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Residency in Italy: investor visa, elective residence and digital nomads

Italian residency for non-EU nationals runs through a national visa followed by a residence permit. The main routes in 2026 are the investor visa, from EUR 250,000 in an innovative startup, the elective residence visa for passive income of at least EUR 31,000 a year, and the digital nomad visa for highly qualified remote workers.

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The investor visa suits people with capital who want an EU residence permit without moving their whole life at once. Applicants choose one route: EUR 2 million in Italian government bonds, EUR 500,000 in the shares of an Italian company or an Italian venture capital fund, EUR 250,000 in an innovative startup listed in the special register, or a EUR 1 million donation to a public-interest project. Bonds and equity must be held for at least two years.

The order matters. An inter-ministerial committee at the Ministry of Enterprises reviews the file online and, if satisfied, issues a nulla osta; only then does the consulate issue the visa. The investment or donation follows within three months of arrival, and the two-year permit is renewed for three-year periods while the investment stays in place. For the first five years the holder is exempt from the usual continuity-of-stay obligations.

The elective residence visa is for people who live on their own resources and do not intend to work in Italy. Consulates expect stable passive income of at least EUR 31,000 a year for a single applicant, from pensions, annuities, property or investments, and a home in Italy backed by a registered lease or a purchase. Employment income does not count, and the amount rises for a spouse and children.

The digital nomad and remote worker visa, in force since April 2024, covers highly qualified people working remotely as freelancers or employees. It requires income of at least three times the threshold for exemption from healthcare co-payments, six months of experience in the role, health insurance and housing. The permit lasts up to a year and can be renewed annually.

None of these permits settles your tax position. Living in Italy for most of the year makes you taxable on worldwide income, which is why the flat-tax, 7% and impatriate regimes are best chosen together with the visa.

Files are prepared with Italian immigration lawyers, and commercialisti licensed in Italy confirm the tax regime before you move; approval rests with the committee, the consulate and the questura.

Who it suits

  • Investors wanting an EU permit with flexibility

    You can commit capital to Italian bonds, companies, startups or funds and do not plan to live in Italy full time at first.

  • Retirees and people living on investments

    Your income comes from pensions, property or portfolios, and a small southern town with the 7% regime may appeal.

  • Remote professionals

    You are highly qualified and work for clients or an employer from anywhere, with at least six months in the role.

  • Wealthy families moving tax residence

    Large foreign income makes a fixed annual tax, with a lower amount per family member, more predictable than progressive rates.

Requirements

  • Qualifying investment or income

    Capital for the investor visa, passive income for elective residence, or remote work income for the digital nomad visa.

    Required

  • Lawful and traceable funds

    Investors certify the origin of the money to the committee; all applicants show bank records and a clean criminal record.

    Required

  • Health insurance

    Private cover valid in Italy for the stay, until you can join the national health service.

    Required

  • Residence permit after arrival

    Apply for the permesso di soggiorno within eight working days and attend fingerprinting at the questura.

    Required

  • Housing in Italy

    A registered lease or purchase deed is required for elective residence and digital nomads; investors can arrange housing after arrival.

    Depends on your case

  • Town hall registration

    Registering your address simplifies daily life and counts towards naturalisation, but it also creates a presumption of tax residency.

    Depends on your case

  • Tax regime election

    The flat-tax, 7% and impatriate regimes are claimed in the tax return; an advance ruling is available for the flat tax.

    Depends on your case

Documents

  • PassportValid at least three months beyond the requested visa, with two blank pages.
  • Nulla osta or income evidenceThe committee's clearance for investors; pension, investment or contract records for the other routes.
  • Bank statements and source-of-funds fileTypically the last 12 months, showing the income or capital in your own name.
  • Lease, deed or purchase agreementRegistered with the Agenzia delle Entrate where the route requires a home in Italy.
  • Civil and criminal recordsBirth and marriage certificates and police certificates, apostilled and translated into Italian.

Timeline

  1. 1Choose the route and the tax regimeCompare the investor, elective residence and digital nomad routes, and model the flat-tax, 7% or impatriate regime before committing.
  2. 2Nulla osta or file preparationInvestors apply online to the Investor Visa committee; others assemble income proof, insurance and housing.
  3. 3Consular visaApply at the Italian consulate responsible for your place of residence and attend in person.
  4. 4Arrival and residence permitFile the permesso di soggiorno within eight working days, attend fingerprinting and register with the comune where appropriate.
  5. 5Investment, renewals and first tax returnInvestors complete the investment within three months; everyone keeps the conditions met for renewal and elects any tax regime in the first Italian return.

Tax notes

  • Italian tax residents pay progressive IRPEF on worldwide income, plus regional and municipal surcharges, unless they elect one of the regimes below.
  • The EUR 300,000 substitute tax replaces Italian tax on foreign income and the wealth taxes on foreign assets, and removes the foreign-asset reporting duty. Gains on qualified shareholdings sold in the first five years stay taxable, and Italian-source income is taxed normally.
  • The 7% regime covers all foreign income of a foreign pension holder who moves from a country with an administrative cooperation agreement to an eligible municipality, after five years without Italian tax residence.
  • Highly qualified workers who were not Italian resident in the previous three years can exempt 50% of their Italian employment or professional income, on up to EUR 600,000 a year, for five tax years, or 60% with a minor child. Leaving within four years means repaying the benefit.

General information, not tax advice. Your position depends on your circumstances.

Banking fit

  • Investors need an Italian account to make and evidence the investment, and banks will review the same source-of-funds file the committee saw.
  • Elective residence and digital nomad applicants usually open an account after arrival, once they hold a codice fiscale and an Italian address.

Questions

What is the minimum investment for the Italy investor visa?

EUR 250,000 in an innovative startup listed in Italy's special register. The other routes are EUR 500,000 in an Italian company or venture capital fund, a EUR 1 million public-interest donation and EUR 2 million in government bonds. Real estate does not qualify.

How much is the Italian flat tax for new residents in 2026?

EUR 300,000 a year on all foreign income for people who move their tax residence to Italy from 1 January 2026, plus EUR 50,000 for each family member included. It can run for up to 15 years and requires nine of the previous ten years outside Italy.

Who qualifies for Italy's 7% flat tax?

Holders of foreign pensions who were not Italian tax resident in the previous five years, move from a country that exchanges tax information with Italy, and settle in a municipality of up to 30,000 inhabitants in one of eight southern regions or the 2009 and 2016 earthquake areas.

How much income do I need for Italy's elective residence visa?

Consulates work from a floor of EUR 31,000 a year for a single applicant, from pensions, annuities, property or investments rather than work. Expect at least 20% more for a spouse and 5% per child; some consulates ask for more. The visa does not allow work in Italy.

Do I have to live in Italy to keep the investor visa?

For the first five years the investor permit is exempt from the usual continuity-of-stay obligations, so you need not spend most of the year there. The investment must stay in place for renewal, and time spent living elsewhere may not count towards citizenship.

How are digital nomads taxed in Italy?

Living in Italy for most of the year makes you tax resident on worldwide income. Self-employed nomads with revenue up to EUR 85,000 may use the flat-rate scheme at 15%, or 5% for a genuinely new activity; highly qualified workers may instead qualify for the impatriate regime.

More in Italy

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Sources

  1. Agenzia delle Entrate: Optional regime for new residents (art. 24-bis TUIR), retrieved 2026-10-25
  2. Agenzia delle Entrate: Optional regime for foreign pensioners (art. 24-ter TUIR), retrieved 2026-10-25
  3. Agenzia delle Entrate: Impatriate workers, regime from 2024 (art. 5 Legislative Decree 209/2023), retrieved 2026-10-25
  4. Gazzetta Ufficiale: Law 34 of 11 March 2026 (annual SME law), in force 7 April 2026, retrieved 2026-10-25
  5. Normattiva: Legislative Decree 286/1998, art. 26-bis (entry and stay for investors), retrieved 2026-10-25
  6. Consulate General of Italy in Sydney: Investor visa checklist (updated 21 July 2026), retrieved 2026-10-25
  7. Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy: Investor Visa for Italy procedure sheet, retrieved 2026-10-25
  8. Embassy of Italy in Abu Dhabi: Elective residence visa checklist, retrieved 2026-10-25
  9. Embassy of Italy in Valletta: Elective residence visa, retrieved 2026-10-25
  10. Gazzetta Ufficiale: Ministry of the Interior decree of 29 February 2024 on digital nomads and remote workers, retrieved 2026-10-25
  11. Ministry of the Interior: Citizenship by residence (art. 9 Law 91/1992), retrieved 2026-10-25
  12. PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries: Italy, individual residence, retrieved 2026-10-25
  13. PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries: Italy, taxes on personal income, retrieved 2026-10-25
  14. Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Visa for Italy portal, retrieved 2026-10-25
  15. Agenzia delle Entrate: Flat-rate scheme for the self-employed, retrieved 2026-10-25
  16. Redomiciled internal notes: Italy investor visa and flat tax (internal), retrieved 2026-10-25
  17. Redomiciled internal notes: moving to Italy from the UK (internal), retrieved 2026-10-25
  18. Redomiciled internal notes: Italy immigration and tax pack (internal), retrieved 2026-10-25
  19. Redomiciled internal notes: Italy key points and tax regimes (internal), retrieved 2026-10-25
  20. Redomiciled internal notes: residency and citizenship by investment overview (internal), retrieved 2026-10-25

Reviewed by the Redomiciled team on .

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