Golden visa Italy – Full official guide of the best golden visa Europe

A lot of people wish to come and live in Italy, but getting a visa and the residency is more difficult than it seems. People willing to invest a consistent amount of money in Italy may evaluate an investor visa, better known as golden visa Italy.

In this guide I’ll explain you what golden visa programs in Europe are better for you and why a golden visa program Italy could be perfect for you.

What is golden visa

Let’s start by saying that the golden visa Italia is not the Italy golden visa real estate: indeed, if you’re looking to obtain Italian residency by buying property you should read our guide on elective residency visa.

Golden visa Italy was created in 2017 by the Italian government to promote foreign direct investment. Italy golden visa offers non-EU nationals an opportunity to live in Italy in exchange for a consistent investment in our country. After discussing the benefits of this special opportunity we’ll introduce the requirements of the golden visa program Italy.

Benefits of golden visa Italy

One of the key benefits of the golden visa Italy program is the opportunity it offers for non-EU investors and their families to live, work, and study in one of Europe’s most culturally rich and economically significant countries. The Italy golden visa provides a pathway to long-term residency and, eventually, citizenship, making it an attractive option for global entrepreneurs and high-net-worth individuals.

By investing in the Italian economy, whether through government bonds, innovative startups, or established companies, applicants gain access to the Schengen Area, allowing visa-free travel across 26 European countries. In addition, the program has no minimum stay requirement, offering flexibility to those who wish to maintain international mobility while holding residency rights in Italy.

Italy golden visa requirements

Whatever investment option you choose, there are a few requirements to meet for the golden visa Italy:

• Applicants must not be citizens of the European Union;
• No convictions or pending criminal proceedings;
• Proof of legal origin of funds and ability to sustain oneself and family during the stay in Italy.

 

The investment options are easy to understand but quite difficult to reach and are one of the following..

€2 million investment in Italian government bonds

The first option is to invest in public bonds like Treasury Credit Certificates (CCT/CCTeu), Zero Coupon Treasury Certificates (CTZ), Multi-Year Treasury Bonds (BTP), Multi-Year Treasury Bonds indexed to European inflation, and BTP Italia, with a remaining maturity of no less than two years.

€500,000 investment in an Italian limited company

The second option is to buy shares or quotas of capital companies established and tax resident in Italy.

A company is considered “operating” if it is active and has filed at least one financial statement by the date of the investor visa clearance (Nulla Osta) request.

For the sake of getting the golden visa Italy, the company receiving the investment may be either listed or unlisted. Its name and tax code must be clearly indicated at the time of submission of the nulla osta request, as identifying the target company is a structural element of the application.

€250,000 investment  in an Italian innovative startup

You can also buy shares or quotas of innovative startups, meaning companies referred to in Article 25, paragraph 2, of Decree-Law No. 179 of October 18, 2012, converted with amendments by Law No. 221 of December 17, 2012, and subsequent amendments.

The official list of innovative startups, updated weekly and freely accessible, is available on the dedicated website of the Italian Chamber of Commerce system: startup.registroimprese.it.

€1 million donations to a philanthropic initiative in Italy

As the last option, you can donate in support of a public interest project in the fields of culture, education, immigration management, scientific research, or the restoration of cultural and landscape heritage.

Golden visa Italy documents

As you’ll understand in the Italy golden visa process paragraph, you’ll need documents to prove you have the requirements, especially the economic ones, which are the key of this special visa.

• Nulla Osta (certificate of no impediment) issued by “Comitato Investor Visa for Italy”;
• Detailed investment plan, including evidence of availability and legal origin of the funds;
• Valid passport and documents supporting personal and financial background;
• Golden visa Italia application to be submitted to the relevant Italian consulate once the Nulla Osta is approved.

 

Let’s see the official procedure to get this visa.

Procedure for Italy golden visa

Obtaining a visa is not easy and this is particularly true for the golden visa Italy. But following the right steps you can elevate your chances to be granted with the Italian investor visa.

Choose the investment and apply for Nulla Osta

First, decide which qualifying investment you want to make:

• €2 million in Italian government bonds;
• €500,000 in an Italian company (or €250,000 in an innovative startup);
• €1 million donation to a public interest project. You are not required to transfer the funds immediately. You’ll need to demonstrate that the funds are available and legally sourced.

 

Then you can apply for a Nulla Osta (certificate of no impediment) online through the Italian Ministry of Economic Development’s platform. Unlike the Nulla Osta for all the other types of Italian visas which are released by a local Prefecture, the Nulla Osta for golden visa Italy is released by a special committee. You’ll need to provide:

1. Contact details;
2. Copy of the passport;
3. Brief curriculum vitae outlining the applicant’s main academic and professional experiences;
4. Selection of one of the three types of investment:

• Investment in government bonds;
• Investment in capital companies, including innovative startups;
• Donation, in the following areas: cultural and landscape assets and activities; education and research; immigration management;

1. Documentation demonstrating:

• Ownership of the amounts to be allocated to the investment/donation;
• Transferability and lawful origin of the financial resources used;
• Absence of final criminal convictions and pending charges;
• Legitimacy of the legal representative to bind the foreign legal entity externally;

1. Description of the characteristics of the investment/donation and confirmation of consent from the recipients;
2. Declaration of commitment to use the funds, validated with a digital signature, including an indication of the amount the applicant intends to invest and the municipality in which they intend to settle.

 

The Nulla Osta may be used to obtain the Italy golden visa within six months from its date of issuance. This deadline may be waived only in the case of serious and justified reasons that prevented the applicant from attending the appointment with the competent diplomatic or consular representation in due time.

Apply for the Investor Visa

Once you obtain the Nulla Osta, you can submit your Italy golden visa application to the Italian consulate or embassy in your country of residence. You’ll need to present:

• Copy of the Nulla Osta granted by the Committee, along with the original documents related to the entire set of documentation submitted during the application phase;
• Proof of suitable accommodation in Italy, including hotel reservations or availability provided by third parties;
• Proof of income earned in the previous financial year in the country of residence, exceeding the minimum threshold required by law for exemption from healthcare co-payments (currently approximately €8,500);
• A passport-sized photograph;
• A valid passport;
• Proof of residence within the jurisdiction of the relevant consular district.

 

The Italy golden visa is generally issued within a few weeks and is valid for 2 years.

Enter Italy and ask for your residence permit

Within the 2 years validity of the Italy golden visa you must enter Italy and submit an application for a residence permit for investors, which is valid for two years starting from the date of entry into Italy, by appearing in person at the Questura (Police Headquarters) of their place of residence.

To ensure the prompt start of the administrative procedure for the issuance of the residence permit you should inform the Committee Secretariat well in advance. Then you must notify the date of entry into Italy and the date of the permit application through the dedicated platform.

Starting from the declared date of entry, you have 3 months to complete the investment or donation.

The documentation you must submit in person at the immigration office of the Questura (remember application via postal kit is not allowed) includes:

• Receipt of payment of the pre-printed postal slip in the amount of €30.46 for the printing of the electronic permit (to be paid at the post office);
• Receipt of payment of the pre-printed postal slip in the amount of €50.00 as a fee for the issuance of the residence permit (to be paid at the post office);
• Photocopy of the entire passport;
• Two passport-sized photographs;
• A €16.00 “marca da bollo”;
• Documentation proving accommodation in Italy.

 

Finalize the investment

Obviously you must prove that the approved investment or donation has been carried out within three months of entering the national territory by submitting the appropriate documentation through the designated platform.

All supporting documentation must be written in Italian or English and uploaded to the platform in PDF format. If the documents are not available in Italian or English, a certified translation must be provided.

After a formal review by the Secretariat, the documentation is submitted to the Committee, which verifies whether the investment or donation has been carried out according to the required procedures.

Maintain the investment and renew the permit

As an investor and holder of a golden visa Italy you are required to maintain the investment for the entire duration of the residence permit, under penalty of its revocation and the impossibility of renewal.

Remember you must maintain your original investment. Even if you’re already in possession of the residence permit, you cannot change the destination of the investment, under penalty of revocation and inability to renew.

The residence permit for investors has a duration of two years and can be renewed for successive periods of three years. The Italy golden visa permit is the only residence permit subject to the prior issuance of a clearance (nulla osta) by the Committee, which must verify the actual maintenance of the investment for its entire validity period.

Since the renewal application must be presented at least 60 days before the expiration date according to current regulations, I strongly recommend requesting the clearance well in advance of the expiration date. 

After 5 years, it’s possible to apply for permanent residency in Italy while after 10 years of legal residence, even for Italian citizenship, subject to language and integration requirements (read here our full guide on how to obtain Italian citizenship).

Tax incentives for golden Italy

Italian tax regulations are really complex but, generally, every tax resident in Italy is required to pay income tax on their worldwide earnings.

In order to attract high-net-worth individuals, Italy offers an alternative tax structure. This optional tax regime enables new residents to replace regular taxation on all of their income earned outside of Italian territory with a €100,000 lump sum payment once a year.

You can apply for this tax regime if you’re ready to move your tax residence to Italy. The first condition is that you’ve not been resident in Italy for at least nine out of the last 10 years.

The €100,000 substitutive tax is due in full by the following June 30th of each year. By paying an extra €25,000 for each person, you can also include your family members under the plan.

Once granted, the regime is valid for 15 years and you can opt-out at any time. If the annual lump payment is not paid, in whole or in part, the status will immediately lapse.

I strongly recommend discussing this with an expert since laws may change.

Alternatives of golden visa Italy

Italy investor visa is a good choice if you want to apply for European residency quickly. The program is fast and straightforward with different investment options.

However, if your motivations include getting citizenship in an EU country in a shorter time and without any stay requirements, there are other options such as Portugal golden visa. It’s a scheme that offers various investment options, including real estate purchases, which Italy Golden Visa doesn’t. Also, Portugal Golden Visa can lead to citizenship if you stay in Portugal for seven days on average every year.

Another option is the Greece golden visa. Although it also requires you to stay in Greece for a minimum of seven years to become eligible for citizenship, it offers a real estate acquisition route starting from €250,000.

There are other options other than a golden visa europe since you can evaluate to come to Italy with a self-employment visa, a remote work or digital nomad visa, a study visa or an elective residence visa (which is like Italy golden visa real estate).

Golden visa Europe

As discussed in this guide, the golden visa Italy is one of the best golden visa Europe.

Remember this is not an Italian residency by buying property since this refers to the elective residence visa. The golden visa european countries is another name for the investor visa.

This is the perfect choice if you want to invest money without having an active role in the business you’re investing in and you want to live in Italy because of the investment.

If you need further information don’t hesitate to contact us since this is a really complex procedure and you don’t want to waste your time to see your Italian golden visa denied after months of waiting.

FAQ – Golden visa Italy