🇮🇹 Italy digital nomad visa: requirements

Last checked: 29 September 2026 · official government source

Italy's remote-worker visa became fully operational after a slow rollout. It targets 'highly skilled' remote workers and freelancers and, like the others, requires proof of income and qualifying health insurance. Its income bar is the lowest on this list; the filter is the skill requirement and paperwork instead. Two structural advantages worth knowing: it needs no nulla osta (the work-permit clearance that adds six months to other Italian routes), and it sits outside Italy's annual immigration quotas.

⚠️ This is general information, not legal, immigration, tax or insurance advice. Rules change often, so always confirm the current requirements with the official government source before you apply.

Income requirement

You need to show roughly €2,125 per month. Italy states the bar as a formula rather than a figure, namely an annual income of at least three times the minimum level for exemption from healthcare cost-sharing. Italian consular checklists spell the arithmetic out: €8,500 × 3 = €25,500 a year, about €2,125/month, and that is the number in Italy's own documents. You will see €28,000 quoted almost everywhere else; treat it as the practical level consulates are comfortable with rather than the rule, and apply with a margin. You must also qualify as a 'highly skilled' worker under art. 27-quater of Legislative Decree 286/1998, show at least six months of prior experience in the work you'll be doing remotely, and earn from non-Italian employers or clients. Processing runs up to 90 days for employed remote workers and 120 for freelancers, and once you arrive you have eight working days to file for the permit at the local Questura.

The Italy income requirement in detail →
Not sure if you clear it? Run the income checker →

Health insurance

Health insurance valid in Italy for the whole stay, covering medical care and hospitalisation. Italy publishes no minimum sum for this visa; consular checklists describe the cover, not a figure. This is the step that rejects the most applications, so it's worth getting right.

Read the full Italy insurance guide → (which policies qualify, which get rejected)

Tax

Tax treatment depends on residency status; Italy has separate incentive regimes worth checking individually.

How long it lasts

Up to 1 year, renewable annually for up to 5 years. It can lead to longer-term residency if you keep meeting the conditions.

Getting paid and staying connected

Two practical things every nomad sorts out on arrival: a low-fee way to receive income in euros, and mobile data from day one.

Compare Italy with the other countries →
Italy insurance requirements →
Requirement changes we've verified recently →