Italy Golden Visa

Italy’s so-called Golden Visa is officially the Investor Visa for Italy. It’s a 2-year national visa for non-EU citizens who want residence rights tied to a qualifying investment or donation, not a short tourist stay.

That distinction matters. A Schengen tourist visit is still limited to 90 days in any 180-day period, while the investor route is built for people who want a lawful base in Italy and are willing to keep money committed there. The visa is issued only after you get a Nulla Osta, the pre-approval certificate from the Investor Visa Committee.

What qualifies

• €2 million in Italian government bonds
• €500,000 in an Italian limited company
• €250,000 in an innovative startup
• €1 million in a philanthropic initiative

The official program targets foreign investors who want to support strategic assets in Italy. The investment has to stay in place if you want to keep the residence path open, so this isn’t a quick paper exercise.

Who it’s for

This route is aimed at non-EU nationals. Official pages also say the program is suspended for Russian and Belarusian citizens, including certain dual nationals, because of EU-related measures. That’s a hard stop, not a minor paperwork issue.

The visa is handled through the new Investor Visa portal and website, which replaced the older process in April 2024. The consulate side is still part of the process, but the first step now runs through the investor system online.

What happens next

If the visa is approved, you enter Italy on a long-stay national visa and then apply for a residence permit. The initial permit runs for 2 years and can be renewed if the investment is still maintained. The official portal doesn’t list a fixed processing time, so timing can vary by case and consulate.

This isn’t the same thing as the Elective Residence Visa or the Digital Nomad Visa. Those routes are about passive income or remote work. The Investor Visa is about putting capital into Italy and proving it up front.

Italy’s Investor Visa, often called the Golden Visa, is for non-EU nationals who want to make a qualifying investment or philanthropic donation in Italy. It’s a two-year entry visa and it doesn’t come with a separate fixed monthly income test. Instead, you need to show that the investment money is yours, that the funds are legal and transferable and that you have enough resources to support yourself while you’re in Italy.

The nationality rules are tighter than a lot of people expect. The program is suspended for Russian citizens, Belarusian citizens and any non-EU applicant who holds dual nationality with either Russia or Belarus. Outside that, there’s no published country-by-country blacklist for the visa itself.

To qualify, you need to commit to one of these options:

• €2,000,000 in Italian government bonds.
• €500,000 in an Italian capital company operating in Italy.
• €250,000 in an innovative startup.
• €1,000,000 as a philanthropic donation in areas such as culture, education, immigration management, scientific research or heritage conservation.

You also need to show a clean criminal record and clear public-order checks. There’s no published requirement to take a job in Italy or actively manage the company you invest in, which makes this visa different from work-based permits. The investment or donation is the point of the application.

Family members can usually be included under Italy’s general reunification rules, but the investor program’s official guidance doesn’t spell out a separate family checklist. So if you’re applying with a spouse or children, expect to verify the details with the consulate handling your case.

The basic process starts with an online request for a nulla osta, then moves to the consulate for the visa itself. The official portal doesn’t publish a fixed processing time and it doesn’t list a separate consular fee for this visa either, so don’t assume the process will be quick or cheap. Once approved, the visa is valid for 2 years. If you keep the qualifying investment in place and stay in line with the rules, you can renew through a residence permit for 3 more years.

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Italy’s Golden Visa is officially the Investor Visa, a national visa for non-EU applicants who commit a qualifying investment and then keep it in place. The paperwork is split into two steps: first you get the Nulla Osta, the certificate of no impediment, then you take that approval to the consulate for the visa itself.

What you need for the Nulla Osta

The online phase is where most people trip up, because the Investor Visa portal wants more than a passport scan and a vague plan. You’ll upload the core file and wait for the committee to ask for more if it thinks something’s missing.

• Passport: A valid passport, usually with the bio page and full copy if requested.
• CV: A current curriculum vitae.
• Proof of financial resources: Evidence that you control the money needed for the chosen investment and can transfer it to Italy. The portal doesn’t publish a fixed format.
• Criminal record: A police clearance or background certificate. In practice, this usually comes from your home country and any country where you’ve lived recently.
• Investment documentation: Paperwork tied to the route you choose, such as the recipient of a donation or evidence of the company, bond or startup investment.

The qualifying investment amounts are clear. They are €2 million in Italian government bonds, €500,000 in an Italian joint-stock company, €250,000 in an innovative startup or a €1 million philanthropic donation for a public-interest project. There’s no official income threshold like you’d see on some other visa routes, but you do need to show lawful source of funds.

What the consulate usually asks for

Once the Nulla Osta is approved, you have 6 months to apply for the national visa at the nearest Italian representation. You’ll need to submit the Nulla Osta again, plus the documents from phase one and whatever that consulate puts on its own checklist.

• Visa application form: The national visa form for a stay over 90 days.
• Photograph: One recent passport-style photo that matches the local consular specs.
• Proof of residence: Evidence that you live in the consular district where you’re applying.
• Proof of legal status: If you’re applying outside your home country, some consulates want proof you can stay there legally.
• Fee payment: The national-visa fee required by that consulate.

The annoying part is that consulates don’t all use the same checklist, so don’t rely on a generic list someone posted online. Also, keep in mind that the investor residence permit starts at 2 years and can be renewed for 3 more years if the investment stays intact.

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Costs and fees

Italy doesn’t publish a single Golden Visa price list. You pay the standard long-stay national visa fee at the consulate, then deal with separate residence-permit charges after arrival. The catch is that the exact consular fee isn’t listed on the investor visa pages themselves, so you have to check the fee table for the specific Italian consulate where you apply.

The real money is the investment itself, not the paperwork. The official thresholds are €250,000 ($275,000) for an innovative startup, €500,000 ($550,000) for shares in an Italian company, €1 million ($1.1 million) for a philanthropic project and €2 million ($2.2 million) for government bonds. Those aren’t fees, but they’re the core cost of the visa.

• Consular visa fee: The standard type-D national visa fee applies, but the exact amount depends on the consulate and is published in local currency.
• Residence permit fee: You must apply for your permesso di soggiorno within 8 days of arriving in Italy. The investor permit uses the normal residence-permit system, but the official investor pages don’t publish one fixed fee breakdown.
• Health insurance: You’ll need insurance valid in Italy. Official guidance requires coverage, but it doesn’t give a price. Private plans that meet the visa rules typically run about €1,000 to €3,000 ($1,100 to $3,300) per adult per year.
• Translations and legalization: Expect to pay for Italian translations and any apostilles or legalizations your documents need. The government doesn’t set a standard rate for this.
• Legal help: Many applicants hire a lawyer or advisor. Private packages for the investor visa often start around €10,000 to €20,000 ($11,000 to $22,000) and can go higher if your case is messy.

If you’re bringing family, each dependent usually pays the same consular and residence-permit fees as the main applicant. There isn’t a special investor-program surcharge, just more paperwork and more bills. Not cheap and the official portal is vague where you’d want hard numbers.

Italy’s “Golden Visa” is officially the Investor Visa for Italy. The process is a two-step affair, first you get an online Nulla Osta, then you apply for the long-stay visa at the Italian consulate that serves where you live. Don’t expect to do this after landing in Italy on a tourist entry. You can’t.

How the application works

Step one is the Nulla Osta, which is the government’s pre-approval that says your investment plan is acceptable. The Investor Visa Committee must issue a decision within 30 days of a complete application. If they ask for more documents, the clock pauses and you get 30 days to respond.

Step two is the consular visa application. You must apply at the closest Italian representation abroad within 6 months of getting the Nulla Osta. After the visa is issued, you must enter Italy within 2 years of that visa date.

What you need to qualify

The official investment options are fixed. There’s no separate income threshold published for this visa, so the focus is on the source and availability of your funds, not a monthly salary test.

• €2,000,000 in Italian government bonds, with at least 2 years’ residual maturity.
• €500,000 in an Italian limited or joint-stock company.
• €250,000 in an innovative startup listed in the relevant register.
• €1,000,000 as a philanthropic donation to an approved public-interest project.

The program is open to non-EU nationals. Russian and Belarusian nationals, plus dual nationals including either of those citizenships, are currently suspended under EU-aligned restrictions.

Fees and timing

The government doesn’t publish a single official fee for the Nulla Osta or a dedicated visa fee for this program. Consular D-type visa fees are handled locally, so you’ll need to check the fee page of the specific consulate where you apply. Any number you see on a private website should be treated cautiously unless the consulate itself confirms it.

After you arrive in Italy, you’ll need to complete the investment and then apply for the residence permit. The permit is valid for 2 years and can be renewed for additional 3-year periods as long as you keep the qualifying investment or donation in place.

Documents and practical checks

• Proof of financial resources: The portal asks for evidence that you can fund the investment.
• Lawful source of funds: Bank records, tax documents or sale contracts may be needed.
• Consular visa file: Your local consulate may ask for standard national-visa paperwork, but the exact list varies.

The official portal is clear on the structure, less clear on the paperwork detail. That’s normal for Italy and it’s exactly why this visa usually works better with a lawyer or advisor who has done the investor route before.

The Investor Visa for Italy, often called the Golden Visa, starts with a 2-year residence permit. That permit is tied to the qualifying investment, so if you let the investment lapse, the residence path doesn’t hold together for long.

Once you’ve entered Italy and applied for the permesso di soggiorno within 8 days, the first card is issued for 2 years. The official investor portal says you can then request a 3-year renewal if you keep the original investment or donation in place.

• Initial residence permit: 2 years.
• Renewal: 3 years, if the qualifying investment is maintained.
• Renewal timing: Apply at least 60 days before the permit expires.
• Renewal review: The committee can approve, ask for more information or reject the request with a reasoned decision.

The renewal process is handled through the same investor visa portal used for the original nulla osta. You’ll need to upload proof that the investment is still intact and sign the final declaration electronically. If the committee asks for more documents, the clock pauses, which is bureaucratic but fairly standard for Italy.

There isn’t a fixed minimum stay listed in the investor visa rules themselves. That said, if you want to move beyond the visa and into longer-term status, you do need to actually live in Italy under the normal residence rules, not just hold the permit on paper.

After 5 years of continuous legal residence, you may qualify for an EU long-term residence permit. After 10 years of legal residence, you may be able to apply for citizenship by residency, subject to the usual Italian rules, including language, income and integration requirements.

• EU long-term residence permit: Possible after 5 years of continuous legal residence.
• Citizenship by residency: Generally possible after 10 years of legal residence.
• Practical catch: You need genuine residence, not just an active investment.

The short version is simple. The investor visa buys you a 2-year start, then a 3-year renewal if your money stays put. After that, the real game is residency, not the investment alone.

The Investor Visa for Italy, often called the Golden Visa, gives you a residence route. It doesn't, by itself, give you a special tax status. The real questions are simple: are you Italian tax resident and if so, do you want to opt into the flat-tax regime for new residents under article 24-bis of the Italian Income Tax Code?

If you stay non-resident for tax purposes, Italy generally taxes only Italian-source income. If you become tax resident, your worldwide income is usually taxed in Italy under the ordinary progressive rules, unless you qualify for and elect the special new-resident regime. The visa itself doesn’t change that.

When Italy treats you as tax resident

Under article 2 of the TUIR, you can be treated as resident if, for more than half the tax year, at least one of these applies: you’re registered in the Italian population register, your habitual abode is in Italy or your main center of vital interests is in Italy. You don’t need to be physically there for 183 days if your registered residence or center of life has shifted.

The flat-tax regime for new residents

The official Investor Visa portal points to the optional regime for new residents. It’s aimed at people who move their tax residence to Italy and who weren't tax resident there for at least 9 of the previous 10 tax years.

• Main taxpayer: a fixed substitute tax of €100,000 per year on foreign-source income.
• Family members: an additional €25,000 per year for each eligible family member.
• Duration: up to 15 years, unless you give it up or miss payment.
• Scope: foreign-source income only, Italian-source income is taxed under the ordinary rules.

That regime can sit alongside work or professional activity in Italy, but income earned in Italy still gets taxed normally. The official portal also signals possible effects on foreign assets for inheritance and gift tax, though it doesn’t spell out every technical detail.

What’s still unclear

There are reports that the 2026 Budget Law changed the flat-tax amounts, but I can’t confirm those figures from the official government-linked material used here. The safest reading is the one published on the Investor Visa portal: €100,000 for the main taxpayer and €25,000 per family member.