A free PDF guide — a visa outside the quotas
A guide to the nomadvisa of Italy
A status for people working remotely for foreign clients: no quotas and no work permit. We set out the threshold of €25,500 a year, the requirement on your record and how to file at the consulate.
- PDF in English
- Free of charge
- Verified on 12.08.2026
- Sent by email, WhatsApp or Telegram
Preliminary information is not a guarantee of approval. Practice differs between consulates; the requirements are settled before filing.
01 / The essentials first
What to know about the visa before you file
Four things that set this visa apart from ordinary employment in Italy.
- Outside the quotas
The visa is issued outside the annual decreto flussi: there is no waiting for a quota to open and no competing for places.
- No work permit is required
Ordinary work in Italy needs a nulla osta from the employer. Here there is none: the ground is remote work for foreign clients.
- An income from €25,500 a year
The threshold is set by decree and counted for the applicant. For the family, sums are added under the general family-reunion rules.
- Experience of remote work is needed
At least 6 months of working remotely before the application has to be evidenced. Work only just begun will not do.
02 / Income
What you will have to evidence
Choose the form of employment and the family: we will show the threshold and the costs that go with it.
03 / Two forms
Self-employed or employee
The threshold is the same, but the documents and the way contributions are paid differ.
The values were checked against the official material on 12.08.2026. Only the rows for which there is no official wording are marked separately.
| Criterion | Self-employedlavoro autonomo — your own clients | Employeelavoro subordinato — a foreign employer |
|---|---|---|
| Who pays | clients under contracts | a foreign company under an employment contract |
| Income | from €25,500 a year | from €25,500 a year |
| What you evidence | the contracts and the receipts | the contract and a letter from the employer |
| The tax number | a codice fiscale and a partita IVA | a codice fiscale |
| The permit | 1 year, renewable | 1 year, renewable |
| ContributionsA BRIDGES estimate | paid by you, under the Italian rules | depends on the social security agreement |
| Who it usually suitsA BRIDGES estimate | Freelancers with a book of clients | Employees of foreign companies |
- Who pays
- clients under contracts
- a foreign company under an employment contract
- Income
- from €25,500 a year
- from €25,500 a year
- What you evidence
- the contracts and the receipts
- the contract and a letter from the employer
- The tax number
- a codice fiscale and a partita IVA
- a codice fiscale
- The permit
- 1 year, renewable
- 1 year, renewable
- ContributionsA BRIDGES estimate
- paid by you, under the Italian rules
- depends on the social security agreement
- Who it usually suitsA BRIDGES estimate
- Freelancers with a book of clients
- Employees of foreign companies
In both forms the clients are outside Italy — that is the foundation of the status.
04 / The country
What the country looks like
Briefly about the country and about what sets the terms of the visa.
- The essentials firstThe key facts of the programme: what decides the matter.
- A comparisonThe terms of the programme in one table.
- How the work runsThe process step by step — from the check to the documents.
- The analysisWhat is checked before the status is granted.
- The limitsWhat affects the timings, the costs and keeping the status.
- Your teamWho runs the case and what each specialist answers for.
05 / The order of work
How the process runs
After the entry a hard deadline applies: eight days to file at the questura.
- The employment and the experience are checked
We look at the form of the work and at the evidence of 6 months of remote work.
- The documents for the consulate
Contracts, statements, insurance with the required cover, housing in Italy, a certificate of no criminal record.
- The visa application
Filed at the consulate for your place of residence. No quotas apply and no nulla osta is required.
- The visa and the entry
Once approved, a D visa is issued and you enter Italy on it.
- The permesso di soggiorno
Within eight days of the entry the application for the card is filed at the questura.
- The card and its renewal
A permit for 1 year, renewed while the conditions hold. The whole process takes 2-4 months.
07 / The check
What is examined in the application
The record of remote work, the income, the insurance cover and the housing.
- The record of remote work
At least 6 months before the application: contracts, payments, correspondence with clients.
- The income and its source
An annual income no lower than the threshold is evidenced, along with the fact that the clients are outside Italy.
- Insurance
A policy with cover of at least €30,000, valid in Italy.
- Housing and no criminal record
A lease or other proof of where you live, and an apostilled certificate of no criminal record.
The record is the commonest stumbling block: what has to be evidenced is the remote form of the work itself.
08 / The limits
What to take into account in advance
Five limits that bear on the filing and on keeping the status.
Foreign clients onlyItalian clients are excluded
The ground for the status is work for companies and clients outside Italy.
The permit runs a yearRenewed annually
The conditions are examined at every renewal: the income, the insurance, the housing and the nature of the work.
Tax and contributionsThe arrangement follows the form
A self-employed person pays their own; for an employee it all turns on the social security agreement with the employer’s country.
Eight days for the questuraThe deadline is hard
After the entry the card application is filed within eight days, or the status is at risk.
Consulates differ in practiceThe requirements are checked
The set of documents and the readings differ between consulates: the pack is assembled for the particular one.
09 / Your team
Who runs your case
The work is led by specialists who deal with the Italian consulates and questure.
The editorial record
The material was prepared and checked by
- First published
- 12 August 2026
- Last updated
- 12 August 2026
The official sources
- The decree on the digital nomad visaGazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana · checked 12.08.2026The income threshold, the requirements on insurance and experience, and the issue of the visa outside the quotas.
- The visa portal of ItalyMinistero degli Affari Esteri · checked 12.08.2026The set of documents and how to file at the consulate.
- Permesso di soggiornoPolizia di Stato, Italy · checked 12.08.2026How to apply for the card after entry and the deadline for going to the questura.
10 / Common questions
Questions about the nomad visa of Italy
How much do I have to earn?
From €25,500 a year for the applicant. The threshold is set by decree and evidenced with contracts and statements.
Is a quota needed?
No. The visa is issued outside the annual decreto flussi, so there is no waiting for a quota to open.
Is a nulla osta needed?
No, no work permit is required for this category — that is what sets it apart from ordinary employment.
What experience is needed?
At least 6 months of remote work before the application is filed.
What insurance is needed?
A policy with cover of at least €30,000, valid in Italy for the whole of the stay.
What about the family?
A spouse and minor children move with the applicant under the family-reunion rules.
How long is the permit issued for?
For 1 year, renewed while the conditions hold.
When does permanent residence open?
EU long-term residence after 5 years of lawful residence.
Free of charge
Take the guide and a check on your employment
We will send the PDF with the requirements and a preliminary check on your situation.
- The income threshold and how to evidence it
- The requirement on your record of remote work
- How to file and the deadlines at the questura
- The difference between self-employed and employee