Updated August 11, 2026

IT-RP

Residency by investment

Residency in Italyfor an investor

The only European programme where the money is transferred after the application is approved: first the state confirms the right to the status, then you invest.

Get a preliminary assessment Choose the option

The conditions are checked against decree No. 286/1998 as in force
Working since 2004
We run the business plan and the correspondence with the committee

An Italian residence card under the investor visa

from €250,000The investment threshold

3-4 monthsTo the status

after approvalWhen the money is transferred

01 / About the program

How the Italian investor visa works

Italy admits investors under article 26-bis of decree No. 286/1998. The order here is the reverse of the usual: first the responsible committee considers the application and issues a certificate confirming the right to the visa, and only then does the applicant transfer the money. The status is issued for two years and renewed for three while the investment is kept.

Approval before the money is transferred

Until the certificate is issued your funds stay with you. That is a rare sequence for investment programmes: the risk of spending the money and being refused is removed.

Four investment options

An innovative start-up from €250,000, an operating Italian company from €500,000, a charitable project from €1,000,000 and government bonds from €2,000,000.

The status rests on the investment

The residence permit is renewed while the investment is kept. An early exit from the project means the status is cancelled — there is no return by time limit as in the fund programmes.

The tax regime is a separate decision

Tax residents may take a flat tax of €300,000 a year on all foreign income plus €50,000 for each relative. On a moderate income ordinary taxation is better — we work it out in advance.

02 / What you get

What the Italian residence card gives you

Life in Italy without limits

The status gives the right to live in the country and to work and run a business. The programme sets no compulsory minimum of days a year.

Travel around Schengen without a visa

The residence card gives the right to stay in the Schengen countries for up to 90 days in every 180. It does not give the right to work as an employee in other EU countries.

The money is transferred after approval

The certificate confirms the right to the visa before you part with the capital. A refusal at that stage does not cost you the investment.

A status for the whole family

A spouse, minor children and dependent parents receive the status on the same investment — its size does not depend on the composition.

A flat tax for residents

On a move the regime of €300,000 a year on all foreign income is available. It is not tied to the visa automatically: it is a separate application to the Revenue Agency.

Education and medicine

The resident and their family use the Italian state health system and schools on equal terms with local people.

A preliminary assessment

Calculate the budget for your family

Set out who is applying with you. With the calculation you get the full Italian budget for the chosen option: the investment, the fees, preparing the project, the timeline by stage and a plan of action.

Who is applying for the residence permit?

Get the calculation

about a minuteno calls and no obligationsconfidential

The full budget with the fees and the support
The timeline for each stage of the process
A plan of action: where to start

An Italian residence card and a set of investor visa documents

03 / Why people apply

Why people arrange Italian residency

Italy is chosen by those who genuinely intend to live or do business in the country, and by those for whom it matters not to part with the money before approval. This is not a passive “just in case” status.

A safe sequence

The state’s decision first, then the money. For large sums that is the main argument against programmes where the investment is made blind.

A move to a country you understand

The status gives the right to live, work and study. Italy remains one of the few countries in Europe that does not forbid an investor to work.

A tax regime for a large income

A flat tax on foreign income makes sense on a high worldwide income. The decision is taken with a tax adviser, not from advertising.

A way into Italian business

An investment in a start-up or an operating company is a status and a share in a business at the same time, not a non-refundable contribution.

Education for the children

Children receive the status together with their parents and enter Italian and international schools as residents.

A road to a passport

The right to apply for citizenship opens up after ten years of lawful residence. Without moving, the status remains a residence permit.

04 / Travel

Where you can travel on the residence card

An Italian residence card gives the right to live and work in the country and to travel around Schengen, but it does not replace an EU passport.

Mode 01

Italy without limits

Entry, exit and residence in the country at any time for the whole term of the status. There is no compulsory minimum of days.

Mode 02

Schengen, 90 days in 180

Travel around the Schengen countries without a visa — up to 90 days in every 180. The card does not give the right to work as an employee in other EU countries.

Mode 03

Work and business in Italy

The status allows employment and business activity in the country without a separate permit.

Mode 04

The rest of the world on your own passport

You travel to third countries on your current passport of citizenship: that is what sets the visa regime, not the residence card.

Sources: article 26-bis of decree No. 286/1998 as in force and the Schengen Borders Code (Regulation (EU) 2016/399) as regards the 90 days in every 180. Entry rules are set by the receiving states and may change.

05 / The composition of the application

Who gets the status with you

Residence permits go to everyone entered in the application. Open a row to see the conditions.

Over 18
No convictions and no ban on entering the Schengen area
With a confirmed source and availability of the funds for the investment
With valid medical insurance

In a registered marriage
Receives the status for the same term as the applicant

The children of the applicant or the spouse, including from previous marriages
Where custody is shared, the other parent’s consent is required

Unable to support themselves for health reasons
The financial dependency is confirmed by documents

The parents of the applicant and the parents of the spouse
Wholly supported by the applicant, with no other support in their country of residence

06 / Cost

What Italian residency costs

The size of the investment depends on the option chosen. The number of people in the application does not change the amount — the composition affects the consular fees and the volume of documents.

An innovative start-up · the lowest threshold

€250,000

≈ $290,000

Holding period The whole time the status is in force

The company is entered on the special register of innovative start-ups
An investment in the share capital or a convertible loan
A business plan and confirmation of how the funds will be used are required
Exiting the project before the status expires means it is cancelled

An operating Italian company · entry into a working business

€500,000

≈ $580,000

Holding period The whole time the status is in force

The company is registered and has carried on business in Italy for at least two years
An investment in the share capital
The company’s reporting and the origin of the funds are checked
The shareholding is held for the whole time the status is in force

The investment option

The main applicant

Spouse

Children under 18

Dependent adult children

Dependent parents

The thresholds are given under article 26-bis of decree No. 286/1998. On top of the investment come the consular fees, translations and legalisation of documents, preparing the business plan and the support. This is a preliminary calculation, not a decision of a state authority.

07 / Comparison

Italy against other residency programmes

If you are choosing between the European residency by investment programmes, here are the main parameters side by side. The full comparison sits on its own page.

	Italy	Greece	Portugal	Hungary	Malta
Investment threshold from	€250,000	€250,000	€200,000	€250,000	€375,000
When the money is transferred	After approval	Before filing	Before filing	After entry	Before filing
The right to work in the country	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No
Presence requirement	None	None	7 days a year	None	None
Processing time	3-4 months	4-6 months	6-18 months	4-6 months	6-8 months

The amounts are the minimum thresholds, excluding fees and support. The data are given as at the date this page was updated and are checked again before the agreement is signed.

Full program comparison →

10 / How it works

How the Italian residency process works

STEP 1

The preliminary check

We go through the situation: citizenship, the family composition, the source of funds. We choose the investment option and calculate the all-in budget before any costs.

STEP 2

Preparing the project and the business plan

We prepare the description of the investment: for a start-up or a company, the business plan and confirmation of how the funds will be used; for a project, the recipient’s consent.

STEP 3

The application for the certificate

We file the application through the Investor Visa for Italy portal. No money is transferred at this stage — it stays with you.

STEP 4

The committee’s approval

The responsible committee considers the application and issues a certificate confirming the right to the investor visa. The consideration takes up to 30 days.

STEP 5

The investor visa

With the certificate we apply for the visa at the consulate. The visa is issued within the set period, after which you can enter.

STEP 6

Entry and the investment

After entering the country we transfer the funds into the agreed project and confirm the investment. There are three months from the date of entry to make it.

STEP 7

The residence card and the renewal

We arrange the residence permit for two years, then a renewal for three while the investment is kept. The overall processing time is 3-4 months.

A step-by-step plan of the process

The same seven steps as a document: what is prepared at each stage, which documents are needed, how long each step takes and when the money is transferred.

Download the step-by-step plan

The investor visa is issued under article 26-bis of decree No. 286/1998.

ItalyThe European Union and SchengenA programme since 2017

Choose the option

11 / Our role

Why people arrange Italian residency with us

In Italy the decision is taken by a committee, and it reads not a form but a project. The result depends on how the investment is described and the source of funds evidenced.

We prepare a project, not a form

The business plan, the use of the funds, confirmation from the company or the recipient of the contribution. That part determines the outcome.

We handle the correspondence with the committee

Requests for clarification arrive on short deadlines. We answer them ourselves and keep the process on schedule.

We work out the taxes before the decision

The flat tax is not advantageous for everyone. We compare the regimes together with a tax adviser before you file the application.

We stay through the renewals

After two years the status is renewed and the investment is checked again. We keep those deadlines and confirmations.

12 / Team

Who runs the Italian residency process

The application is run by a permanent team: the programme lawyer, a documents specialist and a family coordinator.

Anna KovalevskayaHead of LegalThe strategy for the programme and the structure of the investment

Robert HaasCorporate LawyerRunning the application legally and the documents

Dmitry NagyInternational Tax ConsultantTax regimes and residency

Sofia MendesInvestment Migration ExpertCoordinating the family and contact at every stage

15 / Materials

Useful materials on Italy

Materials on the investor visa: the investment options, the order of approval and the composition of the application.

The main materialPresentation

An Italian residence permit by investment

The presentation gathers the essentials of the programme: the investment options, the certificate procedure, the family composition, the documents and how the work is done.

Inside:

which investment options are available
how the order with approval before payment works
what it costs all in, with the fees
which relatives are included in the application
which documents will be needed
how the flat tax is calculated
how work with BRIDGES is organised

PDF · free · current as of August 2026

How to describe the project and evidence the source of funds so the application is approved first time.

The list of documents for the applicant and each family member, marking what has to be translated and legalised.

We calculate the full budget: the investment, the consular fees, preparing the project and the support.

All the materials are updated regularly by our team and are used when supporting BRIDGES clients.

16 / News

What has changed in the Italian programme

2017-01-01

The investor visa was introduced under article 26-bis of decree No. 286/1998: four investment options and a certificate before the money is transferred.

2020-05-19

The thresholds for the start-up and the company were halved — to €250,000 and €500,000 respectively.

2024-08-10

The flat tax for new tax residents was raised to €300,000 a year; the €50,000 for each relative was kept.

Worth having

Download the Italian residency checklist

The short document we give clients before the start: the investment options, the order of approval, the cost structure and the stages — in one list, with nothing padded.

Inside the document

The four investment options and the requirements of each
The certificate procedure and the timeline by stage
The current conditions for 2026

We will send it after a short form - no call or obligation.

17 / Questions

Answers to common questions

Only after approval. First the committee considers the application and issues a certificate confirming the right to the investor visa, then the visa is arranged, and only after entering the country is the investment made — three months are allowed for it. Until the certificate your funds stay with you.

The threshold depends on the option: an innovative start-up from €250,000, an operating Italian company from €500,000, a charitable project from €1,000,000, government bonds from €2,000,000. The size of the investment does not depend on the number of people in the application.

The status is cancelled. The investment is held for the whole time the residence permit is in force and is checked on renewal. There is no return by time limit as in the fund programmes: an exit is possible only together with giving up the status.

The programme sets no compulsory minimum of days, but the status is designed for those who genuinely tie their life to the country. Renewal after two years requires confirmation that the investment has been kept.

A spouse by registered marriage, minor children, adult children unable to support themselves for health reasons, and dependent parents. They all receive the status on the same investment.

Yes. The investor residence permit gives the right to work as an employee and to carry on business activity in Italy without a separate permit. In other EU countries it gives no right to work.

New tax residents may pay €300,000 a year on all foreign income instead of the ordinary progressive scale, plus €50,000 for each relative included. The regime is taken up by a separate application and is advantageous on a high worldwide income — on a moderate one ordinary taxation is cheaper.

Consideration by the committee takes up to 30 days, then the visa and the entry. The overall time to the residence card is 3-4 months with a complete set of documents.

The right to apply for naturalisation opens up after ten years of lawful residence in the country, with Italian at B1 level. Years in which you held the status but did not live in Italy do not count towards that period.

The programme contains no restrictions on citizenship. The difficulty lies in evidencing the source of funds and in the bank transfer: the committee and the bank look at the chain of the money’s origin. We go through that part before the application is filed.

INITIAL ASSESSMENT

Tell us what outcome your family needs

We will design a solution for your case, choose the country and the right status, and take the whole process through to the result.

Get a preliminary assessment Book a consultation

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Anna Kovalevskaya, lead lawyer at BRIDGES GLOBAL

Anna KovalevskayaLead lawyer, citizenship and residency, 12 years of practice