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Italy Elective Residence Visa

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Program Type:

Independent Means Visa

Processing Time:

1-2 months

Citizenship Timeline:

10 years

Permanent Residency Timeline:

5 years

Physical Presence Required:

183 days a year

Citizenship Visa-Free Access:

189 countries

Minimum Contribution:

None

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Italy Elective Residence Visa IMI

Program Overview

Italy Elective Residence Visa

Italy’s Elective Residency Visa allows those who can demonstrate independent and stable annual incomes sufficient to maintain themselves to obtain a renewable one-year residence permit in Italy.

Following five years of physical residency in Italy, applicants are eligible for permanent residency and, after ten years, EU citizenship, subject to mastery of the Italian language.

Applicants may not take up employment in Italy but are free to earn income from asset-based sources both inside and outside Italy.

Elective residents will, by virtue of the 183-day annual minimum presence requirement, become tax residents in Italy.

Italy Elective Residence Visa

How to Qualify

To qualify for Italy’s Elective Residency Visa, applicants must demonstrate that they have an independent, stable, and asset-based source of income – such as from a pension fund, annuities, or rental income – sufficient to maintain themselves financially while residing in Italy.

In 2022, the specific levels of annual income required are

  • €32,000 for the main applicant
  • €6,800 additionally for a spouse
  • €6,240 per additional dependent child under 18.

Applicants must, moreover, providence evidence of suitable healthcare insurance coverage for the whole family as well as of suitable accommodation in Italy, which may be purchased or rented.

Elective residents may not take up paid employment in Italy but are free to derive income from the ownership of assets.

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Italy Elective Residence Visa

Salient Benefits

  • Freedom of movement (but not settlement) in Schengen
  • No investment or donation requirement
  • Path to citizenship
  • Permits dual/multiple citizenship
  • Lower cost of living
  • Warm climate
  • Enhanced business access to large economies
  • Enhanced education opportunities
  • Short processing time

Italy Elective Residence Visa

Citizenship Timeline and Requirements

The initial Elective Residency Visa is issued for a maximum of six months (rather than the normal three months for most temporary visas) during which the applicant will need to move to Italy and convert the visa to a Residency Permit. The residency permits may be renewed annually with local police if the original requirements are still met, including maintaining the residence, the health insurance, and physical presence of at least 183 days a year, which means becoming a tax resident of Italy.

After five years of uninterrupted residency, the applicant may apply for Permanent Residence. The applicant may not have been absent from the country for longer than a continuous period of six months to qualify for permanent residence.

After 10 years of continuous residence, the applicant may apply for citizenship. The applicant will need to complete a course in Italian and European history and culture, civics, and the principles of the Italian Constitution, for the purposes of verifying the ‘path to Citizenship’, and must speak fluent Italian.

Browse 195 countries’ paths to citizenship in the hyper-detailed IMI Citizenship Catalog.

Italy Elective Residence Visa

Program Authority and Legal Basis

Applications for this program may be directed to Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

Legislation upon which this program is based Consolidated Immigration Act 2014 Article 5. Residence Permit.

Italy Elective Residence Visa

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Italy Elective Residence Visa

Qualifying Real Estate

As noted in the program qualifications above, an investor can qualify for this program with a local property purchase above the minimum investment threshold. View eligible properties curated by IMI and our real estate partners:

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Italy Elective Residence Visa

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Program Statistics

See more statistics on this program and others in the IMI Data Center.

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