; Spanish speakers adapt to Italian quickly, and many families want Spanish with the children.
Domestic couple (coppia di custodi)
Tuscany, Como and Sardinia: housekeeper and houseman living on the estate, keeping house, grounds and pool all year.
Butler
Formal service for Milan and Rome homes that entertain; in the largest houses a butler and a housekeeper work side by side.
Live-in nanny
Spanish- or English-speaking nannies for international families in Rome and Milan, with first aid and school experience.
Permits, the colf contract and rules for household staff in Italy
Italy regulates domestic work through a national collective agreement (CCNL lavoro domestico) and, for non-EU workers, through annual quotas. EU candidates need no permit.
EU candidates: free movement, registration after three months
A Spanish, Portuguese or other EU candidate takes up the job with her passport; after three months she registers her residence with the comune (iscrizione anagrafica) with the employment contract. No quota, no nulla osta.
Non-EU candidates: the decreto flussi quota for domestic work
A third-country national outside Italy can only be hired within the annual quotas of the decreto flussi. The DPCM of 2 October 2025 (Gazzetta Ufficiale no. 240 of 15 October 2025) programmes entries for 2026-2028 and reserves a specific quota for family assistance, that is domestic work relationships; requests for the nulla osta opened on 18 February 2026 and remain open until 31 December 2026 subject to quota availability, with no restriction by country of origin for this category. The family applies to the Sportello Unico of the prefecture; a Filipino candidate resident in Spain would need this route, so timing and quota decide.
The colf contract, INPS and minimum pay
The employment relationship follows the CCNL lavoro domestico: a written contract with level, hours, rest and the live-in arrangement, and registration of the family as employer with INPS by the day before the start. The 2026 minimum pay tables, agreed on 11 February 2026 with effect from 1 January 2026, set monthly minima for live-in staff by level (from about €908 at level A to about €1,475 at level DS per sector tables). On top of that come the board and lodging allowances, the thirteenth month and severance (TFR).
Who employs, and under which law
The employer is the family, in the country where the home is. We are a placement agency: we select and present, we are neither the employer nor a temp agency, so the Posting of Workers Directive (written for companies) does not apply. The contract is governed by the law of the place where the work is habitually done, even if the parties choose another (Rome I Regulation, art. 8).
Social security: the destination country's
The general rule of Regulation (EC) 883/2004 (art. 11(3)(a)) is to contribute where you work. The exception is a temporary posting (art. 12): a family resident in Spain that takes an employee already hired here may keep her in the Spanish system for up to 24 months with the A1 certificate issued by the TGSS, if the conditions are met. Otherwise the registration is done in the destination country.
Data protection when sending profiles
Profiles travel with the candidate's informed consent. Within the EEA there is no international transfer; to Switzerland, the UK and Andorra there is, covered by a European Commission adequacy decision (GDPR arts. 44-45). Monaco has no adequacy decision: we rely on appropriate safeguards or the explicit consent of art. 49.
Checked on 12 September 2026 against the Decreto flussi 2026-2028 notice of the Ministry of the Interior (prefettura.interno.gov.it), the Ministry of Labour's notice on the 2026 CCNL lavoro domestico minimum pay agreement (lavoro.gov.it), EUR-Lex and the European Commission adequacy list.
What you need to know before starting, not legal advice: each case is confirmed by the family with its adviser or the country's authorities. We keep these notes reviewed and tell you what we have checked and where.
Languages, currency and cost of living
Italian; English in international households in Rome and Milan
A Spanish-speaking candidate is usually working comfortably in Italian within a few months.
Euro (EUR)
No exchange risk on the salary or on our fee.
Milan the most expensive city; Rome lower; Tuscany and the lakes vary with the season
Live-in staff on a country estate or lake villa have few expenses of their own.
INPS contributions paid quarterly by the family
Domestic work has its own INPS regime with contributions by hours worked; the family registers by the day before the start.
About €908 – €1,475 gross per month minimum by level, live-in (CCNL 2026)
Contractual minima for live-in staff per the 2026 tables, plus allowances. The families we serve pay above them for experienced, English-speaking staff; the market range is agreed case by case and we give it to you with the quote.
Figure pending confirmation from an official sourceCCNL lavoro domestico minimum pay agreed on 11 February 2026 with effect from 1 January 2026 (Ministry of Labour). Level figures per the sector tables, to be confirmed against the official table.
An Italian placement, step by step
Italy is a natural destination for our candidates: close languages, a live-in tradition and a contract that spells everything out. The only variable is the passport.
Brief and contract level
We define the role in CCNL terms with you (level, live-in, hours, rest days) and confirm the candidate's nationality, because a non-EU candidate depends on the decreto flussi quota.
Selection in Spain
In-depth interviews in Madrid or by video, references called, and a check of Italian or the willingness to learn it; many of our candidates have already worked for Italian families in Spain.
Video interviews and trial
From your client portal; families in Rome and Milan often meet the finalist in person on a trip to Spain or bring her for a two-day trial in the house.
Contract, INPS and move
Written colf contract at or above the 2026 minimum, INPS registration by the family, residence registration after three months, and a start date agreed around notice periods in Spain.
One-off fee and a 6-month guarantee, outside Spain too
You pay nothing during the search. Only once you take the person on and you're happy do you pay a single fee: the equivalent of one month of the agreed salary, plus VAT where applicable depending on where the job is. No subscriptions or lock-in.
One-off fee: one month's salary (+ VAT where applicable)
A single payment, only once you take the person on. We confirm the exact amount upfront, in euros or in your country's currency.
6-month guarantee
Replacement at no cost if the person isn't the right fit, and a 50% refund of the fee if you're not satisfied during the first month.
Relocation and trial
The family covers the relocation trip; before that you can interview by video and, if you travel to Spain or the candidate to your city, run a two-day trial.
Hiring household staff in Italy from Spain
No. As an EU citizen she works with her passport and registers her residence with the comune after three months, with the employment contract. There is no quota or nulla osta for EU nationals.
Only within the decreto flussi quota for domestic work: the family requests a nulla osta from the prefecture's Sportello Unico, and entries depend on quota availability. Applications for 2026 opened on 18 February and run until 31 December, subject to quota. Her Spanish permit alone is not enough.
The national collective agreement for domestic work (CCNL lavoro domestico). It sets levels, hours, rest, board and lodging, thirteenth month, severance and the minimum pay by level, updated for 2026 with effect from 1 January. The family registers the contract with INPS.
It depends on the CCNL level: the 2026 tables run from about €908 a month at the lowest level to about €1,475 at the highest for live-in staff, plus allowances. Experienced staff for the families we serve are paid above these minima.
Yes. The coppia di custodi living on the property is the most frequent request we receive from Tuscany, Como and Sardinia. We keep couples with estate experience available for Italy in our pool.
Domestic couplesFor an EU candidate, first profiles in days and a start date usually four to six weeks after your decision. For a non-EU candidate the decreto flussi timeline decides, and it can take months.
Pages families in Italy also read
Looking for live-in staff for a home in Italy?
Tell us the region, the role and the date. We answer with the contract level, the permit route if one is needed and the first profiles.