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Immigration services in Italy

Immigration routes: Italy

Residence permit

Italian residence permit for financially independent people

Italian residency on passive income from €31,000 a year.
from ≈ $2,220
4–8 months

Digital nomad residence permit in Italy — Digital Nomad

Italy's digital nomad residence permit for highly qualified remote workers and freelancers.
from $5,390
4–6 months

Visa applications

Schengen visa for Italy2 tiers

An Italian visa end to end: the appointment, the application form, bookings, insurance. Filing in person. The rate depends on the visa centre: VMS (Moscow, Moscow region, St Petersburg) or Almaviva (all other regions).
from ≈ $190
1–4 weeks
Reference

Immigration routes: Italy

13 routes to move to Italy: grounds, requirements, documents and timelines. Each route carries a link to the official source and the date we checked it. The terms change several times a year, so we check the requirements for your case on a free consultation.

Protezione Sussidiaria

Threat to life.

Protezione Speciale

Right to private/family life, health. National humanitarian status.

Labour immigration quotas (Decreto Flussi)

The annual Decreto flussi sets quotas for the entry of foreign nationals for employed work; separate quotas are allocated to self-employment. The legal basis is d.lgs. 286/1998 and the decrees connected with it. Certain categories enter outside the quotas: highly qualified workers certified by the territorial labour inspectorate, general and specialist managers of Italian companies or of branches of companies from WTO countries, native-speaker teachers and university professors, and translators.

EU Blue Card (Carta Blu UE)

A type of visa for employed work intended for highly qualified specialists. Consular fee: EUR 116 for the national D visa, EUR 80 for a C visa (according to the consulate in Paris; fees vary by mission).

Self-employment visa (Visto per lavoro autonomo)

A visa for carrying on self-employed activity in Italy; some categories fall under the Decreto Flussi quotas, others are issued outside the quotas.

Elective residence visa (Visto per residenza elettiva)

A long-stay visa for foreign nationals wishing to settle in Italy who are able to support themselves without working.

Investor visa (Investor Visa for Italy)

A visa for third-country nationals investing in assets that are strategic for Italy. The consulate stresses that filing a complete set of documents does not guarantee that the visa will be issued and that further documents may be requested.

Start-up visa (Italia Start-up Visa)

A visa for foreign nationals wishing to found an innovative start-up company in Italy; the legal basis is article 25(2) of DL 179/2012.

Study visa (Visto per studio)

A visa for study in Italy along several routes.

Family reunification visa (Visto per ricongiungimento familiare)

A visa for the entry of family members of a foreign national lawfully resident in Italy. The consulate in Recife notes that a de facto union recognised in Brazil (união estável) does not currently give a right to a family reunification visa — requirements may differ by country.

Citizenship by descent (Cittadinanza jure sanguinis) — the new 2025 ruleslimited

Recognition of Italian citizenship by descent under Law 91/1992 as amended by decreto-legge 36/2025, converted into Legge 74/2025. The additional requirements do not apply to anyone who booked and confirmed an appointment before 23:59 Rome time on 27 March 2025 — the previous rules apply to them. The new regime has been in force since 24 May 2025. The consular fee is EUR 600 (non-refundable). Appointments are booked through the Prenot@mi system. A separate procedure applies to minors.

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