Italy
Italy Investor Visa (Visto Investitori)
Also known as: Italian Golden Visa, Italy Investor Visa Program
- Min investment
- $275K
- Program tier
- Renewable Temp
- Program type
- Investor Visa
- Initial validity
- 2 yr
- Renewable
- Yes
- Path to PR
- 5 yr
- Path to citizenship
- 10 yr
- Schengen access
- Yes
Investment options
Business Investment
$275KEUR 250,000 investment in an Italian innovative startup registered in the official Italian startup registry. Lowest threshold; highest risk.
Business Investment
$550KEUR 500,000 in an Italian S.p.A. or S.r.l. limited company (operational, established, not in liquidation).
Govt Bonds
$2.2MEUR 2,000,000 in Italian government bonds with minimum 2-year holding period. Highest capital but lowest risk.
Donation
$1.1MEUR 1,000,000 philanthropic donation supporting culture, education, immigration management, scientific research, or restoration of cultural and landscape heritage.
Physical presence
Path to citizenship
- Available: Yes
- Minimum years: 10
- Physical-presence years: 10
- Language test: Yes
Naturalization after 10 years of legal residence. Italian B1, civics, integration. Dual citizenship allowed. Italy strongly favors jure sanguinis citizenship (citizenship by descent) which is unaffected by the investor visa.
Tax implications
- Becomes tax resident automatically: No
- Worldwide income taxed: Yes
- Territorial tax system: No
- Day-count for tax residency: 183 days
- Wealth tax: No
Italy operates a flat-tax regime for new tax residents (Art. 24-bis) — EUR 200,000/year (raised from EUR 100,000 in August 2024) flat on all foreign income for up to 15 years. IVAFE/IVIE on foreign assets/properties NOT applicable under this regime. Standard PIT progressive to 43%. No wealth tax but property tax (IMU) and small foreign-asset levies. Investor Visa does NOT automatically trigger tax residency.
Family inclusion
- Spouse: Yes
- Children under 18: Yes
- Dependent adult children: Yes
- Parents: Yes
Spouse or registered partner, minor children, financially dependent adult children, dependent parents over 65 (when no other children can support them in country of origin). Dependents granted family residence permits.
Additional fees
- Application fee: $200
- Government fees: $250
- Legal/agent (est.): $10K
Nulla Osta application is free. Visa fee at consulate EUR 116. Residence permit electronic card EUR 30 + EUR 70 + EUR 16 stamp. Legal fees vary widely; investment due diligence and notarial fees additional.
Eligibility requirements
- Non-EU/EEA/Swiss national, age 18+
- Clean criminal record
- Documented legal source of investment funds
- Nulla Osta (clearance certificate) before transferring funds
- Health insurance for entry/stay
- Italian Codice Fiscale
Disqualifiers
- Inability to prove legal source of funds
- Investment in non-qualifying entity
- Withdrawal of investment within minimum holding period (revocation of visa)
Recent changes
- 2017
Program established under Budget Law 2017.
- 2020-2022
Innovative startup tier lowered from EUR 500K to EUR 250K; government bonds halved from EUR 2M to EUR 500K, then raised back.
- 2024-08
Flat-tax regime (Art. 24-bis) raised from EUR 100,000/year to EUR 200,000/year for new tax residents — relevant for HNWIs combining the visa with tax relocation.
- 2026
Program continues; processing efficiency improving; Italy has not signaled closure despite EU pressure.
Notes
Italy's program uses an unusual 'approval-first, invest-second' model — Nulla Osta is issued before funds are committed. Lowest startup tier (EUR 250K) is among the cheapest EU investor routes, but startup risk is real. Italy is the most relocation-friendly EU RBI for HNWIs combining residency with flat-tax (Art. 24-bis EUR 200K) — for those willing to actually live in Italy. Citizenship via investor visa is slow (10 years) but combined with elective residency or descent can be faster.
EasyPassport is a document-organization tool focused on citizenship by descent. This page is reference research, not legal or financial advice. Always verify with the official program authority.