🇮🇹 Italy · Type D
Italy long-stay visa documents — Italy national visa (Type D).
Italy issues several national long-stay (Type D) visas. The Elective Residence Visa (residenza elettiva) is the passive-income route; the Digital Nomad Visa, operational since April 2024, is the remote-worker route. Both lead to a permesso di soggiorno that must be applied for at the local Questura within 8 working days of arrival.
Start your long-stay kit — $49Type D kit · flat fee · monthly stay plan included
Which long-stay category applies to you?
- Elective Residence Visa (ERV)
Retirees and passive-income residents (pensions, dividends, rental, annuities); no work in Italy
Financial means: ≈ €31,000/year of passive income (consular benchmark, not codified) +20% spouse, +5% per child- Legal basis: MFA Decree of 11 May 2011 + Interior Ministry means-of-support table of 1 March 2000.
- Remote work for foreign employers is widely refused as inconsistent with ERV.
- Digital Nomad Visa
Highly skilled remote workers employed by or providing services to non-Italian entities
Financial means: ≈ €28,000/year (3× annual healthcare-exemption threshold)- Legal basis: Ministerial Decree of 29 February 2024 (in force 4 April 2024).
- Requires ≥ 6 months of prior remote-work experience and ≥ €30,000 health cover.
- Self-employment (lavoro autonomo)
Non-EU nationals starting or continuing self-employed activity in Italy within the annual quota (decreto flussi)
- Requires nulla osta from the Questura before the consular visa stage.
- Student(Studio)
Enrolled in an Italian university or accredited programme
Financial means: ≈ €5,977/year minimum means (2026 reference) - Family reunification
Joining a legal resident in Italy
Core requirements at the consulate
The list below is the baseline every Italy consulate expects. Sub-types add documents (employment contract, lease, bank statements, etc.).
| Passport validity | ≥ 3 months beyond visa expiry, 2 blank pages |
|---|---|
| Photos | 2 recent biometric photos |
| Insurance | Health cover valid in Italy, ≥ €30,000 medical + repatriation |
| Accommodation | Long-term lease, deed, or formal hosting declaration (dichiarazione di ospitalità) |
| Criminal record | From country of residence, apostilled and translated into Italian |
| Codice fiscale | Italian tax number (obtained via consulate or Agenzia delle Entrate) |
After you arrive in Italy
- 1File the kit giallo application at a Poste Italiane sportello amico for the permesso di soggiorno within 8 working days of arrival.
- 2Attend the Questura biometrics appointment.
- 3Register with SSN (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale) where eligible, or maintain the qualifying private policy.
Official sources
Italy long-stay visa — FAQ
- What is the legal basis for the Italian ERV income threshold?
- The visa's documentary framework is the MFA Decree of 11 May 2011; the income assessment applies the Ministry of Interior means-of-support table of 1 March 2000. Italian law does not fix a single ERV income figure — the widely applied consular benchmark is ≈ €31,000/year for the main applicant, and consulates apply the table with discretion.
- When did the Italy Digital Nomad Visa actually become applyable?
- The visa was created by Law 25/2022 but had no operational rules until the Ministerial Decree of 29 February 2024 was published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale and entered into force on 4 April 2024. From that date, Italian consulates accept DNV files.
- Can I work remotely on the Elective Residence Visa?
- No — the ERV bars all work in Italy, and remote work for foreign employers is widely refused as inconsistent with the visa's spirit. If you have active remote-work income, the Digital Nomad Visa is the correct route.
- What is the permesso di soggiorno and when do I apply for it?
- The permesso di soggiorno is the residence-permit card that actually authorises residence in Italy; the entry visa alone is not enough. You must file the kit giallo application at a Poste Italiane sportello amico within 8 working days of arrival, then attend the Questura biometrics appointment.
- Do I need a real flight ticket for the long-stay visa appointment?
- For long-stay applications, consulates focus primarily on your accommodation contract, financial evidence, and purpose documentation. A flight reservation is a supporting document only — a verifiable one-way or onward booking (live PNR) is sufficient; a paid non-refundable ticket is not required. Submitting unverifiable documents can trigger refusal on grounds of false or misleading documentation under the applicable national visa rules of the destination country. Best practice is a hold-the-fare or refundable booking kept live until the decision. The SchengenDoc kit produces the monthly stay plan sample that accompanies your file.