Route-fit and income memo
A written view of whether the elective residency route fits, the passive-income level consulates expect for your family size, and likely blockers.
Italy Elective Residency Visa
Italy elective residency visa, prepared end to end.
Italian consulates ask elective residency visa applicants for stable passive income of about EUR 31,000 a year per applicant, including a spouse (Boston, New York, and Abu Dhabi consular pages, checked 18 October 2026), and the Abu Dhabi checklist adds at least 5% per child. No work is allowed in Italy. The Italy elective residency visa is a long-stay national (D) visa for non-EU nationals who can live in Italy on pensions, annuities, investments, or property income without working. We map the income evidence, private health insurance, registered accommodation, consulate filing, and residence permit with you.
Movingto is an immigration firm that puts a named, Bar-registered lawyer from its in-house legal team on your case and publishes its fees.
Updated .
First call: leave with route fit, the income evidence consulates expect, health-insurance and accommodation gaps, family scope, and the next decision mapped.
Researching the route first? Read the full Italy elective residency visa guide
What you get
What does the elective residency visa service include?
The income basis comes first. We prepare the passive-income evidence, health insurance, accommodation, family scope, and residence steps with you, so the file is ready before the consulate appointment.
Income and resources evidence map
A practical plan for evidencing pensions, investments, and rental income in the format your consulate accepts, with the discretion they apply.
Insurance and accommodation list
Private health insurance to the required cover, a registered lease or property deed, criminal record, apostille, translation, and family records organized early.
Consulate and residence handoff
The consulate visa filing, entry, permesso di soggiorno, codice fiscale, and the path toward permanent residence stay visible after filing.
No work in Italy
The route is for people living on passive income; any work activity in Italy is not permitted, so the income basis has to be genuinely passive.
How much income do you need for the Italy elective residency visa?
Consular checklists ask for at least about EUR 31,000 a year per applicant, and consulates can ask for more documents, so the income file is built to the post's real expectation.
Cover before the appointment
Private health insurance meeting the minimum cover has to be in place for the consulate, not arranged afterwards.
Five years, then options
The first permit follows the visa (up to one year) and is renewable; after five years on a valid permit you can apply for the EU long-term residence permit (TUI art. 9), and citizenship can be requested later.
Who this fits
Why use Movingto for an Italy elective residency case?
This route is useful only when the income basis, consular threshold, health insurance, accommodation, and family scope can be made clear. Movingto helps map the file before filing work starts.
Good fit for
- Retirees and applicants with stable pensions, investment, or rental income
- People who will live in Italy on passive income and not work locally
- Applicants who need the consular income expectation planned for each family member
- Families that need dependant scope, income coverage, insurance, and document timing planned together
- Applicants who want the path toward permanent residence mapped from the start
Not the right fit for
- EU, EEA, or Swiss citizens who do not need this national route
- Applicants who intend to work, freelance, or run a business in Italy
- People relying on active employment or remote-work income to meet the threshold
- Anyone seeking an approval guarantee or a fixed processing-time promise
- Anyone seeking tax or social-security advice directly from Movingto
Service scope
How the route is managed.
You get a managed route and evidence plan. Consular and Questura decisions, tax advice, and tax filings stay with the relevant owner.
- Included workstreams
- 4
- Professional scope
- Clear
Delivery scopeMovingto delivery and specialist scope
Managed by Movingto
Italy route and income assessment
We map whether the elective residency route fits, the passive-income level consulates expect for your family size, nationality, likely blockers, and the next decision.
Managed by Movingto
Income, insurance, and accommodation checklist
We organize passive-income proof, private health insurance to the required cover, registered accommodation, criminal record, and family records.
Managed by Movingto
Visa and residence path mapping
We sequence the consulate visa, entry, permesso di soggiorno, codice fiscale, renewal timing, and the path toward permanent residence.
Managed by Movingto
Tax-residence handoff
We identify Italian tax-residence and reporting questions and arrange the handoff to a commercialista where advice or filings are needed.
Handled by the relevant specialist
Authority decisions or guarantees
Movingto does not control consular discretion, visa decisions, consulate requirements, processing times, or approval outcomes.
Handled by the relevant specialist
Tax or social-security advice
Tax advice, tax filings, and social-security questions must be handled by engaged specialists.
Case path
From route fit to residence setup.
Each stage ends with a decision, checklist, or specialist handoff so the case does not drift between income evidence, insurance, and accommodation.
Case path05 managed stages
- Step 1 of 5
Confirm route fit and income basis
Check that the income is genuinely passive and map it against the consulate's checklist figure for each applicant in the family.
- Step 2 of 5
Build the income and resources file
Prepare the pension, investment, and rental evidence in the format the consulate accepts, with statements and supporting records.
- Step 3 of 5
Arrange insurance and accommodation
Put private health insurance to the required cover in place and secure a lease registered with the Agenzia delle Entrate or a property deed.
- Step 4 of 5
Prepare the visa filing
Align the consulate visa filing with criminal-record, apostille, translation, and family documents before the application package moves.
- Step 5 of 5
Track entry and residence setup
Keep the permesso di soggiorno, codice fiscale, renewal timing, and the permanent-residence path visible after the filing decision.
Key figures
Italy elective residency visa at a glance (2026)
| Item | Figure / rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Income (each applicant) | At least about EUR 31,000/yr of stable passive income, including a spouse | Boston, New York, and Abu Dhabi consular pages |
| Children | At least 5% more per child | Abu Dhabi embassy checklist |
| Income type | Passive only — pensions, annuities, investments, property; no work in Italy | New York and Boston consulates |
| Health insurance | Private cover, minimum EUR 30,000 | Abu Dhabi embassy checklist |
| Fees | National visa EUR 116; permit kit EUR 80.46 slip + EUR 16 stamp + EUR 30 post-office fee | New York consulate fee table; Polizia di Stato; Poste Italiane |
| Timing | Apply 6 months to 15 days before travel; decision up to 90 days | Abu Dhabi embassy checklist |
| Permit and pathway | Permit request within 8 working days of entry; EU long-term permit after 5 years | TUI arts. 5(2) and 9 |
| Legal basis | Interministerial Decree 850/2011, Annex A, point 13 | Abu Dhabi embassy checklist |
Source: Italian consulates in Boston and New York, the Abu Dhabi embassy checklist, the New York consulate fee table (fourth quarter 2026), the Polizia di Stato kit list, and D.Lgs. 286/1998 on Normattiva, checked 18 October 2026. Each consulate sets its own checklist and can ask for more documents.
Full guide with official fees and the permanent-residence pathEvidence
Evidence you can check.
Scope, professional ownership, and credential claims stay tied to source pages instead of sitting as unsupported marketing copy.
Source
Elective residency visa requirements (more than EUR 31,000 a year per applicant)
View sourceConsulate General of Italy in BostonChecked 18 October 2026
Source
Elective residency visa requirements (around EUR 31,000 per person)
View sourceConsulate General of Italy in New YorkChecked 18 October 2026
Source
Elective residence visa checklist (EUR 31,000 per applicant, +5% per child)
View sourceEmbassy of Italy in Abu DhabiChecked 18 October 2026
Source
Consular fee table, fourth quarter 2026 (long-stay visa EUR 116)
View sourceConsulate General of Italy in New YorkChecked 18 October 2026
Source
Residence permit postal kit: documents and fees by permit type
View sourcePolizia di StatoChecked 18 October 2026
Source
D.Lgs. 286/1998 (TUI) art. 5: residence permit within eight working days
View sourceNormattivaChecked 18 October 2026
Source
Permesso di soggiorno (residence permit)
View sourcePolizia di Stato
Source
Personal income tax for individuals
View sourceAgenzia delle Entrate
Source
Migrant integration portal
View sourceMinistry of Labour and Social Policies
Common questions
Questions before you engage.
What is included in the Italy elective residency visa service?
The service covers route fit, passive-income evidence against the consular expectation, health-insurance and accommodation planning, family-scope review, consulate-visa sequencing, residence-permit tracking, and a tax-residence handoff. Tax advice remains with the relevant specialists.
How much income do I need to show?
The figure comes from consular checklists, not from a statute: the Abu Dhabi checklist bases it on three times the 'Table A' amount of the Interior Ministry directive of 1 March 2000, about EUR 31,000 a year. Boston asks for more than EUR 31,000 a year per applicant, New York says each applicant in a family application typically needs around EUR 31,000, and Abu Dhabi asks for at least EUR 31,000 per applicant, including spouses, plus at least 5% per child (all checked 18 October 2026). Consulates can ask for more documents.
Can I work in Italy on this visa?
No. The elective residency route is for people living on passive income such as pensions, investments, and rental. Any work activity in Italy is not permitted, so the income basis has to be genuinely passive.
What health insurance and accommodation do I need?
You need private health insurance covering medical risks in Italy; the Abu Dhabi checklist sets a minimum of EUR 30,000 of cover, and Boston asks for a policy covering emergency evacuation and repatriation. You also need a lease registered with the Agenzia delle Entrate or a property deed. We help map both before the consulate appointment.
Does Movingto handle my Italian taxes?
We prepare the documents and arrange the handoff. A commercialista or tax specialist handles Italian tax residence, reporting, and any filings.
Does each family member need EUR 31,000 a year?
Usually the test applies per applicant. New York says each applicant in a family application typically needs around EUR 31,000, the Abu Dhabi checklist counts spouses at EUR 31,000 each and adds at least 5% per child, and Boston covers dependants if the applicant shows more than EUR 31,000 a year per applicant. Check your own consulate's checklist.
Can remote-work or employment income count toward the elective residency visa?
No. The New York consulate says the financial means cannot derive from any form of employment, and Boston does not take income from subordinate work into consideration. If you will keep working remotely, the Italy digital nomad visa is the route to look at.
When should I apply, and how long does the decision take?
The Abu Dhabi checklist says to apply no more than six months and no later than 15 calendar days before travel, and the procedure can take up to 90 calendar days. After arrival, you request the residence permit at the Questura within eight working days (TUI art. 5(2)).
How much does Movingto charge for the elective residency visa?
Our pricing page lists the Italy Elective Residency Visa from €2,500. The first consultation is free.
Private advisory call
Get your Italy elective residency visa prepared, end to end.
Bring your income sources, current location, family scope, and any health-insurance or housing questions. We will map the income evidence, consulate timing, residence setup, and specialist handoffs.
First call covers
Leave with a clearer route decision, the income expectation, evidence gaps, and next steps.
- Route fit
- Country, visa category, family members, and timing.
- Scope
- Documents, legal work, tax points, and investment boundaries.
- Next steps
- What to prepare for the Movingto team and any relevant specialists.