Italy residence permit for the financially independent (Residenza Elettiva): passive income from EUR 31,000 a year, no work and no investment

It is the only route that requires neither work, nor business, nor investment: only passive income from EUR 31,000 a year, a home and the intention to live in Italy. The flip side: no work at all, and renewal depends on keeping the income, the home and genuine residence. Investors have the Investor Visa; business owners, the self-employment permit.

Decree 850/2011 requires resources of not less than three times the annual amount in Table A of the Ministry of Interior directive of 1 March 2000; consulates state EUR 31,000 a year, or EUR 2,583 a month per applicant. Counted: pensions and annuities, income from real estate, shares in a stable business, other sources other than employment. Not counted: salary. Documents for at least the past year, cross-checked across statements, securities and accounts.

No. The visa is issued to someone who supports himself 'without carrying out any work activity', and remote work from Italian territory is work in Italy. If you plan to keep working, we check other grounds; 'working quietly' on residenza elettiva puts renewal and future EU residence at risk.

Buying is not compulsory, but you must have a home by the time of filing: a notarial deed of purchase or a lease signed by both parties and registered with the Italian authorities. An intention to rent after approval is not accepted by the consulate.

If you live in Italy for most of the tax year you become a tax resident and declare worldwide income. New residents who were not Italian tax residents in 9 of the previous 10 years may elect the regime of Art. 24-bis TUIR: a flat tax of EUR 300,000 a year on all foreign income and EUR 50,000 for each family member included, for those who move from 1 January 2026 (2026 Budget Law 199/2025). Those who moved between 10 August 2024 and 31 December 2025 pay EUR 200,000 and EUR 25,000; before 10 August 2024, EUR 100,000 and EUR 25,000. The regime lasts up to 15 years and requires a ruling request to the Agenzia delle Entrate. With moderate income the ordinary scale may be cheaper; we calculate before the move.

By regulation the consulate decides within 90 days, and the passport stays at the consulate until the decision. After entry: 8 working days to request the permit and up to 90 days for the Questura to issue the card. With the home and the dossier to prepare, a realistic path from the first meeting to the move takes several months; we do not promise a month.

An application to the Questura at least 90 days before the permit expires, with current proof of income and housing; the renewal term may not exceed the initial one. If income has fallen below the threshold, before filing you must either restore it or switch to another ground. Absence from Italy of more than 6 months at a stretch is a separate ground for refusal.

Yes. After 5 years of legal residence, EU long-term residence (income not below the social allowance, housing, an Italian test). After 10 years, the right to citizenship with Italian at level B1; the procedure takes up to 24 months, extendable to 36.

At the Italian consulate for your place of legal residence: New Delhi or Mumbai for India, through the consulate's outsourced visa centre; Dubai or Abu Dhabi for UAE residents. Indian documents are apostilled and translated into Italian; UAE documents are legalised through the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Italian consulate. The application is accepted no earlier than 6 months and no later than 15 days before travel.

Pension statements, rental agreements with bank credits, dividend statements and demat holdings, fixed deposit interest, audited accounts and tax returns for the past year. The consulate cross-checks them against each other, so the sources must reconcile. Transfers for the Italian lease or purchase from India are planned under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme, with the bank's remittance records kept for the file.

The decree allows income from real estate, but we advise against building the whole application on it: Italy has strong tenant protection, evicting a non-paying tenant through the courts can take years, and the consulate treats such income as unstable. Better to combine rent with a pension, dividends or coupons and show a margin on the amount.

Adult children, yes, if they live with you and depend on you: the decree expressly allows the same visa for them. Parents are not mentioned in the decree, and family reunification under Art. 28 of the Consolidated Act is tied to permits for work, study and family reasons, so for parents we propose their own residenza elettiva application on their own income from EUR 31,000 a year; a pension and annuities qualify directly.

The decree requires the means to cover family members too but sets no percentage. Consulates apply their own practice: some require EUR 31,000 a year for each adult applicant, including the spouse. We calculate the threshold for the specific consulate and prepare the application with a margin, not at the limit. Fees grow per person: EUR 116 for the visa and EUR 116.46 for the permit.

Yes. If the application is refused through the fault of our team or an error in building the case, we refund the company's service fee less a minimal retention for costs actually incurred. Refund terms, the payment schedule and the rules on retaining service costs are fixed in the contract before work begins. Before we start, we check your documents and risk history free of charge and tell you about any risks in advance.