Italy digital nomad visa

Requirements

• Qualify as highly skilled: a university degree, professional accreditation, or substantial professional experience
• At least six months of prior experience in the remote work you'll be doing
• Annual income of at least about €28,000 (consulates apply €25,000–30,000 depending on profile)
• Health insurance covering Italy, accommodation proof, and a clean criminal record
• No conviction-related bars for the employer/company if you're employed

How to apply

1. Confirm you meet the highly-skilled definition and income threshold
2. Book the appointment at the Italian consulate for your residence country and submit the dossier
3. Enter Italy on the visa, then apply for the residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) at the post office/questura within 8 working days
4. Renew annually while the conditions continue to hold

Renewal and long-term stay

• Renewable: yes
• Path to permanent residency: yes, after 5 years of residence
• Path to citizenship: yes, after 10 years

The permesso di soggiorno runs up to a year and renews annually while you still meet the income, insurance and accommodation conditions. Five continuous years earns EU long-term resident status; ten earns citizenship.

Applying: where and how

• Apply from outside the country: yes — apply before you travel
• Where you file: at an embassy or consulate
• Income requirement as published: €28,000 per year

Visa at the consulate first, then apply for the permesso di soggiorno within eight days of arriving in Italy. That eight-day window is the step people miss.

Bringing a partner or children

• Dependants: yes — a partner and children can be included

Tax

• You become tax resident: after 183 days in the country
• Foreign income taxed locally: yes — taxed once you become tax resident
• Special nomad or expat tax regime: yes — see below

Italy's impatriati regime exempts 50% of employment or professional income for five years (60% with a dependent child under 18), capped at €600,000 — but read the eligibility before counting on it. You must have been non-resident for the previous three years, hold a degree or qualify as highly skilled, and work mainly in Italy. Crucially it covers employment and professional income and EXCLUDES business and freelance income, which rules out a large share of nomads. A dedicated digital-nomad incentive has been proposed in the 2026 budget process but is not law.

This summarises published rules, not your situation, and it is not tax advice. Two things it can't tell you: your home country may tax you anyway — US citizens are taxed on worldwide income wherever they live — and day-count is only the most common trigger for tax residency, not the only one. Having a permanent home, a family or your centre of economic interests in a country can make you resident well before the day count does. Get advice before you move.

Moving abroad means more than the visa — sort your travel insurance (many visa applications require proof of coverage), set up borderless banking, and land with data working.

First nomad visa? Our digital nomad visa guide explains how qualifying, applying, and taxes work across every country.