Yes, Italy has a golden visa. It is officially called the Investor Visa for Italy, created by the 2017 Budget Law and codified as Article 26-bis of the Consolidated Act on Immigration (Legislative Decree 286/1998).1Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ministry of the Interior. Investor Visa for Italy – Policy Guidance It grants non-EU citizens a two-year residence permit in exchange for a qualifying investment starting at €250,000, with three-year renewals available as long as the investment remains in place. The program sits outside Italy’s annual immigration quotas, so approvals are not capped.2Consolato Generale d’Italia a San Francisco. New Type of Entry Visa in Italy for Investors
The Four Ways to Qualify
Italy gives you four qualifying investment routes, each aimed at a different part of the economy:3Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy. Investor Visa for Italy
- €2 million in Italian government bonds such as BTPs, CCTs, CTZs, or BTP Italia, each with at least two years of residual maturity at the time of purchase.1Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ministry of the Interior. Investor Visa for Italy – Policy Guidance
- €500,000 as a direct equity investment in an Italian limited liability company.
- €250,000 in an innovative startup listed in Italy’s official registry. The company must be an Italian limited company or cooperative focused on technological innovation, with under €5 million in annual sales and no dividend history.4Italia Startup Visa. FAQ
- €1 million in a philanthropic donation to a project of public interest in areas such as education, culture, immigration management, or scientific research.3Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy. Investor Visa for Italy
The investment must be maintained for the full duration of your residence permit. If you withdraw the funds or let the investment lapse, the permit can be revoked. The published policy guidance requires the investment to be “maintained” but does not spell out whether bond holders must top up a portfolio that loses value through market movement, a point worth clarifying with an Italian immigration attorney before choosing the bond route.
Who Can Apply
The program is open only to nationals of countries outside the European Union and Schengen Area.5Consolato Generale d’Italia Londra. Investors You need to be at least 18, have a clean criminal record, and be the beneficial owner of the investment funds. The money cannot be borrowed, encumbered by liens, or subject to legal disputes.
Proving the legal origin of your capital is central. Italian authorities run rigorous anti-money-laundering checks, so expect to hand over bank statements, audited financial records, and letters from your financial institution confirming the funds are available and transferable.
You also need health coverage while in Italy. Once you hold a residence permit, you can enroll voluntarily in Italy’s National Health Service (SSN) for an annual fee, or keep private insurance for the length of your stay.
How the Application Works
The process runs in three stages. First comes the Nulla Osta, a certificate of no impediment issued by a committee at the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT). You apply for it entirely online through the ministry’s dedicated portal.6Ministero delle Imprese e del Made in Italy. Investor Visa for Italy – Un Visto per Attrarre Investimenti Strategici dall’Estero The upload package includes:
- A valid passport covering your planned stay.
- A professional CV.
- A criminal record certificate from every country you have lived in.
- Bank statements and institutional letters showing you hold the required amount and can transfer it to Italy.
- A signed declaration pledging to complete the investment within the required timeframe after arrival.
Every document has to be translated into Italian and, depending on your country of origin, legalized or apostilled. The committee reviews and issues the Nulla Osta within 30 days.7Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy. Investor Visa – How It Works
With the Nulla Osta in hand, you apply for the actual entry visa at the Italian consulate or embassy in your home country. Because the substantive review has already happened, this step is procedural.
Once you arrive in Italy, you have eight days to visit the Questura (local police headquarters) and apply for the physical residence permit. That permit is valid for two years from your date of arrival.1Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ministry of the Interior. Investor Visa for Italy – Policy Guidance
Now the investment clock starts. You have three months from receiving the residence permit to complete the qualifying transaction and upload proof to the MIMIT portal. Miss that window and the permit is cancelled. Setting up your Italian bank accounts and brokerage relationships before you land can save weeks.
Renewing the Permit
After the initial two years, you can apply for a three-year renewal as long as the original investment remains intact.8Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy. Phase 3 – Renewing Your Investor Residence Permit Renewal requires a fresh Nulla Osta, so you are effectively re-proving the investment. File at least 60 days before your current permit expires, upload evidence that the investment is still in place, and sign the declaration electronically. Subsequent renewals follow the same three-year pattern.
How Much Time You Have to Spend in Italy
One of the program’s biggest draws is the absence of a minimum-stay requirement during the first five years. Under Article 26-bis, paragraph 5-bis of the Consolidated Immigration Act, investor visa holders are exempt from continuity-of-stay obligations for the first five years after their initial permit is issued. You can spend most of your time outside Italy while keeping your legal residence, provided you appear in person to renew.
Your Italian residence permit also lets you travel throughout the 26-country Schengen Area without a separate visa, for up to 90 days within any 180-day period in each member state.
Bringing Your Family
Investor visa holders can apply for family reunification under Italy’s general immigration rules in Article 29 of the Consolidated Immigration Act.9Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy. Investor Visa FAQ and Other Information Eligible relatives are your spouse, unmarried minor children (including stepchildren with proper consent), dependent adult children with serious health conditions, and dependent parents.10European Commission – Migration and Home Affairs. Family Member in Italy Parents generally qualify if they have no other children in their home country who can support them, or if they are over 65 and their other children cannot help due to documented health problems. Family permits are tied to yours, so their status depends on you keeping the qualifying investment in place.
Getting to Permanent Residency and Citizenship
After five years of maintaining your investment, you become eligible for an EU long-term residence card, which functions as permanent residency.7Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy. Investor Visa – How It Works The long-term card is not tied to continued investment and gives you broader rights across the EU. There is a physical-presence trade-off, though: while the investor visa itself does not require a minimum stay in the first five years, the long-term card does. In the five years before you apply, your absences from Italy must not exceed six consecutive months or ten months total.
Italian citizenship through naturalization requires ten years of continuous legal residence for non-EU nationals.11Italian Ministry of the Interior (Prefettura). Italian Citizenship by Residence Requirements You also have to show Italian language proficiency at B1 level or higher on the Common European Framework scale. Citizenship applications can take up to 24 months, with a maximum extension to 36 months. From first investor visa to Italian passport, expect roughly 12 years at minimum once processing is factored in.
The Flat Tax Option for New Residents
Italy runs a separate tax regime that many investor visa applicants pair with the program. When you shift your tax residence to Italy, you can elect a substitute flat tax on all foreign-sourced income instead of paying Italy’s standard progressive rates, which reach 43%.12Agenzia delle Entrate. Tax Regime for New Residents The regime also covers wealth taxes on foreign real estate and financial investments and eliminates most foreign financial reporting through your Italian return.
For individuals who transfer their tax residency starting January 1, 2026, the annual flat tax is €300,000, with another €50,000 for each family member added. You qualify only if you were a non-Italian tax resident for at least nine of the ten fiscal years before your transfer. The regime lasts up to 15 years. The figure has risen sharply, from the original €100,000 to €200,000 in 2024 and now €300,000 for 2026 elections, so whether it makes sense depends on the size and shape of your foreign income.
The flat tax applies only to foreign income. Returns on your Italian investment, such as bond yields or company dividends, are taxed under Italy’s normal rules. Filing an advance ruling with the Italian tax authorities before electing the regime is a common step, since it confirms in writing that you qualify.