Retirement visa in Italy

• Elective residency is for people who plan to settle in Italy and can show a steady income and other resources that do not come from employment. Los Angeles says it is not meant for extended tourism or for joining relatives who hold temporary jobs.
• The visa does not allow any work, paid or self-employed, in Italy, and you cannot finance your stay through work. Toronto says income from employment or self-employment cannot be counted.
• A dependent spouse, minor children and dependent children over 18 living with you can get a residency visa if you show enough resources for them; Boston and New York count the income test per applicant. Wellington says the visa is issued only on exceptional grounds and asks you to contact the embassy first.

Sources: Consulate General of Italy in New York (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Consulate General of Italy in Toronto (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Consulate General of Italy in Boston (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Embassy of Italy in Wellington (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Checked 16 October 2026.

• The income test is stable income from sources other than work, per applicant. New York, Boston and Adelaide print about €31,000 a year, Toronto about €32,000 and Sydney and Melbourne €2,600 a month. To be safe, have more than €33,000 a year per applicant, and ask your consulate which figure it uses.
• Qualifying income comes from pensions, annuities, rents or property, trusts, investment funds or a registered business. New York, Boston and Sydney say employment income does not count, and Sydney says bank deposits and savings are not taken into account.
• Toronto adds that the amount is a minimum starting value, to be judged against your purpose; Wellington asks for access to a similar amount per applicant from sources other than current employment.

Sources: Consulate General of Italy in New York (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Consulate General of Italy in Boston (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Consulate General of Italy in Toronto (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Consulate General of Italy in Sydney (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Consulate General of Italy in Melbourne (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Consulate General of Italy in Adelaide (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Embassy of Italy in Wellington (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Checked 16 October 2026.

• Proof of income means official letters from banks, financial advisers, pension bodies or (in the US) Social Security, plus your last two years of tax returns at New York, Boston and Toronto; Adelaide asks for three months of bank statements.
• You need a lease or deed registered with the Revenue Agency for the whole period you ask for. Los Angeles, Sydney and Melbourne do not accept invitations or hospitality from family, friends or third parties, and Adelaide does not accept boat ownership.
• A letter explaining why you are moving is asked for at New York, Boston and Los Angeles. Cover rules differ: Boston asks for a Schengen policy with evacuation and repatriation, Adelaide for at least €30,000 of cover, and the Questura asks for a policy for the stay or voluntary enrolment in the national health service.

Sources: Consulate General of Italy in New York (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Consulate General of Italy in Boston (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Consulate General of Italy in Toronto (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Consulate General of Italy in Adelaide (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Consulate General of Italy in Sydney (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Consulate General of Italy in Melbourne (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Questure sul web (Polizia di Stato). Checked 16 October 2026.

• Apply at the Italian consulate for where you live. Los Angeles says processing can take up to 90 days and advises applying 90 days ahead; Toronto says national visas can take 45 to 90 business days and takes them by mail; Sydney and Melbourne give a few hours to 15 days and do not accept applications more than 180 days before departure.
• Within 8 days of arriving you must apply for the residence permit at the Questura. Los Angeles stresses this is the only document that legitimises your stay.

Sources: Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Consulate General of Italy in Toronto (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Consulate General of Italy in Sydney (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Consulate General of Italy in Melbourne (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Checked 16 October 2026.

• The national visa fee is €116, charged in local currency at a quarterly rate (New York’s table for October to December 2026 gives $133.60). The permit costs €16 for the revenue stamp, €30 postage and €30.46 for the card, plus a contribution of €40 for a permit up to one year or €50 for one to two years.
• If you choose voluntary enrolment in the national health service, a 2024 notice from the Bologna health authority gives a minimum contribution of €2,000 a year for most categories of foreigner.

Sources: Consulate General of Italy in New York (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Embassy of Italy in Wellington (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Polizia di Stato (Italian Ministry of the Interior), Questura di Pavia (Polizia di Stato), Questure sul web (Polizia di Stato), Azienda USL di Bologna (regional health authority). Checked 16 October 2026.

• Wellington says its elective residency visa is issued for 1 year, is not renewable and allows no work. The other consulates we read give no length for the permit, and the Questura’s list of documents covers both issue and renewal.
• The Interior Ministry’s portal says as a general rule that a residence permit cannot be renewed when you have been away from Italy for more than six continuous months, except for serious proven reasons.

Sources: Embassy of Italy in Wellington (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Questure sul web (Polizia di Stato), Integrazionemigranti.gov.it (Italian Ministries of Labour and Interior portal). Checked 16 October 2026.

• The Polizia di Stato says the EU long-term residence permit can be requested only after five years with a valid residence permit; short-stay permits do not count. It also asks for income above the annual social allowance, an Italian A2 test, and criminal-record certificates.
• For adults the long-term permit is valid for ten years, and absences do not break the five years if each is under six consecutive months and they total no more than ten months.

Sources: Polizia di Stato (Italian Ministry of the Interior), Questure sul web (Polizia di Stato). Checked 16 October 2026.

• Since 2024 you are Italian tax resident if for most of the year (183 days, 184 in a leap year) you are on the population register, have your residence or domicile in Italy, or are physically present. Residents are taxed on worldwide income.
• Foreign pensioners who move their tax residence to a municipality of up to 30,000 inhabitants in Sicily, Calabria, Sardinia, Campania, Basilicata, Abruzzo, Molise or Puglia can opt for a 7% substitute tax on foreign-source income for nine tax periods; the limit was 20,000 before 7 April 2026.
• A separate new-resident option charges a flat €300,000 a year on foreign-source income (plus a €50,000 flat tax for each family member) for moves from 1 January 2026, for people not resident in Italy in at least nine of the previous ten years. It runs up to 15 years.

Sources: Agenzia delle Entrate (Italian Revenue Agency). Checked 16 October 2026.

• Digital nomad visa in Italy
• Work permit in Italy
• Family visa in Italy
• Golden visa in Italy

• Visas in Italy
• Italy

1. Elective residency (New York consulate), Consulate General of Italy in New York (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Checked 16 October 2026. Says "typically around EUR 31,000 per person"; undated page. Exact figure: EUR 31,000 a year per applicant.
2. Elective residency (Boston consulate), Consulate General of Italy in Boston (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Checked 16 October 2026. Exact figure: more than EUR 31,000 a year per applicant.
3. US citizens abroad: filing requirements, Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Checked 11 October 2026.
4. Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR), FinCEN (US Treasury). Checked 11 October 2026.
5. Italy: tax treaty documents, Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Checked 11 October 2026.
6. Totalization agreement with Italy (archived copy), US Social Security Administration, Internet Archive copy of 2 January 2026. Checked 11 October 2026.
7. National visa for elective residency (Toronto consulate), Consulate General of Italy in Toronto (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Checked 16 October 2026. Three times the annual amount in "Table A" of the Interior Ministry directive of 1 March 2000, "approximately 32,000 euros" per applicant. Exact figure: EUR 32,000 a year.
8. Lived or living outside Canada: do you qualify for CPP and OAS, Government of Canada. Checked 11 October 2026.
9. Elective residency visa checklist (Sydney consulate), Consulate General of Italy in Sydney (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), PDF. Checked 16 October 2026. Updated 21 July 2026 as printed. Exact figure: EUR 2,600 a month (EUR 31,200 a year).
10. Residency visa checklist (Melbourne consulate), Consulate General of Italy in Melbourne (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), PDF. Checked 16 October 2026. Exact figure: EUR 2,600 a month (EUR 31,200 a year).
11. National visa checklist: elective residency (Adelaide consulate), Consulate General of Italy in Adelaide (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), PDF. Checked 16 October 2026. Exact figure: at least EUR 31,000 a year per applicant.
12. Australia-Italy tax convention (1982), text as set out in the Income Tax (International Agreements) Amendment Act 1983, Federal Register of Legislation (Australia). Checked 11 October 2026.
13. Australian pensions paid outside Australia: the proportional rate, Services Australia. Checked 11 October 2026.
14. Elective residency visa checklist (Wellington embassy), Embassy of Italy in Wellington (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), PDF. Checked 16 October 2026. File dated July 2026 in its address. Exact figure: access to a minimum of EUR 31,000 per applicant.
15. Cost for a visa and how to pay (Wellington embassy), Embassy of Italy in Wellington (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Checked 16 October 2026. National visa EUR 116, Schengen visa EUR 90 for adults, charged in New Zealand dollars at the quarterly consular rate.
16. Living overseas if you get NZ Super or Veteran's Pension, Work and Income (New Zealand). Checked 11 October 2026.
17. Elective residency visa (Los Angeles consulate), Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Checked 16 October 2026. Prints no euro figure for the income.
18. Documents for issue and renewal of the electronic residence permit (postal kit), Questure sul web (Polizia di Stato), PDF. Checked 16 October 2026. Undated; Italian only.
19. Consular fees, fourth quarter 2026 (table), Consulate General of Italy in New York (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), PDF. Checked 16 October 2026. 1 October to 31 December 2026; EUR 1 = USD 1.1516 as printed. Long-stay visa EUR 116.00 = USD 133.59 (USD 133.60 rounded); Schengen visa EUR 90.00 = USD 103.64.
20. How, where and how much (residence permit), Polizia di Stato (Italian Ministry of the Interior). Checked 16 October 2026. Page dated 7 April 2014, amended 18 April 2019; Italian only.
21. New amount of the contribution for issuing and renewing the residence permit, Questura di Pavia (Polizia di Stato). Checked 16 October 2026. Notice dated 12 June 2017 on the ministerial decree in force from 9 June 2017; Italian only.
22. Voluntary enrolment in the national health service for foreigners (archived copy), Azienda USL di Bologna (regional health authority), Internet Archive copy. Checked 16 October 2026. 2024 news item on the budget law of 30 December 2023; Italian only.
23. Who are the digital nomads? How can they enter Italy?, Integrazionemigranti.gov.it (Italian Ministries of Labour and Interior portal). Checked 16 October 2026. Page dated 7 June 2024. Exact figures: EUR 24,789 a year (3 x EUR 8,263.3); ISTAT average salary about EUR 33,500.
24. EU long-term residence permit (Carta di soggiorno per cittadini stranieri), Polizia di Stato (Italian Ministry of the Interior), PDF. Checked 16 October 2026. Italian only. Records Law 238 of 23 December 2021 (ten-year validity for adults).
25. Circular no. 20/E of 4 November 2024: tax residence of individuals after Legislative Decree 209/2023 (English), Agenzia delle Entrate (Italian Revenue Agency). Checked 11 October 2026.
26. Optional regime for foreign pensioners (what it is), Agenzia delle Entrate (Italian Revenue Agency). Checked 16 October 2026. Last updated 8 May 2026; Italian only.
27. New residents: optional regime (what it is), Agenzia delle Entrate (Italian Revenue Agency). Checked 16 October 2026. Last updated 16 January 2026; Italian only. A banner gives EUR 300,000 and EUR 50,000 for moves from 1 January 2026; the body text still shows EUR 200,000 and EUR 25,000.
28. Incentives for people who move their residence to Italy (intermediaries page), Agenzia delle Entrate (Italian Revenue Agency). Checked 16 October 2026. Last updated 27 March 2026; Italian only.