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

• The first investor residence permit under the Investor Visa for Italy lasts two years. Each renewal is granted for three years, for as long as the qualifying investment is maintained.
• The renewal application is filed at least 60 days before the permit expires. It requires a new Nulla Osta from the Investor Visa Committee.
• The Committee’s renewal check is proof that the investment or donation has been maintained. Withdrawing the investment while the permit is in force leads to revocation.
• Investor permit holders are exempt by statute from the continuity-of-stay obligations that apply to other Italian permits, so time spent outside Italy is not a ground for refusing renewal. Time in Italy matters for the separate paths to permanent residence and citizenship.
• After five years of maintained investment the holder may request the EU long-term residence permit, which no longer depends on the investment.

Italy Golden Visa renewal is the stage that most explains how the programme actually works, because it is where the investment and the immigration status meet. The Investor Visa for Italy grants a two-year permit on the strength of a qualifying investment; renewing it means proving to the same Committee that approved the original file that the investment is still in place. This page sets out the timetable, the documents, what the Committee checks, what puts a renewal at risk, and how the renewal cycle connects to permanent residence after five years.

The first residence permit is issued for two years, counted from the date it is granted after arrival in Italy. Each subsequent permit is issued for three years. There is no limit to the number of renewals while the investment is maintained. A holder who never seeks permanent residence can continue on three-year permits indefinitely.

Renewal is a two-step process. The first step is a new Nulla Osta from the Investor Visa Committee. The same body that cleared the original application, confirming that the conditions for the investor permit are still met. The second is the residence permit renewal itself, filed with the police headquarters for the province where you live, which issues the new three-year permit on the strength of the Committee’s clearance. The application process guide covers the original sequence; renewal repeats its final stages.

The Committee’s renewal assessment turns on one question: has the investment or donation been maintained. The official portal states that the Committee evaluates the documentation proving maintenance of the investment, and the evidence depends on the route.

For the €250,000 startup route and the €500,000 company route. That means proof that the shares are still held: a current extract from the company’s shareholder register, the company’s registration in the Business Register (and, for a startup, its continued listing in the special section), and confirmation from the company or the fund vehicle that the holding is intact. For the €2 million bond route it means custody statements showing the bonds are still held. For the €1 million philanthropic route, where the money has been given. It means evidence that the donation was completed as declared, since there is nothing to maintain thereafter.

The renewal also requires that the holder still meets the general conditions: a clean criminal record, health insurance, and sufficient means. Time spent outside Italy is not one of them. The investor visa statute (article 26-bis of the Consolidated Immigration Act, as amended in 2020) exempts investor permit holders from the continuity-of-stay obligations that the implementing regulation applies to other permits, and from the integration agreement, so absence from Italy is not a ground for refusing renewal.

The renewal application must be filed at least 60 days before the current permit expires. In practice the Nulla Osta request to the Committee should go in earlier than that, because the permit renewal at the police headquarters cannot be filed until the Committee’s clearance is in hand. Three to four months before expiry is a sensible point to start assembling the evidence, and earlier if the investment is held through a structure whose confirmations take time to obtain.

Filing on time matters for a second reason. A holder who has applied for renewal before expiry remains lawfully resident while the application is pending, on the strength of the receipt, and can continue to live and work in Italy. A holder who lets the permit lapse without applying does not have that protection and may have to leave Italy and start again.

Three things put a renewal at risk, and all three are avoidable.

The first is a change to the investment. Selling the shares, redeeming the bonds, or moving the capital into an asset that does not qualify breaks the condition on which the permit was granted. The consequence is revocation rather than a refused renewal. Any change to the structure of the investment, including a merger or restructuring of the company, should be reviewed with counsel before it happens.

The second is a gap in the evidence. The Committee needs documents that show the investment has been held continuously since it was made. Where the holding is through a fund or corporate vehicle. The vehicle should be asked at the outset what confirmations it will provide at renewal and how quickly.

The third is a change in the general conditions: a criminal conviction. A lapse in health insurance, or an inability to show sufficient means. Each is checked at renewal as it was at the original application.

Family members renew alongside the investor. Their permits carry the same validity, and their renewal depends on the investor’s, so the household’s applications should be filed together. The family application guide explains their position.

Renewal keeps the investor permit alive; it does not by itself lead to anything more. The next status is the EU long-term residence permit, which the official portal states can be requested after maintaining the investment for five years. It requires five years of continuous legal residence in Italy, with absences under six consecutive months and ten months in total, an A2 Italian language test, and income at or above the annual social allowance. Once granted, it does not depend on the investment. The qualifying capital can in principle be released, subject to the terms of any vehicle it is held through.

That is the point at which the investor permit’s flexibility and the long-term goal diverge. A holder who spends most of the year outside Italy can renew the investor permit for as long as they like, but will not accumulate the continuous residence the long-term permit requires. Citizenship by naturalisation follows after ten years of legal residence, with B1 Italian. The permanent residence guide sets out both paths.

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The Nulla Osta renewal request carries no published government fee. The residence permit renewal is charged on a similar tariff to the original, slightly higher for a three-year permit, with €200 to €300 per person commonly observed once the card is issued. Legal assistance with the renewal file usually costs less than the original application, and where the investment is held through a vehicle, its ongoing charges continue for the life of the holding. The cost guide sets these out.

How long is the Italy Golden Visa residence permit valid?

The first permit is valid for two years. Each renewal is granted for three years, for as long as the qualifying investment is maintained. There is no limit to the number of renewals.

When do I apply for renewal?

At least 60 days before the current permit expires. Because the renewal needs a new Nulla Osta from the Investor Visa Committee first, start gathering the evidence three to four months before expiry.

What does the Committee check at renewal?

Proof that the investment or donation has been maintained: shareholder register extracts, company registration, custody statements or the equivalent for your route, together with the general conditions of a clean record, health insurance and sufficient means.

Do I have to live in Italy to renew?

No. The Committee’s check is on the investment, and investor permit holders are exempt by statute from the continuity-of-stay obligations that apply to other permits. Permanent residence and citizenship are different: both require continuous residence in Italy.

What happens if I sell the investment?

The permit is revoked, because the investment is the condition on which it was granted. Any change to the investment should be reviewed with counsel before it is made. The capital can in principle be released once the EU long-term residence permit has been granted after five years.

Renewal under the Investor Visa for Italy is predictable for a holder who has kept the investment intact and the evidence organised. It is the point at which a structured vehicle’s routine confirmations save time, because the documents the Committee needs are produced as a matter of course. The decision worth making early is whether the household is building towards permanent residence, which needs five years of actual presence, or simply keeping a renewable European base. If you would like to talk through your own renewal timetable, the contact page is the place to start.

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.