Current as at September 2026. Thresholds, fees, and tax rates are subject to change.
At a Glance
- Yes. Italy has a residency by investment route, formally called the Investor Visa for Italy and introduced in 2017. The common name is the Italian Golden Visa.
- Four investments qualify: €250,000 into an innovative Italian startup, €500,000 into an existing Italian company, €1,000,000 in philanthropy, or €2,000,000 in Italian government bonds. Only one route per applicant, and they cannot be combined.
- Buying property does not qualify. Italy has never included a real estate route, which is the single most common misunderstanding about the programme.
- Approval comes before the money moves. The Investor Visa Committee issues its clearance first, and the investment is made after arrival in Italy.
- The programme is suspended for Russian and Belarusian nationals, including dual nationals holding either passport, following an EU recommendation.
- Italy’s optional flat tax for new residents rose to €300,000 a year, with €50,000 per family member, for anyone transferring residence from 1 January 2026.
Yes, Italy has a golden visa. It has had one since 2017, it is formally called the Investor Visa for Italy, and it remains open while several comparable European programmes have closed or narrowed. Spain ended its scheme entirely in April 2025.
Most people asking this question have a picture in mind borrowed from Portugal, Greece, or Spain. That picture misleads in two specific ways. Italy has no property route, and it does not ask for your capital until the government has already approved you.
Does Italy have a golden visa, and what is it called?
It does, and the official name is the Investor Visa for Italy. It grants a two-year residence permit, renewable for three years, to non-EU nationals who make and maintain a qualifying investment.
It is run by the Investor Visa Committee through its own government portal rather than through the general immigration system. That matters in practice: it is a documented process with published steps, which is not what Italy’s wider reputation for bureaucracy would lead you to expect.
The permit allows you to live, work, and study in Italy, and to travel within the Schengen area, which now comprises 29 countries. After five years of legal residence you can apply for EU long-term resident status. After ten years you may become eligible to apply for Italian citizenship, subject to language and integration requirements.
What investments qualify for the Italian Golden Visa?
Four investments qualify, and each applicant uses one of them.
| Route | Minimum | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Innovative Italian startup | €250,000 | Must be listed in the official innovative startup register |
| Existing Italian company | €500,000 | Equity in an Italian limited company |
| Philanthropic donation | €1,000,000 | Culture, education, research, heritage, or immigration management |
| Italian government bonds | €2,000,000 | Minimum two-year residual maturity, held for the life of the permit |
An applicant qualifies through a single route. Two half-sized investments in different categories do not add up to a qualifying investment. Only the philanthropic route is money genuinely given away. The other three stay yours, held as assets under a condition, with whatever return or risk the underlying investment brings. What each amount actually buys is worth understanding before choosing.
How much does the Italian Golden Visa cost?
Beyond the qualifying investment itself, official charges come to roughly €350 to €500 per applicant, and professional fees generally run €15,000 to €45,000 depending on family size.
There is no published government application fee for the first-stage clearance. The national visa costs €116, and the residence permit stage accounts for most of the rest. Professional fees are the real variable, driven mainly by how complex your source-of-funds file is. The full cost breakdown sets out each layer.
The larger number is the optional one. Italy’s flat tax for new residents allows a fixed annual charge on all foreign income instead of ordinary Italian taxation. From 1 January 2026 that charge is €300,000 a year, with €50,000 for each family member who joins, up from €200,000 and €25,000. What fixes your rate is the date you transferred your residence to Italy, not the date you file the election. Anyone who moved before the end of 2025 keeps the earlier figure for the remainder of their fifteen years. The regime is separate from the visa, requires a formal election, and needs proper planning before anyone treats it as a benefit.
How does the application process work?
The process runs in three stages: government clearance first, then the visa, then the residence permit and the investment.
You apply for the Nulla Osta, which is the clearance certificate issued by the Committee, through the official investor visa portal. The published target is an assessment within thirty days of a complete file. With clearance in hand you have six months to request the visa at an Italian consulate. You then enter Italy, apply for the residence permit within eight days, and complete the investment within three months of arrival.
Thirty days is a target for complete files, not a guarantee, and consular appointments sit outside the Committee’s control. Plan in months rather than weeks. The process in detail covers what causes delay, which is almost always an incomplete source-of-funds file rather than an opaque system.
Who can apply for the Italian Golden Visa?
The route is open to non-EU nationals who can document the source of their funds, hold health insurance valid in Italy, provide a criminal record certificate, and show sufficient resources to support themselves. Italy publishes no fixed income figure for this route. In practice the benchmark used is the income level at which a resident stops qualifying for exemption from healthcare charges.
Family members can join under Italy’s reunification rules at no additional qualifying investment, though not at no cost. Those who can be included are:
- A spouse
- Dependent children, including adult children who are financially dependent
- Dependent parents, where no other child can support them in the home country
- Parents over 65, where their other children cannot provide support
Each person adds documentation and fees, and each adds €50,000 a year if the household elects the flat tax.
The programme is suspended for Russian and Belarusian nationals, including dual nationals holding either passport, following an EU recommendation adopted in 2022 and applied by Italy from 2023.
What the Italian Golden Visa does not do
It does not grant citizenship. Ten years of legal residence is the earliest point at which naturalisation becomes possible, and language and integration requirements apply on top.
It does not accept property. No amount of Italian real estate qualifies, whatever a listing agent suggests.
It does not guarantee a return. Bonds carry the least risk of the three investment routes, but the capital sits in a market instrument and must be maintained for the life of the permit.
It does not require you to move. There is no published minimum stay to maintain investor residency status, though spending more than 183 days a year in Italy makes you tax resident, which is a separate question worth settling early. Whether you need to relocate depends more on your tax position than on immigration rules.
Frequently asked questions
Does Italy have a golden visa in 2026?
Yes. The Investor Visa for Italy remains open and has operated continuously since 2017. It is suspended for Russian and Belarusian nationals, but otherwise available to non-EU citizens who meet the investment and documentation requirements.
Can I buy property to qualify for Italy’s golden visa?
No. Italy has never included a real estate route. The four qualifying options are an innovative startup, an Italian company, philanthropy, or government bonds. Buying a home in Italy may suit you for other reasons, but it will not support this application.
How long does the Italian Golden Visa take?
The Committee’s published target is thirty days to assess a complete Nulla Osta application. Adding consular appointments, entry, and the residence permit filing, most applicants should plan for a process measured in months. Document readiness is the largest variable.
Do I have to invest before I am approved?
No, and this is one of Italy’s more meaningful distinctions. Clearance is issued first. The investment is completed within three months of arriving in Italy, after the residence permit application is underway.
Can my family come with me?
Yes, under Italy’s family reunification rules and without a larger qualifying investment. A spouse, dependent children, and dependent parents in defined circumstances can be included. Each person carries their own documentation and fees, and each adds €50,000 a year if the household elects the flat tax regime.
Does the Italian Golden Visa lead to citizenship?
It can, but not quickly. Ten years of legal residence is the standard route for non-EU nationals, with language and integration requirements. Five years of residence brings eligibility for EU long-term resident status, which is a different and more accessible milestone.
Italy’s route rewards investors who treat it as a genuine relocation decision rather than a transaction, and most of the disappointment around it comes from expectations imported from programmes that work differently. If Italy is a serious candidate, the two questions worth answering before anything else are which investment route fits how your wealth is actually held, and what Italian tax residency would do to your position. Both are easier to work through with a qualified immigration lawyer and a tax adviser than from published summaries alone.
The information on this page is general and educational. It is not legal, tax, immigration, or investment advice, and it does not take account of your circumstances. Italian immigration and tax rules change, and figures stated here reflect our understanding as at the date shown. Before acting, take advice from a qualified Italian immigration lawyer and a tax adviser in both Italy and your current country of residence.
The substitute tax regime for new residents is optional, requires a formal election with the Italian Revenue Agency, and depends on eligibility conditions including not having been Italian tax resident for nine of the previous ten years. References to investment routes are descriptive and are not an offer, solicitation, or recommendation to acquire any interest in any fund, company, or security. Investment involves risk, including the loss of capital.