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WORKING IN ITALY

‘Italy is an ideal base for remote working’: minister

Italy's business minister Adolfo Urso on Tuesday announced new plans to promote the country as a destination for remote workers - but didn’t say whether a planned ‘digital nomad’ visa would become reality.

'Italy is an ideal base for remote working': minister
There's a growing number of remote workers worldwide, but there's no word on whether they can get an Italian visa. Photo by Ostap Senyuk on Unsplash

Urso told a business conference on Tuesday that his ministry plans to market Italy to the growing number of remote workers, or digital nomads, worldwide.

“In the coming months we will draw up a comprehensive legislative proposal making it clear that the best place to live is Italy, even if you are based in Silicon Valley, under the slogan ‘Work in the world and live in Italy’.” he said.

READ ALSO: Will Italy follow Spain in introducing a digital nomad visa?

He said the ministry is looking at “exploiting the opportunities offered by remote working – opportunities that we learned about during the pandemic,” according to Italian news agency Ansa, and claimed that there is “a growing awareness from Silicon Valley to the London Stock Exchange” that Italy is “the best place to live”.

Though the minister didn’t give any details of the plan, his words raised hopes among the many international professionals worldwide who would like to live in Italy short-term but currently have no good options for visas that would allow them to work legally for companies based abroad while in Italy.

A growing number of southern European countries, most recently Spain, have brought in special visas aimed at attracting these mobile workers, but Italy has yet to do so despite approving a law allowing for the creation of a ‘digital nomad’ visa almost a year ago.

According to a study by Nomadi Digitali, Italy’s association for digital nomads, 42 percent of remote workers interested in moving to Italy would like to spend between one and three months in the country, while another 25 percent are looking to stay for up to six months and 20 percent would like to spend longer in the country.

But, under existing rules, non-EU nationals can only spend up to 90 days in Italy without needing a visa and anyone wishing to work legally while in the country must apply for a visa and work permit

The current visa options available are usually not viable for self-employed freelancers and remote workers, immigration law experts say, due to the strict quotas and requirements involved.

Nomadi Digitali has warned that legislation around remote work should not “consider digital nomads as mere tourists who come to visit our country” and said Italy instead must learn to “consider them as new temporary inhabitants of our communities.”

Keep up with The Local’s news updates on this topic in our working in Italy section.

Member comments

  1. Never mind visa status, Italy will not become an attractive country in which to start any kind of business activity until inexpensive, high speed Internet is readily available to all. I pay around 10% of the cost for Internet service in Bulgaria for twice the bandwidth here in Italy.
    It is a national disgrace.

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For members

AMERICANS IN ITALY

LISTED: The visa options Americans can apply for to live in Italy

Moving to Italy is a dream for many US nationals who have fallen in love with the country, but which Italian residency visa should Americans opt for depending on their circumstances?

LISTED: The visa options Americans can apply for to live in Italy

It can be quite confusing for Americans who want to move to Italy as there are a number of different visa options available and a whole raft of requirements in order to be eligible for them. 

US nationals don’t have the automatic right to get a job in Italy or anywhere else in the EU because of their status as third-country nationals within Europe’s single market, but thankfully some visas will allow you to work here. 

Elective residency visa

The elective residency visa, or ERV, is designed for those who want to live in Italy and have the financial means to support themselves without working. Because you can’t work while on the ERV, it’s sometimes referred to as a retirement visa. 

You’ll need to prove you receive an annual passive income of at least €31,000 euros per person or €38,000 for married couples, plus five percent per dependent minor, though some consulates require more.

READ ALSO: Five expert tips for getting your Italian elective residency visa approved

This can be rental income, a pension, annuities, or some other source, but simply having significant savings in the bank doesn’t count: it has to be in the form of a fixed and reliable passive income stream.

Find out more about applying for an Italian elective residency visa.

Family visa

The family visa is available to US dependents of either an Italian citizen or a US citizen with an Italian stay permit. It allows entrance in Italy to the spouse, children or dependent parents.

You will need to provide evidence of your relationship with the person whose dependent you will be, for instance marriage or birth certificates.

Find out more about applying for an Italian family visa.

Employee work permit

This option has the obvious drawback that you need to have received and accepted an offer of a job in Italy in order to be eligible.

The good news is that your employer will then complete most of the visa application process for you – all you need to do is provide them with the relevant paperwork.

Your employer will apply for permission to hire a migrant worker from the immigration desk at their local prefettura (prefecture, the regional office of the central government). Once you get authorisation, the prefettura will inform the Italian consulate or embassy in your home country that your application can go ahead.

Student visa

To apply for a long-stay (type D) student visa, you’ll need to be accepted onto a course that lasts longer than three months.

When applying you should provide a letter of acceptance to your course in Italy, as well as proof of accommodation, sufficient financial means and health insurance.

There is no age limit, and the visa allows you to work up to 20 hours per week and bring family members to live with you.

Find out more about applying for an Italian student visa.

A student visa can be one way to enter Italy on a longer-term basis. Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP.

Golden visa

Italy does not technically offer a golden visa, but this is how its investor visa is often referred to. This scheme allows non-EU citizens such as Americans the right to live in Italy if they meet the key requirements, namely a minimum investment of €250,000 to €2 million in certain companies, charities or government bonds.

This visa entitles you two years’ residency, renewable for further three-year periods, and special tax benefits. Investors’ families are eligible to apply for dependent visas.

READ ALSO: Does Italy have a golden visa?

To obtain a visa, US investors must obtain a nulla osta (certificate of no impediment) issued by the Investors Committee for Italy (IV4I); you then have six months from its issuance to make the application for an investor visa.

Other visas

The above visas are the main ones suited to Americans looking to move to Italy longer-term, though there are a number of other visas available, including the internship visa, the startup visa, and the self-employed visa.

These visas all have stringent requirements that make them challenging to obtain.

To successfully apply for the internship visa, you must have been offered a paid vocational training course of between three and 12 months by a host organisation that will commit to paying your food and board and funding your repatriation in case of an emergency.

The self-employed visa might sound like an ideal solution if your job allows you to work from anywhere, and is currently the closest thing Italy has to a digital nomad visa.

In reality, however, experts have told us that successful applications for these visas are extremely rare, so it isn’t an option for most people.

The startup visa requires you to apply through a startup that is headquartered in Italy and less than four years old, and has a team composed of one third PhD students or two thirds MA students, or holds a patent, industrial property right or original software registered with the Italian Society of Authors and Publishers (SIAE).

On arrival

Remember that your visa isn’t the only permission you’ll need if you want to live in Italy. 

After you enter Italy with a long-stay visa, you have eight days to apply for a residence permit (permesso di soggiorno). The length of time this document will remain valid depends on the type of visa you have.

You’ll also need to apply for a tax code and register as resident with your local comune, or town hall.

Find out more about what you’ll need to do once you land in Italy here.

Please note The Local is unable to advise on individual cases. For more information on whether you are eligible to apply for a visa, contact the Italian consulate in your country or consult an immigration law specialist.

Read out more about applying for a visa in our Italian visa section.

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