Current as at September 2026. Thresholds, fees, and tax rates are subject to change

• The Italy Golden Visa company investment is €500,000 of equity in an Italian limited company incorporated and operating in Italy, the second of the four Investor Visa for Italy routes.
• The threshold is statutory, halved from €1 million in May 2020. The investment is in share capital rather than loans, bonds or property. Since Law 193/2024 the same €500,000 can instead be invested in an Italian venture capital fund.
• Approval comes first. The Committee assesses a complete file within a published 30-day target. The €500,000 is invested within three months of arriving in Italy.
• The investment must be held for as long as the residence permit is maintained. The permit lasts two years and renews for three, with the Committee verifying the holding at each renewal.
• Regulated fund vehicles exist for this route, typically charging a setup fee of around €15,000 plus VAT. They are a common way of making the investment.

The Italy Golden Visa company investment is one of the two routes most applicants to the Investor Visa for Italy choose. At €500,000 it sits between the startup route and the philanthropic and bond routes. It offers something the others do not: a qualifying asset that can be an established, operating business, or a regulated fund structured for the purpose. This page explains what the law requires of the company, how the investment is made and held, the deadlines, and the trade-off between choosing a company yourself and investing through a vehicle built for the programme.

The statute requires an investment of at least €500,000 in equity instruments of a company, or since Law 193/2024 a venture capital fund, established and operating in Italy. For a company that means a limited company (a società di capitali, most often an S.r.l. or S.p.A.). Three points follow from that wording.

The investment must be equity. Shareholder loans, bonds and instruments that do not immediately confer ownership do not count, and neither does buying property through a company. The applicant acquires shares, either by subscribing for new capital or by purchasing existing shares from another shareholder. The Committee is sent evidence of the shareholding. Units in a qualifying Italian venture capital fund are the one alternative the statute now allows.

The company must be operating. A shell company incorporated only to receive the investment is unlikely to satisfy the requirement, and the Committee looks at the company’s activity, accounts and structure in its assessment of the file. A company already trading in Italy, with employees, revenue and a business plan, is the model the rule contemplates.

The stake need not be a majority. The law sets a minimum amount, and a minority holding in a larger company qualifies as well as control of a smaller one. That is what makes fund-type vehicles possible. It also means an investor should understand what rights a minority stake carries before buying one.

The sequence is the same as for every route. The application is lodged online with the Investor Visa Committee, identifying the target company and evidencing the funds and their lawful origin. The Committee publishes a 30-day assessment target for a complete file and issues a Nulla Osta if satisfied. The applicant then has six months to request the investor visa at an Italian consulate and two years from its issue to enter Italy.

After arrival, the residence permit application is filed within eight days and the €500,000 must be invested within three months. Proof of the shareholding goes to the Committee, and the two-year permit is issued. Each renewal, for three years at a time, requires a new Nulla Osta from the Committee confirming the shares are still held. Selling the stake while the permit is in force leads to revocation. The full stage-by-stage account is in the application process guide.

An investor with an existing connection to Italy. A business they want to build there, or a specific operating company they have identified can invest directly. That means negotiating the terms of the shareholding, carrying out commercial and legal due diligence on the company, and structuring the investment so that it plainly meets the equity and operating tests.

The advantages are control over the choice and the possibility of an active role in the business. The costs are the diligence itself, the time it takes to find and close a suitable investment inside the programme’s windows. The concentration of €500,000 in a single private company whose fortunes will decide the value of the qualifying asset. For investors who want the residence permit and an operating business in Italy. This is often the right path; for those who want the permit and a conservative holding, it usually is not.

A common approach is to invest through a vehicle that has been structured for the investor visa: a regulated fund or holding company that owns qualifying Italian operating businesses, is audited, reports to investors, and issues shares that meet the programme’s requirements. The investor subscribes for €500,000 of shares, the vehicle supplies the documentation the Committee needs. The investor holds the position for the life of the permit.

Those vehicles charge for the service. Setup or onboarding fees run at roughly three per cent of the investment, for example €15,000 plus VAT on the €500,000 route, with ongoing management charges for as long as the holding is maintained. The setup fee is a charge on the investment structure and sits alongside immigration counsel rather than replacing it. What the investor gains is a qualifying asset that has been built around the programme, professional management. A documented exit at the end of the holding period; what they give up is the choice of underlying company and part of the return in fees. The investment amount page compares this with the other routes.

The questions to ask any vehicle are the same: who regulates it, who audits it, what it invests in, what the fees are over the full holding period, what liquidity it offers once the permit no longer depends on the holding, and what happens if the underlying businesses underperform. A vehicle that cannot answer those questions in writing is not one to invest through.

The investment must be maintained for as long as the investor residence permit is held. In practice that means at least the initial two years plus the first three-year renewal, and for most applicants five years, since the official portal states that maintaining the investment for five years allows the holder to request the EU long-term residence permit, after which the residence status no longer depends on the investment.

An exit before then, whether by selling the shares or by the company being wound up, puts the permit at risk. Investors should therefore plan the holding period at the outset, understand the exit terms of any vehicle they use, and take advice before any change to the structure. The renewal mechanics are set out in the renewal guide and the longer-term path in the permanent residence guide.

Official charges are small: no published fee for the Nulla Osta application, €116 for the national visa, and roughly €350 to €500 per applicant once the residence permit is issued. Immigration counsel typically runs €8,000 to €15,000 for a single applicant with a clean file, and €15,000 to €45,000 all-in for a family with a complex one. The cost guide sets these out line by line.

What is the minimum for the Italy Golden Visa company investment?

€500,000 in the share capital of an Italian limited company incorporated and operating in Italy. The threshold was halved from €1 million in May 2020 and has not changed since.

Can the €500,000 go into a fund instead of a company?

Yes. Since Law 193/2024 the statute allows the €500,000 to be invested in an Italian venture capital fund established and operating in Italy, as an alternative to shares in a company. The fund must meet the programme’s requirements and the holding must be maintained in the same way.

Can I invest in my own company?

Yes, provided it is an Italian limited company that is operating in Italy and the €500,000 is a genuine equity investment in its share capital. A shell company set up only to receive the funds is unlikely to qualify.

Do I have to control the company?

No. The law sets a minimum investment amount and no minimum shareholding percentage. A minority stake in a larger company qualifies, which is how regulated fund vehicles for this route work.

When is the money invested?

Within three months of entering Italy on the investor visa, after the Committee has approved the file. Nothing is invested before approval.

How long must I keep the shares?

For as long as you hold the investor residence permit. The Committee checks at each renewal that the shares are still held, and selling them while the permit is in force leads to revocation. After five years of maintained investment you may request the EU long-term residence permit, which does not depend on the holding.

The company route rewards investors who decide early whether they want an operating business in Italy or a conservative qualifying holding, because the two lead to different investments, different diligence and different exits. Regulated fund vehicles have been built for the second group and are a common way the €500,000 is invested. The first group will usually work with a corporate lawyer alongside their immigration counsel. If you would like to talk through which fits your circumstances, the contact page is the place to start.

References to investment routes are descriptive. They are not an offer or invitation to acquire any interest in a fund, company, or security. They are not a recommendation of any particular structure. Investment involves risk, including the risk of losing some or all of the capital invested. A qualifying investment must be maintained for the life of the residence permit, and its value is not guaranteed.

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.