The guide · Italy visas
Italy decides your visa by how you will pay your way — and every visa forbids something. Choose on how you will actually live, not on which is quickest.
Updated September 2026 · figures from ISTAT
People living on pensions, rents, dividends or savings. Around €31,000 a year.
It forbids work of any kind, including remote work for an employer at home. The income must be passive and provable, and consulates read this strictly.
Employees and freelancers working remotely for a non-Italian employer or clients. Around €28,000 a year.
Introduced in 2024 and still applied unevenly between consulates. Expect to prove qualifications, at least six months of relevant experience, health cover and accommodation.
People setting up or freelancing in Italy itself. Around €8,500 a year.
Capped by the decreto flussi quota, which opens for a matter of days each year. Plan around the quota calendar or plan a different route.
People with an Italian job offer.
The employer applies for the nulla osta, not you, and it also runs through the decreto flussi quota. Nothing starts until they act.
No visa. You move, then register your residence at the comune after three months, showing you can support yourself and are covered for healthcare.
Keep reading
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Buying property in Italy
How buying works for a foreigner, what it really costs, and where the houses are.
Cheap houses in Italy
The three places genuinely cheap houses come from — and what they cost once you own one.
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Every scheme we have checked, which are open, and the conditions attached.
Retiring to Italy
The retirement visa, healthcare, and the 7% tax on a foreign pension.
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All 2,344 comuni that meet the population and regional test, by region.
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The grants and bonuses that actually exist, and which are still open.
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All twenty regions: how fast they are emptying, the schemes and every town.