Vibrio parahaemolyticusis a foodborne pathogen diffusely distributed in the marine environment and often isolated from raw seafood belonging to different species, mostly shellfish. Ingestion of under- or uncooked seafood contaminated byV. parahaemolyticuscan cause severe gastrointestinal symptoms in humans. Due to its ability to withstand low temperatures,Vibriospp. could survive in frozen seafoods for long periods by entering the viable but nonculturable state (VBNC) and may constitute an unrecognized source of food contamination and infection. In the present study, seventy-seven frozen bivalve molluscs (35 mussels; 42 clams) were subjected to the detection and enumeration of viableV. parahaemolyticususing standard culture methods. VBNC forms were detected and quantified by applying an optimized protocol based on Propidium Monoazide (PMA) and Quantitative PCR (qPCR). All samples were negative for both the detection and enumeration ofV. parahaemolyticusby the standard culture methods. VBNC forms were detected in 11.7% of the samples (9/77), with values ranging from 1.67 to 2.29 Log CFU/g. Only clam samples were positive for the detection of VBNC forms. The results of this study highlighted that VBNCV. parahaemolyticusmay be present in frozen bivalve molluscs. Further data on the prevalence of VBNCV. parahaemolyticusin frozen seafood are needed in order to perform a robust risk assessment.