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ItalyNational visa for living on passive income

Elective residence visa in Italy

An Italian national visa for people moving to Italy to live on their own means and not intending to work. The applicant shows that they support themselves — through a pension, an annuity, income from property or from their own business; no employer's invitation and no university enrolment are needed. The documents are assessed by the Italian consulate in the country of residence, which decides whether to issue the visa. After entry the residence permit is obtained at the questura.

Processing time
After entering Italy the permesso di soggiorno application is lodged within 8 days.
Work
Any work activity is prohibited.

Source: Consolato d'Italia Recife — Visto per residenza elettiva

Who can obtain the visa — the applicant and the family

The visa is built around a single condition: independence from employed work. From it flow different requirements for the applicant and for the family members living with them.

Main applicant

  • Plans to move to Italy and not to take employment there
  • Proves accommodation in Italy — owned, or under a tenancy agreement of at least a year
  • Shows stable income other than from employed work: a pension, an annuity, income from property or from a business

The applicant's spouse and children

  • Receive a separate but equivalent visa together with the applicant
  • The consulate assesses separately whether the applicant's means are sufficient for them too
  • This category covers cohabiting minors and dependent adults

When this programme will not suit you

I want to move to Italy to be employed by an Italian company

an employed work visa (lavoro subordinato) — work activity is expressly prohibited on the elective residence visa

I am joining a spouse or parent who already lives lawfully in Italy

a family visa (motivi familiari / ricongiungimento familiare)

I want to study at an Italian university

a study visa (visto per studio)

I plan to run a business or work for myself in Italy

a self-employment visa (lavoro autonomo)

Documents to gather

The list may differ slightly between Italian consulates — below is the set found at most missions.

  • Valid passport: valid for at least 3 months longer than the visa, with at least 2 blank pages, issued no more than 10 years ago
  • Completed and signed national visa application form
  • Photographs to the prescribed standard
  • Proof of accommodation in Italy: ownership or a tenancy agreement of at least a year, concluded in Italy itself
  • Documents on the source of income other than employed work: a pension, an annuity, income from property or from your own business
  • Bank and credit card statements for the last 6–12 months
  • Health insurance with cover of at least EUR 30,000 — illness, accident and repatriation
  • Ticket or booking for the journey to Italy
  • Receipt for payment of the consular fee

How the process runs

The process runs in two stages: first the consulate examines the visa, then the applicant obtains the residence permit in Italy.

  1. 1

    Booking an appointment to file

    The applicant books an appointment at the Italian consulate or embassy in the country of residence through the Prenot@mi portal — attending in person to file is compulsory for this category of visa.

  2. 2

    Filing the documents and paying the fee

    At the appointment the applicant hands in the form, passport and documents on accommodation and income, and pays the consular fee.

  3. 3

    Examination of the application by the consulate

    The consulate checks that the documents are genuine and assesses whether the declared means are sufficient to live in Italy without working.

  4. 4

    Issue of the visa

    The consulate places a national type D visa in the applicant's passport — it gives the right to enter Italy and to apply for a residence permit.

  5. 5

    Lodging the residence permit application

    within 8 days of entry

    After arriving in Italy the applicant must lodge an application for a permesso di soggiorno. The visa gives only the right of entry — it is this document that confirms the lawful right to stay on.

Who you can bring with you

The visa covers not only the applicant but also the family members moving with them.

Cohabiting spouse
Receives an equivalent visa if the consulate considers the applicant's financial means sufficient for them as well
Minor children
Included in the family's move on the same sufficiency-of-means conditions
Dependent adult children living with the applicant
May likewise obtain an equivalent visa where financial dependence on the applicant is proven

Frequently asked questions about Elective residence visa

How much income has to be proven to obtain an elective residence visa?
The law names no fixed sum in euros — it requires income no lower than three times the annual amounts in table A to the Italian Ministry of the Interior directive of 1 March 2000 on the subsistence minimum for foreign nationals. Consulates translate this requirement into a guide figure: the consulate in Paris, for example, gives a starting point of about EUR 31,000 a year for a single applicant and notes that this is only one of the assessment parameters, not a hard threshold — the consul looks at the applicant's whole financial picture.
Can you work in Italy on this visa?
No. The visa is issued to people able to live in Italy on income unconnected with employed work, and the government decree expressly forbids the visa holder to carry on any work activity in the country.
How much does the visa cost and is anything else payable?
The consular fee for a national type D visa is EUR 116, the same amount charged by Italian consulates worldwide for long-stay visas in this category. Separately from the fee you must buy health insurance with cover of at least EUR 30,000 — that is a payment to a private insurer, not a state fee, and the exact sum depends on the insurance company.
What has to be done after entering Italy — does the visa already give the right to live there?
The visa only opens entry. Within 8 days of arriving in Italy you must lodge an application for a residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) — only that document confirms the right to remain lawfully in the country.
Can a spouse and children come too?
Yes. A cohabiting spouse, minor children and dependent adult children living with the applicant may obtain an equivalent visa — but only if the consulate finds the applicant's financial means sufficient for them as well.
How long does the visa application take?
The consulate in Paris states that examination may take up to 90 days — the exact time depends on the workload of the particular consulate and on how complete the documents are.

Other ways to move to Italy

Every route in one list — migration programmes: Italy.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 7 August 2026.