Italy bans burqas and niqabs in schools, sets 30% cap on non-citizen pupils

The Italian government has approved a ban on burqas and niqabs in schools, along with a limit on the number of pupils with limited Italian in some classes. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the measures would improve integration and prevent the formation of “ghetto classes.”

The decree adopted on Thursday prohibits face coverings that prevent identification during school activities. It covers burqas and niqabs, but leaves hijabs, which do not cover the face, unaffected. Violations can bring fines of up to €1,000.

The government has also set a 30% cap in first-year classes for pupils without Italian citizenship. In primary schools, it applies to those who were not born in Italy or did not attend at least two years of preschool. In lower and upper secondary schools, it applies to those who have not attended the Italian school system for at least three years. The local authorities can grant exceptions when pupils cannot be placed elsewhere and provide additional language support.

Writing on X, Meloni described the measures as “tools of common sense that do not divide, but truly help to integrate, avoiding ghetto classes and giving all students the same opportunities.”

In a televised address, Meloni also stated that the burqa ban is “a matter of security,” adding that “when a woman, or worse, a young girl, is forced to cover her face, she is being denied fundamental rights and the very integration that is so often loudly championed.”

Meloni initially announced the plans on Sunday at a gathering of her Brothers of Italy party’s youth wing. Italy already had flexible guidance, issued in 2010, recommending a 30% limit on pupils without Italian citizenship in a class. The new decree puts restrictions into law and must be approved by parliament within 60 days to remain in force.

The move follows a broader debate over face coverings in Italy. Last year, Meloni’s party proposed a ban on full-face veils in public places. The bill, however, has yet to pass parliament.

The crackdown on full-face veils has extended across Europe in recent years. France banned them in public in 2011, Denmark followed in 2018, and Switzerland’s nationwide ban took effect in 2025. Denmark has also considered extending its ban to schools.

The European Court of Justice also ruled in 2023 that government employers can ban the wearing of religious dress such as burqas and hijabs in the interest of maintaining an “entirely neutral administrative environment.”