Italy golden visa: the Investor Visa for Italy, route by route

Program

Italy golden visa

Main route

Startup, company or venture capital fund, government bonds, or donationSource: D.Lgs. 286/1998 Art. 26-bis, Law 193/2024 · checked 28 October 2026

Minimum investment

€250,000 in a registered innovative startup (you must still show €1,000,000 of funds); €500,000 company or venture capital fund; €1 million donation; €2 million government bondsSource: D.Lgs. 286/1998 Art. 26-bis, Law 193/2024 · checked 28 October 2026

Minimum stay

No continuity requirement for the first five yearsSource: D.Lgs. 286/1998 Art. 26-bis · checked 28 October 2026

Permit length

2 years, renewed for 3Source: D.Lgs. 286/1998 Art. 26-bis · checked 28 October 2026

Family included

Spouse and minor children under ordinary family reunification, with income and housing tests; adult children only if fully disabledSource: D.Lgs. 286/1998 Art. 29 · checked 28 October 2026

Citizenship timeline

10 years legal residence, Italian at B1Source: Law 91/1992 · checked 28 October 2026

Last checked

28 October 2026

If you don't plan to move

• Stay rules: for five years from the first permit you are exempt from the rules on continuous residence in Italy. While you hold the permit, the European Commission says you are not subject to the Schengen 90/180 rule.
• Renewals: the first permit lasts two years, then renews for three years at a time while the investment stays in place. Selling before two years can cost you the permit.
• Tax residency: the permit does not by itself make you an Italian tax resident, and the flat tax for new residents is a choice. What counts is the test in Article 2 of the income tax code (TUIR): for 2026 you are resident if, for the greater part of the tax year (fractions of a day count), you have your residence in Italy under the Civil Code, or your domicile there, meaning the place where your personal and family relationships mainly develop, or you are present in Italy. Presence is enough on its own, so the days you spend in Italy matter even without a home there. Being registered in the resident population register for most of the year is a presumption of residence that you can rebut. From 1 January 2027 Article 2 is repealed and the rule moves into the new consolidated income tax code, D.Lgs. 117/2026.

Holding the option: renewals and minimum stay · Schengen time · keeping the permit · tax residency traps

Portugal, Italy or Greece

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4. The partner files

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An independent guide by people who did it. We are paid when we introduce you to vetted partners. We don't file applications. How that works.

Italy gets the most romantic questions and the least romantic answer: its golden visa is a business and capital route, not a property one. If the dream is a farmhouse in Umbria, the house and the visa are separate decisions.

Italy investor visa requirements

You need one qualifying investment under Article 26-bis, proof that you own enough money to make it, a certificate that the money is of lawful origin, and a written commitment to invest within three months of arriving in Italy.

• One qualifying investment of one type: the 2021 guide says you cannot combine routes or recipients to reach a minimum.
• Funds you own: at least €2,000,000 for the bond route, or €1,000,000 for every other route, including the €250,000 and €500,000 options. The money must be yours, with you as its beneficial owner, and available and transferable to Italy.
• Lawful origin: a certificate that the funds come from a lawful source.
• Means to live on of your own, above the minimum the law uses for exemption from health care charges.
• A commitment to invest within three months of your date of entry into Italy, signed on the application platform.
• Personal papers: a passport copy, a short CV and proof of no final criminal convictions or pending charges.

You can apply in your own name or on behalf of a company or other legal entity you legally represent. Timing matters: the 2021 guide says money invested, in whole or in part, before you request clearance does not count. The guide also says the clearance application itself is free.

Does property qualify for the Italy golden visa?

No. Article 26-bis lists only government bonds, company or venture capital fund equity, and philanthropic donations, and the government guide says property cannot even be used to prove you have the funds.

The guide is blunt: owning real estate is not accepted as proof of the minimum resources "even with a promise of sale". You are free to buy a home in Italy, but it plays no part in the permit.

The four routes: Italy residency by investment, side by side

Article 26-bis sets a minimum for each route and the funds you must show you own. Each route has its own guide.

Strictly, the law has three lettered options, and the startup is a lower amount within the company option. Most guides, including ours, count four.

Innovative startup, from €250,000

At least €250,000 in the capital of a company registered in the special section for innovative startups of the Italian companies register, kept for at least two years. It is the lowest entry point and the riskiest: startups fail, and the permit is tied to keeping the investment. Full guide to the startup route.

Italian company or venture capital fund, €500,000

At least €500,000 in shares or other capital instruments of a company set up and operating in Italy, or, since 18 December 2024, of a venture capital fund set up and operating in Italy, kept for at least two years. Law 193/2024 added the fund option; the amount did not change. Full guide to the company and venture capital fund route.

Italian government bonds, €2 million

At least €2,000,000 in bonds issued by the Italian government, held for at least two years, with €2,000,000 of your own funds shown. The simplest route on paper, and the most expensive in capital. Full guide to the bond route.

Philanthropic donation, €1 million

At least €1,000,000 donated to a public interest project in culture, education, immigration management, scientific research, or the recovery of cultural and landscape heritage. This money does not come back. Full guide to the donation route.

Where sources differ on how long you hold it: the law sets a two year holding period for the bond and company routes and allows the permit to be revoked if you sell before then. The 2021 guide says the original investment is kept for the whole life of the permit, and renewal requires it to still be in place. Plan on keeping it for as long as you want the permit.

Italy golden visa cost: what you pay beyond the investment

State fees are small next to the investment: a long stay visa was €116 at the Los Angeles consulate for October to December 2026, and the residence permit cost €96.46 per person in the 2021 guide.

• National long stay (type D) visa: €116.00, from the Los Angeles consulate fee table for the last quarter of 2026. Consular fees are set quarterly in local currency.
• Residence permit, from the 2021 guide: €30.46 for the electronic card, a €50.00 permit contribution and a €16.00 revenue stamp.
• Clearance (nulla osta): free to apply for, according to the 2021 guide.
• Not included above: a lawyer, translations, the lawful origin of funds certification and, for the company routes, due diligence on the company.

Bonds and company shares stay yours, with market and business risk; the donation is spent. To compare all three countries, use the golden visa cost calculator.

How the investor visa for Italy runs: nulla osta, visa, Questura

You apply online for clearance (the nulla osta) from the Investor Visa Committee, then get the visa at an Italian consulate, enter Italy, apply for the residence permit at the police headquarters (Questura) and make the investment within three months.

1. Choose the investment. The company, startup or donation recipient is named in the application, and its legal representative signs a consent declaration.
2. Apply for the nulla osta. The 2021 guide says the Committee's secretariat checks the application for completeness within one working week, and the Committee gives its decision within 30 days of the application, a period that can be suspended for up to 30 more days.
3. Get the visa. The nulla osta goes to the consulate and must be used for the visa within six months of being issued. The guide describes an investor visa valid for two years.
4. Enter Italy and go to the Questura. The guide says you apply for the permit in person within eight working days of entry; the postal kit used for other permits is not accepted.
5. Invest within three months of the entry date you declared, and deposit shares or bonds with an intermediary domiciled in Italy.

The Committee's 30 day target is the only official timing we found.

About the sources: the procedure comes from the Ministry's applicant guide dated 19 July 2021, hosted on an Italian embassy site. It names the platform as investorvisa.mise.gov.it; the Ministry has since been renamed (Enterprises and Made in Italy), and the platform did not load when we checked on 28 and 30 October 2026.

The permit, renewals and holding it from abroad

The first permit lasts two years and renews for three years at a time while the investment stays in place, and for the first five years there is no requirement to live in Italy continuously.

Renewal starts with a new clearance from the Committee, which checks that the money was fully invested within three months and is still invested. The 2021 guide says the renewal application at the Questura is due at least 60 days before the permit expires. For people who mostly live elsewhere, that cycle is the real obligation. More in renewals and minimum stay and keeping the permit while living elsewhere.

The law gives investor permit holders the same rights as holders of a self employment permit, and for five years from the first permit exempts them from the integration agreement as well as the residence continuity rules. Whether that extends to a salaried job is not something the law we read answers.

Family members on the Italian golden visa

Your spouse, minor children, fully disabled adult children and, under conditions, dependent parents can come with you on a family visa, under Italy's ordinary family reunification rules.

• Who qualifies (Article 29): a spouse aged 18 or over who is not legally separated; minor children; adult children only if they depend on you because they are totally disabled; and dependent parents if they have no other children in their country of origin, or if they are over 65 and their other children cannot support them for serious health reasons.
• Tests: housing, and income of at least the annual social allowance (assegno sociale) plus half of it again for each family member.
• Visa: family members enter with you and receive a visa for family reasons.

Tax if you do move to Italy

Holding the permit does not make you tax resident; living in Italy can. If you do become resident, Italy offers an optional flat tax on foreign income of €300,000 a year, plus €50,000 for each family member included, for people who move their residence there from 1 January 2026.

Who counts as resident is set out in the section above: residence, domicile or simple presence for the greater part of the year. The flat tax is a separate choice you make once resident:

• You must not have been tax resident in Italy for nine of the previous ten years, and you need a favorable ruling from the tax agency (Agenzia delle Entrate).
• The regime lasts up to fifteen years. Gains on qualified shareholdings realized in the first five years are not covered.
• The amount has risen twice: €200,000 (and €25,000 per family member) for people who moved from August 2024, then €300,000 (and €50,000) from 1 January 2026. Older guides that say €100,000 are out of date.
• From 1 January 2027 the rule moves from Article 24-bis of the current income tax code to Article 246 of the new consolidated code (D.Lgs. 117/2026), with the same amounts and the same nine of ten years condition.

Take advice from an Italian tax professional before you move. For the traps on the way in and out, see tax residency traps.

Italy citizenship by investment: residency is not citizenship

Italy does not sell citizenship. The investor permit gives you residence; citizenship by naturalization needs ten years of legal residence in Italy for non EU nationals, Italian at level B1 or higher, and a €250 fee.

The Italian citizenship requirements, in short:

• Residence: ten years of legal residence in Italy (four years for EU citizens).
• Language: Italian at level B1 of the Common European Framework or higher. A 2025 Constitutional Court ruling (25/2025) exempts people whose ability to learn is seriously limited by age, illness or disability.
• Fee and decision: €250, and the authorities have up to 24 months, extendable to 36, to decide.

Residence for citizenship means legal residence in Italy, so the investor permit's flexible stay rules and the citizenship clock are not the same thing.

Citizenship by descent is a different route and outside the scope of this guide. For completeness: the 2025 reform (Decree-Law 36/2025, converted by Law 74/2025) limited descent claims for people born abroad who hold another citizenship, but it did not change the ten year naturalization rule or the B1 requirement.

What changed and what we are watching

The investment amounts are unchanged since at least September 2020. What changed is a new fund option in December 2024, a higher flat tax from 2026, and a new income tax code from 2027.

• 18 December 2024: Law 193/2024 added Italian venture capital funds to the €500,000 option.
• 1 January 2026: the flat tax for new residents rose to €300,000 a year and €50,000 per family member (Budget Law 2026, Law 199/2025).
• 1 January 2027: the new consolidated income tax code (D.Lgs. 117/2026) takes over. The flat tax moves to its Article 246 with the same amounts, and TUIR Article 2, the tax residence test, is repealed.
• Watching: the Ministry's Investor Visa portal, any update to the 2021 guide, and current permit fees.

When any of these change, the rule-change alerts says what changed and links the official source.

Italy vs Portugal and Greece

Italy is the only one of the three EU countries we cover with no property route at all. Its startup route starts at €250,000, the joint lowest amount across the three (Greece's converted building route also starts there), though you must still show €1,000,000. Its €500,000 company route matches the headline amount of Portugal's fund route, with a two year holding period in law rather than five. For the full side by side, with sources and dates, read Portugal vs Greece vs Italy golden visa, or see what your passport changes on golden visas by passport.

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Tell us what you are weighing. If it helps, we introduce you to a vetted visa or fund partner who handles the application. We do not file applications, and we are paid when we introduce you.

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Not ready yet? Get rule-change alerts for Portugal, Italy and Greece: when a rule, fee or threshold changes, we tell you what changed and link the official source.

Questions we hear most

What is the minimum investment for the Italy golden visa in 2026?

€250,000 in an innovative startup registered in the special section of the Italian companies register. The other routes are €500,000 in an Italian company or Italian venture capital fund, a €1,000,000 donation to a public interest project, or €2,000,000 in Italian government bonds. The amounts are the same as in the version of the law in force from September 2020.

Can I get the Italian golden visa by buying property?

No. Article 26-bis has no real estate route, and the 2021 government guide says property cannot even be used to prove you have the required funds, "even with a promise of sale".

Do I need €1 million even for the €250,000 startup route?

Yes. The law asks you to show you own at least €1,000,000, available and transferable to Italy, for every route except bonds, which need €2,000,000. The amount you actually invest can be lower than the amount you must show.

Do I have to live in Italy to keep the investor permit?

Not continuously for the first five years from the first permit: Article 26-bis exempts you from the residence continuity rules for that period. Keeping the investment in place is what keeps the permit.

How much does the Italy golden visa cost beyond the investment?

State fees are small: €116 for a long stay visa at the Los Angeles consulate for October to December 2026, and €96.46 per person for the residence permit in the 2021 guide. Lawyer, translation and due diligence fees come on top.

Can you buy Italian citizenship?

No. Italy has no citizenship by investment. The investor permit is residence; naturalization needs ten years of legal residence for non EU nationals and Italian at level B1 or higher.

How long does the investor visa for Italy take?

The only official target we found is the Committee's decision within 30 days of the application, which can be suspended for up to 30 more days, from the 2021 guide. The consulate, the Questura appointment and the permit card add their own waits.

Sources

1. Decreto Legislativo 286/1998, Article 26-bis (entry and residence for investors), text in force, Normattiva, Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
2. Legge 193/2024, Article 35 (venture capital funds added to the investor visa), Normattiva. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
3. Investor Visa for Italy, applicant guide (2021 edition, Ministry of Economic Development), hosted by the Embassy of Italy in Abuja, Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
4. Decreto Legislativo 286/1998, Article 29 (family reunification), Normattiva. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
5. Consular fee table (extract), October to December 2026, Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
6. TUIR (DPR 917/1986), Article 24-bis (flat tax for new residents), text in force on 28 October 2026, Normattiva. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
7. Decreto Legislativo 117/2026, Article 246 (flat tax for new residents from 1 January 2027), Normattiva. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
8. TUIR (DPR 917/1986), Article 2 (who is tax resident), text in force from 29 December 2023 to 31 December 2026, Normattiva. Official source. Last checked 30 October 2026.
9. Legislative Decree 19 June 2026, no. 117, Consolidated text on income taxes (GU no. 152 of 3 July 2026, in force 4 July 2026); repeals TUIR Article 2 from 1 January 2027, Normattiva. Official source. Last checked 30 October 2026.
10. Legge 91/1992 (Citizenship Law), Articles 3-bis, 9 and 9.1, Normattiva. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
11. Decreto-Legge 36/2025 as converted by Legge 74/2025 (citizenship by descent), consolidated, Normattiva. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
12. Short-stay calculator (90 days in any 180-day period), European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.

This page is general information, not legal, tax, immigration or investment advice. Rules and fees change, so check the sources above and the date we last checked them. No approval, permit or timeline is guaranteed. We are paid for introductions; here is how.