Italy Digital Nomad Visa: Requirements, Income and How to Apply
At a glance
| Minimum income | About €24,790 a year (about €2,066 a month), before tax |
| First permit | 1 year |
| Renewable? | Yes, every year |
| Leads to permanent residency? | Yes, the EU long-term permit after 5 years |
| Special tax regime | Impatriati regime: 50% of qualifying income tax-free for 5 years |
| Freelancers and business owners? | Yes, as “digital nomads” (independent specialists) |
Who can apply
Italy’s visa for digital nomads and remote workers has been running since April 2024. It’s for non-EU citizens who want to live in Italy while working remotely, and it splits applicants into two groups that apply the same way:
- Digital nomads: freelancers, consultants and other independent specialists
- Remote workers: employees of a company who can do their job entirely remotely
What sets Italy apart is that it’s only open to highly qualified workers. You need to show you belong to a qualifying profession in one of three ways:
- A bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate degree, recognized in Italy through CIMEA or a Declaration of Value
- For licensed professions, such as architects, engineers and teachers, an attestation from the relevant Italian authority
- A higher professional qualification plus at least five years of experience in the field, documented job by job. For executives and specialists in IT, this drops to three years of experience within the last seven
On top of that, everyone needs at least six months of prior experience doing the work you plan to do from Italy. Freelancers can show this with tax returns, client invoices or professional memberships; employees with payslips, tax returns or an employer letter.
Remote workers have two extra requirements. Your salary has to meet the level set by the relevant Italian collective agreement and can’t be below the national median salary calculated by ISTAT, Italy’s statistics office. In practice, that can be higher than the €24,790 headline figure. You also need a letter from your employer, signed by an executive or legal representative, confirming the company hasn’t been convicted of certain offences, such as labor law violations, in the past five years.
Business owners can apply as digital nomads, the independent specialist category, with their contracts and invoices. Italy accepts experience gained as a company owner or partner too: the consulates ask for the position you held, whether owner, partner or employee. Applying as an employee of your own company is less clear. The remote worker route needs an employer letter and a salary that meets Italian pay standards, and Italy hasn’t published how it treats an applicant who owns the employer. This set-up isn’t accepted everywhere, and how you structure it has tax and legal consequences in more than one country. Get professional advice on structuring and tax before you rely on it for a visa application.
Minimum income requirement
You need a legal income of at least three times the minimum level Italy uses to exempt people from healthcare charges. Italy’s consulates put that at €24,789 a year, or about €2,066 a month, before tax.
Two rules catch people out:
- The income must come from the work you’ll do in Italy. Pensions, rental income, dividends and investment returns don’t count, even if they’re well above the threshold.
- Remote workers face a second test. As above, an employee’s salary also has to meet Italian collective agreement levels and the ISTAT median, so check that figure for your sector.
You can prove your income with payslips, tax returns, a W-2 or your three most recent bank statements. Some consulates and guides quote rounded figures as high as €28,000, so confirm the number with the consulate handling your application.
Not earning €2,066 a month yet? That’s where most people reading this page are. The Portable Income Launchpad is a six-week program for experienced professionals turning their expertise into remote income that meets a visa threshold like this one.
Bringing your family
Once you’re in Italy, you can sponsor your spouse and children under 18 to join you, including a spouse’s child from a previous relationship if the other parent consents. Adult children and parents can’t be sponsored on this visa, even if they depend on you.
Your family doesn’t apply alongside you. The process starts at the Questura (the provincial police headquarters) where you applied for your own residence permit, through Italy’s family reunification procedure. That procedure has its own conditions: housing that meets local standards and income above a minimum based on Italy’s state social allowance, rising with each family member. Your Questura confirms the figures, so ask before you plan your family’s move.
How long it lasts and renewal
Your visa gets you into Italy. Within eight working days of arriving, you apply for a residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) at the Questura that covers your Italian address. Many Questure now take applications through the post office.
The permit lasts one year. You renew it at your local Questura each year, as long as you still have your work, your accommodation and your health insurance. There’s no fixed limit on renewals, so you can keep renewing while you qualify.
Tax: special regimes and when you become tax resident
If you’re registered as resident in Italy, or spend most of the year there (more than 183 days), you’re likely to become an Italian tax resident and owe tax on your worldwide income. Most people on this visa reach that point in their first year.
Italy’s impatriati regime can cut the bill substantially. Under the rules in force since 2024, only 50% of your qualifying income earned in Italy is taxed, up to €600,000 a year. That rises to 60% tax-free if you move with a child under 18 or have one while on the regime. It lasts for the year you move plus the next four. Both employees and self-employed professionals can use it, but you must:
- Not have been an Italian tax resident in the previous three years, or six to seven years if you keep working for the same employer or group you worked for abroad
- Commit to staying tax resident in Italy for at least four years, or repay the benefit
- Do most of your work in Italy
- Be highly qualified or specialized, which this visa already requires
Self-employed applicants with smaller businesses may also look at the regime forfettario, a flat-rate system for revenue up to €85,000 a year. It charges a single 15% tax on a fixed share of your revenue that depends on your type of work. The 5% start-up rate is only for a genuinely new activity, which usually rules out simply carrying on the freelance work you did before you moved. Freelancers also need an Italian VAT number (partita IVA) and must register for social security with INPS.
This is general information, not tax advice. Talk to an Italian accountant (commercialista) who works with your home country before you move.
Does it lead to permanent residency or citizenship?
Yes, through Italy’s standard residence rules rather than anything specific to this visa.
After 5 years of legal residence, you can apply for the EU long-term residence permit, Italy’s version of permanent residency. You’ll need income at least equal to the annual social allowance and an Italian language test at A2 level. Long absences break the five years: more than six months in a row, or more than ten months in total.
Italian citizenship by residence is open after 10 years of legal residence in Italy. You’ll need to show enough income to support yourself and a clean criminal record, and pass an Italian language certificate at B1 level.
How to apply
From your home country
You have to apply at the Italian consulate that covers where you legally live. There’s no option to apply from inside Italy.
- Secure your accommodation first. You need a lease, rental contract or deed in your own name covering the whole visa period. A rental contract must be the standard residential lease (contratto di locazione ad uso abitativo), registered by the landlord with the Italian tax authority.
- Get your qualification recognized through CIMEA or a Declaration of Value, or gather five years of employment records. This and the lease take the longest, so start here.
- Arrange health insurance covering medical expenses, hospitalization and repatriation, with cover of at least €30,000.
- Book an appointment at your consulate. Since January 2025, all national visa applicants have their fingerprints taken.
- Submit the national visa form, photo and passport, with proof of income, experience, qualification, accommodation and insurance. Remote workers add their employment contract and employer letter. Your passport needs to be valid for at least 15 months after your travel date, with two blank pages.
- Pay the visa fee, around €116, which is adjusted every quarter in line with exchange rates.
- Wait for a decision. Consulates don’t publish a processing time; one to three months is common.
- Travel to Italy and apply for your residence permit within eight working days.
Can I apply from inside Italy?
No. Unlike Spain, Italy only takes applications through its consulates abroad, so you can’t switch to this visa while visiting Italy as a tourist.
Restrictions and common reasons for refusal
The visa is for remote work done for employers or clients outside Italy. Taking a job with an Italian employer needs a different permit. If you move house, you have to tell the Questura that issued your residence permit.
According to the consulates themselves, inadequate health insurance is the number one reason for refusals. The other common problems are:
- No lease in your name, or a lease that doesn’t cover the whole visa period. Hotel stays and offers of hospitality from friends aren’t accepted
- A rental contract that isn’t the standard residential type or hasn’t been registered with the tax authority
- Income from pensions, rent or investments instead of work
- A degree without CIMEA recognition or a Declaration of Value
- Gaps in the job-by-job paperwork for the five-years-of-experience route
- For employees, a salary below the collective agreement level or the ISTAT median
- A passport with less than 15 months of validity left
Is this visa right for you?
Italy’s digital nomad visa suits highly qualified professionals, especially those with a recognized degree, who earn above €2,066 a month from remote work and want a long-term base in Italy. It has the lowest income threshold of the major EU digital nomad visas, and the impatriati regime makes it one of the best options in Europe on tax for the first five years, for freelancers as well as employees.
The trade-off is paperwork. You need a registered lease before you even apply, your qualifications need formal recognition, and the permit has to be renewed every year. If you’d rather apply from inside the country or want a longer first permit, Spain may suit you better. If you don’t have a degree and are early in your career, the five-years-of-experience route will be hard to document, so you may find other countries easier.
FAQ
What are the requirements for Italy’s digital nomad visa? A qualifying profession (a recognized degree, a licence, or five years of experience), at least six months of experience in your remote role, income of about €24,790 a year from that work, health insurance with at least €30,000 of cover, and a registered lease in Italy in your name.
Is it hard to get Italy’s digital nomad visa? The income bar is low, but the paperwork is demanding. Most problems come from health insurance that falls short, an unregistered or temporary lease, or qualifications that haven’t been recognized in Italy.
Do I need a degree? Not necessarily. Without a degree or licence, you can qualify with a higher professional qualification and at least five years of documented experience, or three years within the last seven if you work in IT.
Can I apply from inside Italy? No. You apply at the Italian consulate that covers where you legally live, then get your residence permit after you arrive.
Do I pay tax in Italy on this visa? Usually yes. Once you’re tax resident, Italy taxes your worldwide income. The impatriati regime can make half of your qualifying income tax-free for five years.
Can a US citizen live in Italy permanently through this visa? Yes, over time. After five years of legal residence you can apply for the EU long-term residence permit, and after ten for citizenship.
If you don’t qualify: alternatives and similar visas
If your income comes from pensions or investments rather than work, Italy’s elective residency visa is designed for that, though it doesn’t allow you to work. Self-employed people without a degree can also look at Italy’s self-employment visa, which runs on an annual quota.
To compare other digital nomad visas, see our digital nomad visas page, or start with:
- Spain’s digital nomad visa, which you can apply for from inside Spain
- Portugal’s digital nomad visa, with its own route to permanent residency
- Greece’s digital nomad visa, with a 2-year residence permit after the first year
Sources
- Consulate General of Italy in New York: digital nomad / remote worker visa (official)
- Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles: digital nomad / remote worker visa (official)
- Italian Ministry of the Interior: citizenship (official)
- Assolombarda: the impatriati tax regime (employers’ association guide)
- Fiscozen: the flat-rate regime at 5% and 15% (tax adviser guide)
- Assolombarda: EU long-term residence permit (employers’ association guide)
Educational information, not legal, immigration or tax advice. Rules change, so check the official sources before you apply.