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Italy residence and citizenship

No residence route by investment with a stated minimum is on file for Italy. Ordinary naturalisation in Italy needs 10 years of legal residence.

Last updated: 9 November 2026

Checked — Sources last checked 9 November 2026 by the automated residence and citizenship review.

Residence routes in Italy

Investment, own-income, remote-work and permanent routes. Scroll across the table to see every column.

RouteKindMinimumProcessingTo citizenship
Investor Visa for ItalyInvestor———
Elective Residence VisaRetirement or own income———
Digital Nomad and Remote Worker VisaRemote work———
EU Permanent Residence CertificatePermanent residence———
EU Long-Term Resident PermitPermanent residence———

"Minimum" is a cited investment threshold in its stated currency. A USD figure appears only when a supported conversion is on file; "—" means no supported amount is on file, not that it is free. "To citizenship" counts the years of residence before a naturalisation application. A zero-year entry states no residence wait; citizenship still needs a separate decision.

Work, family, study and other routes (11)
RouteKindMinimumProcessingTo citizenship
Salaried Employment National VisaWork———
Entrepreneur Self-Employment Work PermitWork———
Corporate Officer Self-Employment Work PermitWork———
EU Blue CardWork———
Family Reunification with Non-EU ResidentFamily———
Family Reunification with Italian or EU CitizenFamily———
EU Free MovementEU / EEA free movement———
EEA Free MovementEU / EEA free movement———
Swiss Free MovementEU / EEA free movement———
University Study National VisaStudy———
Italia Startup VisaOther———
Each route's conditions and sources

Investor Visa for Italy

Not for EU citizens, EEA citizens, Swiss citizens.

Some route amounts or time figures still need field-level evidence.

Sources: Investor visa and investment options (Invest in Italy), Investor bonds and donation alternatives (Invest in Italy), National visa fee (Italian Embassy in Singapore), National visa issuance limits (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Ten-year ordinary citizenship period (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), ECB reference EUR/USD rate on 6 November 2026 (European Central Bank), Investor visa is not expedited citizenship (Fragomen, summary)

Elective Residence Visa

Not for EU citizens, EEA citizens, Swiss citizens.

Some route amounts or time figures still need field-level evidence.

Sources: Elective residence eligibility (Italian Consulate General in Los Angeles), Elective residence fee and income (Italian Consulate General in Frankfurt), National visa issuance limits (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Ten-year ordinary citizenship period (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), ECB reference EUR/USD rate on 6 November 2026 (European Central Bank)

Digital Nomad and Remote Worker Visa

Not for EU citizens, EEA citizens, Swiss citizens.

Some route amounts or time figures still need field-level evidence.

Sources: Digital nomad and remote worker visa (Italian Embassy in Singapore), Ten-year ordinary citizenship period (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), ECB reference EUR/USD rate on 6 November 2026 (European Central Bank), Digital nomad programme launch (Fragomen, summary)

EU Permanent Residence Certificate

Only for EU citizens.

Some route amounts or time figures still need field-level evidence.

Sources: EU permanent residence in Italy (European Commission EURES), Four-year EU citizenship period (Italian Ministry of the Interior)

EU Long-Term Resident Permit

Not for EU citizens, EEA citizens, Swiss citizens.

Some route amounts or time figures still need field-level evidence.

Sources: Long-term residence after five years (Italian Government Integration Portal), A2 language for long-term residence (Italian Government Integration Portal), EU long-term residence permit charges (Italian Government Integration Portal), Nonbinding residence permit issuance target (Italian Government Integration Portal), Ten-year ordinary citizenship period (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), ECB reference EUR/USD rate on 6 November 2026 (European Central Bank)

Salaried Employment National Visa

Not for EU citizens, EEA citizens, Swiss citizens.

Some route amounts or time figures still need field-level evidence.

Sources: Salaried employment visa requirements (Italian Consulate General in Frankfurt), National visa fee (Italian Embassy in Singapore), National visa issuance limits (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Ten-year ordinary citizenship period (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), ECB reference EUR/USD rate on 6 November 2026 (European Central Bank)

Entrepreneur Self-Employment Work Permit

Not for EU citizens, EEA citizens, Swiss citizens.

Some route amounts or time figures still need field-level evidence.

Sources: Entrepreneur self-employment permit (Invest in Italy), National visa fee (Italian Embassy in Singapore), National visa issuance limits (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Ten-year ordinary citizenship period (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), ECB reference EUR/USD rate on 6 November 2026 (European Central Bank)

Corporate Officer Self-Employment Work Permit

Not for EU citizens, EEA citizens, Swiss citizens.

Some route amounts or time figures still need field-level evidence.

Sources: Corporate officer self-employment permit (Invest in Italy), National visa fee (Italian Embassy in Singapore), National visa issuance limits (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Ten-year ordinary citizenship period (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), ECB reference EUR/USD rate on 6 November 2026 (European Central Bank)

EU Blue Card

Not for EU citizens, EEA citizens, Swiss citizens.

Some route amounts or time figures still need field-level evidence.

Sources: EU Blue Card eligibility (Invest in Italy), National visa fee (Italian Embassy in Singapore), National visa issuance limits (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Ten-year ordinary citizenship period (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), ECB reference EUR/USD rate on 6 November 2026 (European Central Bank)

Family Reunification with Non-EU Resident

Not for EU citizens, EEA citizens, Swiss citizens.

Some route amounts or time figures still need field-level evidence.

Sources: Non-EU sponsor family visa (Italian Consulate General in Frankfurt), National visa fee (Italian Embassy in Singapore), National visa issuance limits (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Ten-year ordinary citizenship period (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), ECB reference EUR/USD rate on 6 November 2026 (European Central Bank)

Family Reunification with Italian or EU Citizen

Not for EU citizens, EEA citizens, Swiss citizens.

Some route amounts or time figures still need field-level evidence.

Sources: Free family visa for Italian and EU sponsors (Italian Embassy in Sofia), National visa issuance limits (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Citizenship by marriage (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

EU Free Movement

Only for EU citizens.

Some route amounts or time figures still need field-level evidence.

Sources: EU residence in Italy (European Commission EURES), Four-year EU citizenship period (Italian Ministry of the Interior), EU permanent residence in Italy (European Commission EURES)

EEA Free Movement

Only for EEA citizens.

Some route amounts or time figures still need field-level evidence.

Sources: EEA free movement rights (Council of the European Union), Ten-year ordinary citizenship period (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Swiss Free Movement

Only for Swiss citizens.

Some route amounts or time figures still need field-level evidence.

Sources: Swiss rights in the EU (European Commission), Ten-year ordinary citizenship period (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

University Study National Visa

Not for EU citizens, EEA citizens, Swiss citizens.

Some route amounts or time figures still need field-level evidence.

Sources: University study visa and residence permit (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), National study visa fee (Italian Embassy in Singapore), National visa issuance limits (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), ECB reference EUR/USD rate on 6 November 2026 (European Central Bank), Ten-year ordinary citizenship period (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Italia Startup Visa

Not for EU citizens, EEA citizens, Swiss citizens.

Some route amounts or time figures still need field-level evidence.

Sources: Startup visa eligibility (Invest in Italy), Startup visa dedicated funds (Italian Consulate General in Chicago), National visa fee (Italian Embassy in Singapore), National visa issuance limits (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Ten-year ordinary citizenship period (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), ECB reference EUR/USD rate on 6 November 2026 (European Central Bank)

Citizenship in Italy

  • Years of residence before naturalisation: 10 years
  • Years before permanent residence: 5 years
  • Dual citizenship allowed: Yes
  • Language: Italian B1 for naturalization by residence, subject to statutory exemptions; A2 for the non-EU long-term residence permit.
  • Residence and presence: Legal residence in Italy for 10 years for ordinary non-EU naturalization, 4 years for EU nationals; for non-EU long-term residence, absences generally under 6 consecutive months and 10 months total in five years.

Ordinary naturalization uses the ten-year non-EU baseline; EU nationals can apply after four years. Five years leads to permanent residence, not automatic citizenship. Italy offers residence by investment but no direct citizenship-by-investment programme. B1 certificate exemptions include long-term permit holders; the long-term permit separately requires A2. A residence permit without actual qualifying legal residence does not satisfy naturalization.

What is the cheapest residence visa in Italy?

No residence route by investment with a stated minimum is on file for Italy. Routes for people living on their own income or working remotely (Elective Residence Visa; Digital Nomad and Remote Worker Visa) ask for proof of income, not an investment.

How many years to citizenship in Italy?

Ordinary naturalisation in Italy needs 10 years of legal residence. Permanent residence is possible after 5 years. Legal residence in Italy for 10 years for ordinary non-EU naturalization, 4 years for EU nationals; for non-EU long-term residence, absences generally under 6 consecutive months and 10 months total in five years.

Does Italy allow dual citizenship?

Yes. Italy lets a new citizen keep another nationality, subject to the other country's rules.

Tax and residence days

A residence permit and tax residence are different tests. See the Italy tax rates, count your days with the Italy day test and see what changed in the data, day by day.

Sources

The Italy profile cites 36 sources, 33 of them from a government or a statute. Data as of 2026-Q4.

Rules, fees and minimums change, and many routes have conditions not shown here. Did you find an error? Tell us, with the source.

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This page is general information. It is not legal, immigration, tax or investment advice. Check the official source and ask a qualified immigration lawyer before you apply or invest.