Italy Elective Residence Visa

Italy's elective residence visa (visto per residenza elettiva) is for people who want to settle in Italy and can live on their own resources without working. It is set out in point 13 of Interministerial Decree 850/2011, which rules out any work activity in Italy.

The law sets a formula, not a fixed income: Ample, stable and regular own resources from pensions, annuities, property or stable business activity, not from employment, at least three times the Table A amount of the March 1, 2000 Interior Ministry directive. Consulates turn that into their own working figure, so the amount depends on where the application is filed.

• Resources: stable passive income from pensions, annuities, property, trusts, investments or a stable business activity. Income from employment doesn't count.
• Amount: the Boston consulate, for example, asks for more than €31,000 a year per applicant. That is a consular working figure, not a legal minimum, and other consulates publish higher amounts, so applicants should check the consulate that covers their place of residence.
• No work: the visa excludes any work activity in Italy. Official sources don't carve out remote work for foreign clients, so anyone who plans to keep working should look at the digital nomad visa instead.
• Family: a dependent spouse, minor children and dependent adult children living with the applicant can get the same visa, with enough resources shown for each.

The Boston consulate's list is a common pattern:

• Application: the long-stay visa form, signed at the consulate in person.
• Proof of income: detailed documents for each passive income source.
• Housing: a lease or deed for property in Italy, registered with the Agenzia delle Entrate.
• Insurance: a policy covering emergency evacuation and repatriation.
• Fee: the national visa fee.

The New York consulate and others set their own lists and figures.

• National visa: €116, paid in local currency at the consulate's rate, per the consular fee table.

The residence permit is paid for separately in Italy. According to the Polizia di Stato, it combines a revenue stamp, the electronic card, a permit contribution that rises with the permit's length and a postal fee for the application kit.

Buying or renting a home in Italy, insurance and translations are extra.

Where to apply: In person at the Italian consulate for the applicant's place of residence; then a residence permit at the Questura after arrival.

1. Visa: book an appointment and file in person with the documents above.
2. Arrival: enter Italy on the national visa.
3. Permit: apply to the Questura within eight working days of arrival, as Article 5 of the Consolidated Immigration Act requires.

No official processing time is published.

• Permit: the Questura sets the length of the residence permit. Renewal depends on the same conditions still being met.
• Family: Yes, with resources shown for each dependent.

Holding the visa doesn't change the tax rules, but a holder who settles in Italy will usually become tax-resident, since living there is the point of the visa. Under the Agenzia delle Entrate's residence rules, a person is resident for income tax if, for most of the year (183 days, or 184 in a leap year), any one of these holds: their domicile or habitual residence is in Italy, they are physically present in Italy (fractions of days count) or they are registered in the resident population register.

Tax residents are generally taxed on their worldwide income, with relief under any tax treaty between Italy and the other country. Italy also offers an optional substitute tax on foreign income for people who move their tax residence there; its annual amount has changed over time and should be confirmed with the Agenzia delle Entrate before relying on it.