Years in the making, Italy’s long-awaited digital nomad visa is finally here and applications are now opened. That means that you may soon be able to pack up and spend one entire year living la dolce vita. Of course, the Italian authorities don’t just hand out visas to anyone — there are few criteria you need to match and some paperwork to fill before you can start your new life.
Photo: Rasto SK/Shutterstock
Italy Started a Digital Nomad Visa For Remote Workers Making at Least $30,000 Per Year
To apply, you must be a non-EU citizen who carries out “a highly qualified work activity through the use of technological tools that allow working remotely,” explains the official decree. While “highly qualified work” is a term that required clarification, the rest is very straight forward: If you work remotely, and have been for at least six months, whether as a self-employed individual or as the employee of a company, you qualify. Well, almost.
The official decree also says that those who wish to apply for Italy’s digital nomad visa must make at least 28,000 euros annually, i.e. $30,000. This minimum annual income is determined as “three times the minimum level foreseen for exemption from participation in health spending.”
If you check all the boxes, you can go ahead and apply for Italy’s digital nomad visa by booking an appointment at the Italian embassy or at an Italian consulate in the country where you legally reside or hold citizenship in. Upon booking the appointment, make sure to request a list of the documentation you’ll need to have with you. Currently, the list includes:
- A passport valid until three months after the end of your desired stay in Italy. The passport will need at least one blank page where Italian authorities can apply the visa
- Proof of a comprehensive health coverage for the duration of your residence in Italy
- Proof of having secured accommodation for the length of your stay in Italy
- A signed declaration from your employer if you are a remote employee rather than a freelancer
- A criminal record check
- Proof of income, most likely a copy of your filed income tax return
- An Italian tax code (codice fiscale).
With the exception for the obtention of the Italian tax code, which will require applicants to speak to an international tax specialist prior to their appointment, and which seems to be the biggest hurdle in the application process, the requirements are very standard.
Italy’s digital nomad visa grants one year of residence that can be renewed. 