Becoming a Deliveroo rider in Italy takes an ID, a smartphone, a bike, and a few days of waiting. After that, one number shapes your entire year: €5,000.
New riders usually start on prestazione occasionale, Italy's occasional-work setup. It caps income at €5,000 gross per year, and continuing with Deliveroo past that point requires a partita IVA.
This guide is for university students and part-timers in Milan, Rome, Turin, or Bologna who want delivery income that fits around lectures and doesn't wreck their tax return.
How Do You Become a Deliveroo Rider in Italy Right Now?
You apply online through Deliveroo's Italian rider portal, upload your documents, complete a short digital onboarding, and wait for approval before collecting your rider kit.
Deliveroo Italy accepts rider applicants aged 18 or over who live in Italy legally and own a smartphone plus a bike, e-bike, or scooter. Approval takes a few days, sometimes a couple of weeks.
Who Qualifies: Age, Residence and Permits
Italian work rules close this job to anyone under 18. EU citizens usually get through with an ID card and proof of address.
Non-EU students need a valid permesso di soggiorno and should confirm with their questura or university office that it allows self-employed work. Riders sign on as autonomous workers ("autonomo").
The Gear You Need on Day One
A bike suits dense centers like Milan, while a scooter handles longer suburban routes. Your phone runs the whole job, since orders and payouts live inside the Deliveroo Rider app on iOS or Android.
Budget for a phone mount and a power bank. Nobody enjoys learning the battery lesson at 9 p.m. with a cooling pizza in the backpack.
The €5,000 Ceiling Students Should Plan Around
Occasional-work income in Italy tops out at €5,000 gross per year, and on this arrangement, 20% is withheld from your pay as tax, called ritenuta d'acconto.
To keep riding past the ceiling, you need a partita IVA. That brings INPS contributions and accountant fees into the picture.
The Math Behind the Cap
My take: plan your year backward from €5,000 gross. Spread over 12 months, that works out to about €416 a month before the 20% withholding.
The cap resets each January. A student who rides hard from September through the autumn term can hit it by December, right when holiday orders peak.
Is a Partita IVA Worth Opening for Delivery Work?
For a student riding part-time around classes, staying under the cap is usually simpler than opening a partita IVA.
A commercialista can run the numbers on the forfettario regime if delivery becomes your main income. One consultation costs less than a tax mistake.
Deliveroo Rider Application Steps, From Portal to First Order
The Deliveroo Italy rider application runs fully online in Italian or English and ends with a rider kit and an activated app profile. You can start on the Deliveroo Italy rider portal.
Expect these seven stages, though the exact flow can shift a little depending on your city and how busy onboarding is:
- Gather documents: ID or passport, proof of residence, and a permesso di soggiorno if you're non-EU.
- Register online: name, contact details, address, vehicle type, and your city from the drop-down.
- Upload files: clear scans of every document, matching the names you typed.
- Complete onboarding: a short video or interactive guide on app use and safety rules.
- Wait for review: faster in big cities, slower in smaller ones with waitlists.
- Collect your kit: backpack and jacket, shipped or picked up.
- Activate and book: once the profile goes live, schedule your first session.
Where Applications Usually Stall
Most delays trace back to paperwork, and one blurry upload can freeze an application for days. Check these before you hit submit:
- The name on your ID matches the form exactly
- Your residence proof is recent and shows your current address
- Your permit isn't about to expire
- The city you selected is where you'll ride
Stuck in review? Deliveroo's rider support chat can sort issues out in minutes, which beats refreshing your inbox for a week.
The Kit Fee Surprise
I find the kit setup odd: Deliveroo sometimes charges for the backpack and jacket and deducts it from your early earnings. Your first payout can look thinner than your delivery count suggests.
How Much Does a Deliveroo Rider Make in Italy?
Deliveroo riders in Italy earned an average of €3 to €4 gross per delivery, according to the Milan prosecutors' decree, with transport and equipment paid by the riders themselves.
That decree, issued on 25 February 2026, sought judicial supervision of Deliveroo Italy for alleged exploitation of its roughly 20,000 riders.
Deliveroo said it was reviewing the documents and cooperating with the investigation. ANSA's report on the Milan investigation covers the case in more detail.
Costs That Come Out of Your Pocket
Bike repairs and phone data are on you. A Businessonline.it investigation found rider costs for maintenance, fuel or charging, phone plans, and gear often exceed €200 a month.
The same investigation logged one rider clearing just over €600 after expenses from 220 deliveries and more than 200 hours in a month.
Why I Wouldn't Grab Every Shift in Your First Month
My position: skip the usual tip to accept every evening and weekend slot early on. At €3 to €4 gross per delivery, a slow hour pays almost nothing while your bike keeps wearing down.
Track your orders for two weeks and keep only the windows that pay. Fewer, busier hours also stretch your €5,000 ceiling across more months.
Deliveroo vs Glovo vs Just Eat: Which Suits a Student Rider?
Just Eat has hired its riders as employees since 2021, while Glovo and Deliveroo still pay riders per delivery. Uber Eats closed its Italian food delivery service in 2023, so that option is gone.
| Platform | Contract type | How pay works | 2026 status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deliveroo | Self-employed (occasional or partita IVA) | Per delivery | Under judicial supervision since February 2026 |
| Glovo (Foodinho) | Self-employed | Per delivery | Placed under judicial supervision in February 2026 |
| Just Eat | Employee contract | Wage-based | Riders did not join the July 2026 heat strikes |
Deliveroo and Glovo give you schedule freedom, while Just Eat gives you a payslip in exchange for less of it.
Why I'd Apply to Just Eat Alongside Deliveroo
I'd send a Just Eat application the same week as your Deliveroo one, because its employee model since 2021 means a quiet evening still pays something.
Running two apps is common anyway. More than half of the Milan riders in Businessonline.it's investigation worked several platforms at once, mostly Glovo and Deliveroo.
Taxes, Insurance and Account Risks for Riders in Italy
Deliveroo riders in Italy are self-employed, so they report their own income each year and handle their own tax and social contributions.
Keep a simple yearly checklist so tax season in spring doesn't turn into a panicked search through old payout emails:
- Download your Certificazione Unica from Deliveroo each year
- Track gross earnings monthly against the €5,000 cap
- Declare rider income even when tax was already withheld
- Book a commercialista if you pass the cap or ride for several apps
Insurance Before Your First Rainy Shift
Deliveroo provides some accident coverage, and the limits sit in the small print. Read them, then check whether your own health or liability policy covers injuries during deliveries.
Businessonline.it found that many riders don't know they have INAIL coverage or how it applies. Ask Deliveroo support which INAIL protections apply to your contract.
Account Blocks and Heat Strikes
A NIdiL CGIL dossier on food delivery riders found that a third of 500 riders surveyed across Deliveroo, Glovo, and Just Eat had their accounts blocked.
Summer brings its own pressure. NIdiL CGIL called rider strikes in Milan, Florence, and Bologna in July 2026 over extreme heat. Screenshot your stats regularly so you have records if your account ever freezes.
Questions People Ask About Becoming a Deliveroo Rider in Italy
A few questions come up again and again from students weighing their first delivery gig.
- Q: Can international students work as Deliveroo riders in Italy?
Often yes, if your permesso di soggiorno allows self-employed activity. Check with your questura or university's international office first, since Deliveroo asks for permit documents during signup. - Q: Do I need a partita IVA to start delivering for Deliveroo?
Not to start. New riders can begin on occasional work with 20% withheld, and only need a partita IVA once gross earnings pass €5,000 in a calendar year. - Q: How long does Deliveroo Italy take to approve riders?
Anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks, and longer in small cities with waitlists. Clean, matching document uploads are the fastest way to shorten the wait. - Q: Can I use an e-bike for Deliveroo in Italy?
E-bikes are accepted in some cities. Confirm your city allows them on the rider portal first, so you don't buy one for a job that won't take it. - Q: Is Deliveroo still operating in Italy after the 2026 investigation?
Yes. Under judicial supervision, a court-appointed administrator is tasked with checking and regularizing riders' positions, so watch your app messages for contract changes.
Conclusion
Getting approved as a Deliveroo rider in Italy is the easy part; staying profitable takes planning and honest math. Track every payout against the €5,000 ceiling so a busy autumn doesn't force a rushed partita IVA decision.
Compare Deliveroo's per-delivery pay with Just Eat's employee contracts before committing your evenings to either app. Your hours and your tax return belong to you here, so ride like the small business owner you legally are.
