Minor lifeguards in 2026: what changes for Blue Flag beaches in Italy

The exemption allowing minors to work in beach lifeguard services in Italy had a deadline of 1 October 2026. That date has now passed, but the sources we consulted do not agree on the final outcome of the rule, and anyone running a beach establishment or a Blue Flag beach should not rely on an unverified reading. Here is what is certain, what is not, and what to check before organising next season.

The starting point: adult lifeguards since 2017

According to the industry sources we consulted, the 2017 rule requires lifeguards, the bathing assistants employed in water rescue, to be adults. Over the years this requirement has been suspended several times through exemptions written into the Milleproroghe decrees (the year-end omnibus decrees), which allowed establishments to hire minors for limited periods. The stated reason has always been the same: a shortage of qualified staff in the summer months. The real debate, however, is about safety. People whose job is to protect lives in the water need an adequate profile, and sector operators have also weighed in on this point.

The 2026 extension and the 1 October limit

An amendment to the Milleproroghe decree then being converted into law in Parliament was approved by the I and V Committees of the Chamber of Deputies. It extended the exemption until the end of the 2026 bathing season, and in any case no later than 1 October 2026. Several sources report this text consistently. What is not consistent is what happened to the proposal in the later stages.

Conflicting versions and what cannot yet be stated

One source reports that the provision was removed at the Council of Ministers meeting of 5 February 2026, meaning no exemptions would be allowed from 2026. Another source, published on 23 February 2026, instead describes preliminary approval, with final passage expected by 1 March. A third source gives the conversion law as no. 26/2026, but the article that cites it does not mention the lifeguard rule, so it cannot confirm the content. So far we have not seen the text of the conversion law published in the Official Gazette with the minors provision. Until that text has been checked, it is not accurate to say the exemption was confirmed, nor that it was definitively cancelled.

What it means for lifeguard cover and Blue Flag

Lifeguard service is one of the criteria considered in the Blue Flag assessment. For a municipality or operator, the practical question is being able to show that the staff employed comply with the rules in force on the day the service is provided. If the exemption was applied in the season that has just ended, the documentation should cite the exact legal basis. In the coming months it is therefore sensible to check the official text, compare the Blue Flag criteria with the rules currently in force, and clarify with the competent Region which age and training requirements apply for the 2027 season.

How to verify before deciding

The decisive step is to read the text of the conversion law of the 2026 Milleproroghe decree in the Official Gazette and look for the paragraph on lifeguard assistants. If the paragraph is there with the 1 October 2026 limit, the exemption has expired. If it was removed, the rule remains adults only. In both cases the reference date has already passed, so the useful question for next season is no longer whether the exemption exists, but what guarantees of age and training an operator must be able to demonstrate to inspectors, municipalities and Blue Flag assessors.