Italy · Residency by investment
Investor Visa for Italy
Thresholds have not changed. The programme works on an approval-first model. The Nulla Osta clearance is issued before any money changes hands.
The approval-first structure is genuinely unusual, and it materially reduces the risk of the transaction. You hold the government's clearance in hand before wiring anything, the reverse of how Greece, Malta and Cyprus operate. The catch comes at the back end. 10 years to citizenship, against Greece's 7 and Portugal's 5, makes Italy the slowest major EU naturalisation route. The investor visa works best as a residence and lifestyle instrument, not a passport play.
Qualifying routes
A registered Italian innovative start-up. This is the cheapest route.
Share capital of an operating Italian company.
A minimum residual maturity of two years.
A public interest project in culture, education, immigration management, research or heritage. The funds are non-recoverable.
The facts
- Minimum investment
- €250k
- Total landed cost
- Investment plus legal and filing fees run roughly EUR 10–25k. Uniquely, no capital moves until the Nulla Osta is granted, so your financial exposure before approval is close to nil.
- Route type
- Residency by investment
- Timeline
- 3–6 months (The Nulla Osta arrives within roughly 30 days in principle. Visa issuance and the permesso di soggiorno follow on arrival.)
- Physical presence
- There is no minimum stay required to hold or renew the investor permit. But the permit lapses if you are outside Italy for more than 12 consecutive months. And if you never spend time in Italy, you rule out both permanent residence and citizenship.
- Family
- SpouseMinor childrenAdult children who cannot support themselvesDependent parents
- Permanent residency
- The EU long-term residence permit requires 5 years of both legal and actual residence, plus an A2 Italian test.
- Citizenship
- 10 years of legal residence, one of the longest requirements in the EU, plus B1 Italian.
- Language test
- B1 Italian
- Dual citizenship
- Permitted
- Requirements
- non-EU nationala qualifying investment at one of the four thresholds, held at least two yearsproof of lawful ownership and free availability of the fundsa written commitment to make the investment within three months of entrya Nulla Osta from the Investor Visa Committee before the visa is issuedsufficient resources beyond the investment, health insurance, and a clean criminal record
- It takes 10 years to reach citizenship, and those years must be actual residence. The investor visa's zero-presence flexibility and any citizenship ambition do not go together.
- The investment must be held for at least two years. Selling it early risks revocation and blocks renewal.
- The EUR 1m philanthropic route is a pure donation. There is no asset, no return, and no way to recover the money.
- The permit lapses after 12 consecutive months outside Italy, even though there is no positive stay requirement.
- The initial permit runs two years and renews in three-year increments. Renewal depends on the investment surviving.
- The EUR 250k innovative start-up route carries real commercial risk in an early-stage company, and if the company fails, it can unwind your immigration status.
- Italy is a high-tax, high-compliance jurisdiction. Without the Article 24-bis election, becoming resident exposes worldwide income at ~47.2% plus IVIE and IVAFE on foreign assets.