Italy Investor Visa

Italy’s Investor Visa is a 2-year entry visa for non-EU and non-Schengen nationals who intend to make a qualifying investment or philanthropic donation in Italy. It is not a property golden visa. The lowest statutory route is EUR 250,000 into an Italian innovative startup.

The process is staged: online nulla osta first, consular visa second, entry into Italy, residence-permit filing, and then execution of the approved investment or donation within 3 months of arrival.

Start Here

Need	Best page
Understand the route and who it fits	Main guide
Compare bonds, companies, startups, and donation routes	Investment routes and due diligence
Plan nulla osta, consulate, permit, execution, and renewal	Timeline and documents
Separate family, tax, long-term residence, and citizenship	Tax, family, and citizenship setup
Compare with work-based remote residence	Italy Digital Nomad and Remote Worker Visa

Programme Snapshot

Item	Current Rule
Official name	Investor Visa for Italy
Legal basis	Article 26-bis of Legislative Decree 286/1998 and the inter-ministerial decree of July 21, 2017
Main audience	Adult non-EU/non-Schengen investors, or eligible foreign legal entities through a legal representative
Application channel	Online IV4I portal
First decision	Nulla osta by the Investor Visa for Italy Committee
Nulla osta target timing	Outcome within 30 days after complete submission
Visa validity	2-year investor visa
Residence permit	2-year investor residence permit after entry
Renewal	Further 3-year periods if the original investment or donation is maintained
Lowest threshold	EUR 250,000 in an Italian innovative startup
Other thresholds	EUR 500,000 Italian limited company, EUR 1 million philanthropic donation, EUR 2 million Italian government bonds
Property purchase	Not a qualifying route
Investment timing	The declared investment/donation must be executed after entry and within 3 months of arrival
Family	Family reunification can be relevant under ordinary Italian rules, not as an automatic investment add-on
Long-term residence	Possible after 5 years only if the separate EU long-term residence conditions are met
Citizenship	Ordinary naturalisation planning is separate; non-EU nationals generally need 10 years legal residence plus further requirements

Application Flow

1. Confirm non-EU/non-Schengen eligibility and passport position.
2. Choose one qualifying route: government bonds, Italian limited company, innovative startup, or philanthropic donation.
3. Prepare source-of-funds, criminal-record, CV, recipient, and route-specific evidence.
4. Submit the online IV4I nulla osta application.
5. Respond within 30 days if the Committee asks for supplementary evidence.
6. If approved, apply for the investor visa at the competent Italian consulate within 6 months.
7. Enter Italy and apply for the investor residence permit within 8 days.
8. Execute the approved investment or donation within 3 months of entry.
9. Upload execution proof through the IV4I portal.
10. Maintain the original investment or donation for the permit period and renewal.

Good Fit

Italy Investor Visa is strongest for investors who already want a meaningful Italy investment, can document clean and transferable funds, and are comfortable with post-approval execution, Italian banking, securities custody or company evidence, and ongoing maintenance.

Poor Fit

It is usually a poor fit for applicants seeking real estate as the qualifying asset, a guaranteed passive residence product, quick citizenship, or a route where the investment can be changed freely after the permit is issued.