How to get Italian residency in 2026

Eight legal routes and none for a flat: the investor visa has been closed to Russian citizens since 2023, and the other grounds require actually moving.

In detail

Italy does not sell residence for a flat: buying a home does not by itself give the right to live in the country, even if it is a palazzo on the Grand Canal. Residence permits are issued for a purpose - a pension or passive income, remote work, employment, study, family or a large investment. For Russian citizens the list is shorter than for others: the investor visa has been closed to them since 14 July 2023.

The good news is that the other routes work. The bad news is that almost all of them require actually moving and getting through Italian bureaucracy, which is not hostile, just unhurried: the queue for fingerprints at a big-city police office can last longer than a season in Rimini.

What are the ways to get Italian residency in 2026

There are more than a dozen grounds, but eight realistically work for a move. The main difference between them is whether you may work and whether an employer's permit is needed.

A summary for all countries is in the residence permits by country section, and a comparison of European investment programmes is in the article European golden visas in 2026.

Italian residency without work: for retirees and people living on investments

This is the main route for those living on a pension, rent or dividends. The consulate wants to see regular passive income from $35,000 a year for the applicant, about 20% more for a spouse, so roughly $42,000 for a couple. Savings in an account alone are usually not counted: what matters is a flow of money that does not depend on work.

The second condition is housing in Italy at the time of application: a lease registered for at least a year or a title deed. It is a loop familiar to anyone who has moved: you rent a flat before the visa without knowing whether the visa will be granted. The third is health insurance, and after receiving the permit you can join the public health service with an annual contribution from $2,300.

No work at all is allowed on this ground, including remote work. The first permit is issued for a year, renewals for two. Those arriving without a pension but with remote work should look at the nomad visa below.

Italy's digital nomad visa

Since April 2024 Italy has issued a visa to highly qualified specialists working remotely for foreign companies or clients. The income threshold is from $32,000 a year for the applicant, about $39,000 with a spouse, plus about $1,800 per child. It is tied to the income level for exemption from healthcare charges, so it is recalculated along with it.

Besides money, qualification is checked: a university degree or at least 5 years of professional experience and at least 6 months of remote work. You need insurance with cover from $34,000 and housing. After entry you get a one-year permit with renewal. There are no quotas, and the programme is open to Russian citizens. Details are on the page Italy digital nomad visa, and a comparison with other countries in the remote work visas section.

Italian residency through work: quotas and the Blue Card

Employment in Italy runs on annual quotas: the government decides in advance how many foreigners may enter for work, and the employer files a request on the application days and receives a work authorisation. Quotas for 2026-2028 cover almost 500,000 entries. There are usually more requests than places, so without an active employer this route becomes a lottery.

The EU Blue Card is outside the quotas. It is for specialists with a degree or proven experience and a contract above a salary threshold that is reviewed every year. The permit is issued for the length of the contract, the family arrives with the applicant, and after 5 years you can obtain EU long-term resident status.

Study, family and ancestry: other legal routes

A student visa gives residence for the length of studies and the right to work up to 20 hours a week. After graduating from an Italian university you can switch to a work permit or stay to look for work. Language courses also give a visa, but only for the length of the course, and do not by themselves lead to long-term life in the country. New limits for foreign schoolchildren are covered in the article limits on foreign pupils in Italy.

Family reunification is open to spouses, minor children and in some cases parents of Italian residents. The sponsor shows income that rises with each family member and housing of suitable size. For descendants of Italians the best route is citizenship straight away: after the 2025 reform it is recognised for children and grandchildren of Italians; details are on the page Italian citizenship by descent.

Italy's investor visa: what remains for Russian citizens

Italy grants an investor visa for an investment in a startup from $290,000, in an Italian company from $570,000, in a philanthropic project from $1,200,000 or in government bonds from $2,300,000. The permit is issued for 2 years with a 3-year renewal, and living in the country permanently is not required. In search this programme is called the Italian golden visa.

For Russian and Belarusian citizens the programme has been suspended since 14 July 2023, and since March 2024 also for dual nationals if one of the passports is Russian or Belarusian. A second passport from another country does not help. Terms for everyone else are on the page Italy golden visa. You can buy a flat without residence: our investment property team handles search and due diligence, but residence needs a separate ground.

How to get Italian residency step by step

The order is almost the same for every ground: first a national visa at the consulate, then the stay permit in Italy. You cannot skip the first step and apply as a tourist.

Until the card is ready, the post office receipt confirms that the application has been filed. With it you can live in Italy, but Schengen trips should be planned carefully.

How much moving to Italy costs

Italian government fees are modest; rent and the deposit are what cost money. An example for one person in Rome:

Rents in Turin, Bologna and the south are noticeably lower than in Rome, and higher in Milan; city life is covered in the guides Rome, Milan and Turin. A family total depends on the ground and family size; our consultant in the chat will calculate it.

Taxes after moving to Italy

You become a tax resident if for more than half the year you live in Italy, have your habitual residence here or your centre of interests. Residents pay tax on worldwide income at 23%, 33% and 43%, with thresholds of about $32,000 and $57,000 a year, plus regional and municipal surcharges. Dividends and capital gains are taxed at 26%.

Newcomers have two special regimes. Wealthy families can pay a flat tax of about $340,000 a year on foreign income plus about $57,000 per family member. Retirees moving to small towns in the south pay 7% on foreign income for 10 years. A double tax treaty with Russia exists, but in August 2023 Russia suspended its main provisions. Details are on the page taxes in Italy and in the article tax residence and the 183-day rule.

How to renew residency and get permanent residence and citizenship in Italy

Renewals are filed in advance, before expiry, with the same conditions: income, housing, insurance. After 5 years of legal residence you can obtain EU long-term resident status: it is open-ended but requires stable income, housing and basic Italian. Citizenship by naturalisation is available after 10 years, with intermediate Italian, and the fee is about $290. Italy allows dual citizenship; see the overview dual citizenship in 2026.

What documents you need for Italian residency

The set depends on the ground, but the core is the same. All Russian documents are translated into Italian, the translation is certified at the consulate or by a sworn translator, and certificates carry an apostille.

• a passport valid beyond the requested visa and the national visa application form;
• proof of income: a pension certificate, leases, dividend statements or an employment contract with a foreign company;
• a lease registered with the Italian tax agency or a title deed;
• health insurance valid in Italy;
• for nomads, a degree or proof of 5 years' experience and 6 months of remote work;
• for family members, marriage and birth certificates with apostilles;
• a criminal record certificate with an apostille if the consulate requires it.

The most common mistake is statements without the right history: the consulate wants to see income arriving regularly, not money that landed in the account a week before applying. Money that suddenly appears before the visa raises more questions than its absence.

Italian residency for retirees: 7% tax in the south

Italy's most generous incentive for retirees sits in the tax code rather than immigration law. A recipient of a foreign pension who moves to a small town in the south pays 7% on all foreign income for 10 years instead of the normal scale of up to 43%.

The conditions are strict. The town must be in Sicily, Calabria, Sardinia, Campania, Basilicata, Abruzzo, Molise or Apulia with up to 20,000 residents, or up to 3,000 residents in certain earthquake-hit areas of central Italy. You must not have been an Italian tax resident for the 5 years before moving, and the regime must be chosen in the first tax return.

Example: with pension and rental income of about $30,000 a year, tax under the regime is about $2,100, while under the normal scale with surcharges it would be several times higher. The residence permit itself is the usual one, most often without the right to work. For a comparison with another country, see the article retiring in Spain.

What changed in 2024-2026

The rules change almost every year, so before applying check the requirements of your specific consulate: document lists differ in detail from city to city.

Italy, Spain or Portugal: where is residency easier

For living on passive income all three countries are similar, but differ in thresholds and strictness. Italy asks for more money than Portugal and less than Spain, but only accepts applications through the consulate and with housing already arranged.

For retirees Italy wins with the 7% tax in the south, while Spain loses on its rule of living in the country more than half the year to renew.

Why Italian residency is refused

• income below the threshold or one-off rather than regular;
• no registered housing at the time of application;
• for the nomad visa, unproven qualification or 6 months of remote work;
• signs of work on a no-work permit;
• the permit application filed later than 8 working days after entry;
• for Russian citizens, an attempt to apply for the investor visa, including with a second passport.

A visa refusal can be appealed, but it is usually faster to fix the cause and apply again: add statements covering a longer period, arrange housing or change the ground.

Who Italian residency suits and who it does not

Italy suits retirees and people living on investments with a stable income, well-paid remote specialists and families ready to live in the country and learn the language. It is good for those who value healthcare, climate and culture more than speed of processing.

It suits less well those who need residence without moving or a fast passport: citizenship takes 10 years, and the investor visa is closed to Russian citizens. Those who want to work on the local market without an offer will also struggle: quotas are taken faster than an espresso cools.

How we help

Italian residency most often fails not because of the income amount but because of paperwork and deadlines: statements without history, unregistered housing, the missed 8 days after entry. Document preparation, translation, the consulate application and support after arrival are handled by Murblz specialists together with partners in Italy.

If you have not chosen a country yet, start with the overview Italy: all programmes and the comparison of second passports.

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