Italy Golden Visa
Italy’s Investor Visa applicants are pre-approved before any capital moves, the qualifying investment is a fixed amount across four routes, and new residents can pair it with a flat tax on foreign income. Blue Shore Advisors helps you weigh the routes against your goals, and connects you with the trusted local lawyers who handle the application itself.
Key facts
For informational purposes only, not legal or financial advice. Consult with qualified legal and financial professionals regarding your specific situation.
The Programme
Rather than committing capital and hoping for approval, applicants first receive a Nulla Osta, a certificate of no impediment, from Italy’s Investor Visa Committee, and only transfer the investment once that approval is granted.
The investment itself is a fixed amount rather than something tiered by property or region: one of four routes, from €250,000 up to €2 million. There’s no obligation to live in Italy to hold the permit, the investment simply has to be maintained, unchanged, for as long as it’s renewed.
Optional tax election: Separately from the visa itself, new tax residents can elect a flat €300,000-a-year substitute tax on all foreign-sourced income, available for up to 15 years. It isn’t automatic on approval of the visa, see Benefits below.
Innovative startup — €250,000
Into an Italian company on the national Innovative Startups register, the lowest-cost route, and the one most exposed to early-stage risk.
Italian limited company — €500,000
Shares in an established Italian company (S.r.l. or S.p.A.), already operating rather than early-stage.
Philanthropic donation — €1,000,000
Non-refundable, to a project of public interest — culture, education, research, or heritage preservation.
Government bonds — €2,000,000
Italian government bonds, held for the life of the permit — the lowest-risk route, and the one requiring the most capital.
Eligibility for the Italy Investor Visa
Eligibility is kept deliberately narrow and objective, the Committee’s review centres on the source of funds behind the investment, not a broader assessment of the applicant.
Non-EU, non-EEA nationality. The programme is open exclusively to third-country nationals.
Aged 18 or over at the time of application.
A clean criminal record for the applicant and any included adult family members.
A clearly documented, legitimate source of funds behind the qualifying investment.
Health insurance coverage for the applicant and family for the initial period in Italy.
The qualifying investment itself, made only after Nulla Osta approval is granted.
Benefits by Stage
Italy’s programme moves through three distinct stages, an investor permit that asks almost nothing of daily life, a genuine five-year residence milestone, and citizenship beyond that.
Resident
- Right to live in Italy, with no minimum-stay requirement to hold the permit
- Visa-free travel throughout the Schengen Area for short stays
- Spouse, minor children, and dependent parents included on the same application
- Option to elect the flat €300,000-a-year tax on foreign income, available for up to 15 years
- Access to Italy’s healthcare system
- The investment remains the investor’s own asset throughout, not a fee paid away
- No requirement to give up existing citizenship
Permanent Residency
- EU long-term residence permit, indefinite in status (the physical card renews every 10 years)
- No longer tied to the original investment, based on residence history and current income alone
- Continued visa-free travel throughout the Schengen Area
- A meaningful step toward citizenship, with the years of residence already behind you
Citizenship
- Full Italian and EU citizenship, live, work, and study in any EU/EEA country or Switzerland, with no permit ever required again
- One of the world’s most widely accepted passports, with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to the large majority of countries globally
- Citizenship does not expire and carries no residency obligation to maintain it
- Can be passed on to children and future generations
- Right to vote in Italian national, local, and European Parliament elections
- Consular protection from any EU member state’s embassy worldwide, not just Italy’s
- Italy permits dual nationality for the large majority of applicants, so citizenship is generally added rather than requiring the original nationality to be renounced
About Italy
Italy’s appeal needs little introduction: Roman antiquity and Renaissance art, the Tuscan countryside, the Amalfi coast, and the Alpine lakes, all within a range of lifestyles few other countries can match in one place, historic cities, coastal towns, and quieter rural regions, often a short drive apart. It’s also a serious, advanced economy: a G7 member with world-class healthcare, extensive high-speed rail and air links across Europe, and the full benefits of EU membership.
For investors specifically, Italy’s flexibility cuts two ways. Because no minimum stay applies while the initial permit is held, families can ease in gradually rather than relocating on day one, and the flat-tax regime gives a genuine, numbers-based reason to consider a fuller move of tax residency, not just a second permit in a drawer.
Take the Next Step Toward Your Global Future
All consultations are completely free, with no cost to explore your options, and everything you share with us is treated in confidence. If you decide to move forward, any fees are paid directly to the lawyers or program providers handling your application.