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🇮🇹 Moving to Italy: what you actually need to know

Italy launched its Digital Nomad Visa in April 2024, making it the latest major European country to create a specific pathway for remote workers and freelancers. The Elective Residency Visa remains the most accessible route for people with passive income. Italian bureaucracy is extensive: the codice fiscale, permesso di soggiorno, and SPID digital identity are all distinct steps that each require their own appointment or processing time.

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Visa routes

Your main options for moving to Italy

Digital Nomad Visa

Launched April 2024. For remote workers employed by companies outside Italy or self-employed freelancers. Minimum income: €28,000/year gross. Requires proof of employment or freelance income, private health insurance, and proof of Italian accommodation. Processing: 4–8 weeks at the Italian consulate.

Elective Residency Visa

For people with sufficient passive income (minimum approximately €31,000/year, €38,000 if accompanied by a spouse) who do not intend to work in Italy. No income cap. One of the simpler Italian visas to obtain. Annual renewal.

EU Blue Card

For highly qualified workers with a job offer above the salary threshold (approximately €29,000/year, higher in practice). Italy participates in the EU Blue Card system but it is less used than in Germany or the Netherlands.

Student Visa (D Visa)

For study at a recognised Italian university or language school. Apply at the Italian consulate in your home country. Italy has numerous public universities with low tuition fees (€900–4,000/year). Allows up to 20 hours of work per week.

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Cost of living

What it actually costs to live in Italy

Milan

€2,200–3,800/month

Italy's most expensive city. Rent for a 1-bed: €1,300–2,200. Strong finance, fashion, and design job market.

Rome

€1,800–3,200/month

Rent for a 1-bed: €1,100–1,900. Significant variation by neighbourhood: central areas (Prati, Testaccio) command a premium.

Bologna, Florence, Turin

€1,400–2,400/month

University cities with strong cultural life. Bologna is the most affordable of the three.

Key steps

What to do and in what order

Get your Codice Fiscale (tax code)

Italy's national tax identification number. Get it at the Italian consulate in your home country (free, same day in most cases) or at the Agenzia delle Entrate in Italy. Required for rental contracts, bank accounts, and almost all official interactions.

Apply for a Permesso di Soggiorno

Within 8 business days of arriving in Italy, non-EU citizens must apply for a Permesso di Soggiorno (residence permit) at a post office (ufficio postale). The kit includes your visa, passport photos, proof of address, and relevant documentation. The permit itself is issued by the Questura: processing takes 2–6 months, but you receive a receipt (ricevuta) that serves as interim proof of legal stay.

Register at your local Anagrafe (municipal registry office) with your passport, Permesso di Soggiorno receipt, and proof of accommodation. Required for SPID, healthcare, and most public services.

Get SPID (Sistema Pubblico di Identità Digitale)

Italy's digital identity system. Required for most government online services, tax filing, and health records access. Apply through authorised identity providers (Poste Italiane, InfoCert, Aruba). Requires a valid residence permit or Italian identity document.

Register at your local Azienda Sanitaria Locale (ASL) with your Permesso di Soggiorno, codice fiscale, and proof of address. Gives you a health card (tessera sanitaria) and access to Italy's national health system.

Common mistake

The Permesso di Soggiorno process has two common failure points: missing the 8-business-day window for the post office kit submission, and submitting an incomplete kit. The Questura will not contact you to correct missing documents: they will simply not process the application. Use the official checklist from the Questura website for your permit type.

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The free tool covers country comparison, visa route selection, document checklist, cost breakdown, and a step-by-step arrival guide for Italy and 46 other destinations. No account required. Your data stays on your device.

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