Italy

Elective residence visa (visto per residenza elettiva). Residence for people who can live on passive income alone — no work permitted, savings or pensions only.

Free, with the law behind every answer

Elective residence visa (visto per residenza elettiva)

A national (D-type) visa converted into a residence permit, renewable annually or every two years.

Who qualifies

Passive income (pension, rental, dividends, annuities) of about €31,000/year for a single applicant, roughly 20% more per additional family member; the figure is set by consular practice rather than a fixed statutory number and varies somewhat by consulate.
Consolato Generale d’Italia — Visto per residenza elettiva
No employment of any kind is permitted, in Italy or abroad, on this visa.
Consolato Generale d’Italia — Visto per residenza elettiva
Proof of suitable long-term accommodation in Italy, and conversion of the visa into a residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) within 8 days of arrival.
Consolato Generale d’Italia — Visto per residenza elettiva

You keep your U.S. citizenship.

Does it fit your family?

3 questions, from the program’s own rules.

Steady monthly income, from any source?

Not legal advice.

What it takes.

Income: Steady income each month, rising with each person who moves.
Just you$2,842
2 people$3,410
4 people$4,546
Time: 2–4 months for the consulate decision.
Cost: About $500–1,000 in visa fees, translations and proof-of-funds documentation.
The hard part: Convincing the consulate the income is genuinely passive and large enough — practice varies noticeably between consulates.

Dollar figures are converted from the local currency at the rate the program’s research used; the official figure is in the local currency.

Citizens by 2040.

If your first permit is issued in 2027 and you keep living there, this is the road.

2027
First residence permit
1 year, renewable for 1 year at a time.
2028
Renew the permit
Filed before the old one lapses; renews for 1 year.
2029
Renew the permit
Filed before the old one lapses; renews for 1 year.
2030
Renew the permit
Filed before the old one lapses; renews for 1 year.
2031
Renew the permit
Filed before the old one lapses; renews for 1 year.
2032
Permanent residence
Five years holding a residence permit, an Italian A2 test (or an accepted certificate), income at least equal to the social allowance (assegno sociale), and suitable housing. Absences under 6 months in a row and 10 months in total over the five years do not break it.
2037
Apply for citizenship
With a language test.
2040
Citizenship
The decision usually takes 24–36 months.

Language: Italian at B1, shown by a certificate from an approved body (or an Italian school or university qualification).
Time away: Residence must be legal, continuous and unbroken, with registration at the town hall (anagrafe) throughout. Any period registered as living abroad, or struck off as untraceable, breaks the clock.
Two passports: Yes. You keep your U.S. citizenship.

The national visa and first permit are issued for one year and can be renewed while the passive-income, housing and insurance conditions continue; citizenship requires registered residence and actual life in Italy.

The law behind these dates

Living there.

Time you must spend there: No fixed day count, but the permit assumes Italy is your actual home; long absences can jeopardize renewal.
Tax: Makes you Italian tax resident if you spend 183+ days/year there or register with the comune; the flat-tax regime for new residents (Art. 24-bis) is available if you qualify (see IT-FLATTAX) but is a separate election.

We never file a tax return. We tell you what applies and brief the professional who does.

Start today.

Apply at the Italian consulate for your address with proof of passive income and Italian accommodation.Open consrecife.esteri.it ↗
Gather these documents.
- Proof of steady income: at least $2,842 a month
- Request your FBI Identity History Summary
- Health cover for the move
- A lease or other proof of where you’ll live in Italy
- Get the codice fiscale (Italian tax code)

Postern can’t run this for you yet.

Which state do you live in?

Tell us which state you live in. Postern runs this application through the Consulate General of Italy in Chicago or the Consulate General of Italy in New York or the Consulate General of Italy in Houston or the Consulate General of Italy in San Francisco or the Consulate General of Italy in Philadelphia or the Consulate General of Italy in Miami or the Visa Office of the Embassy of Italy in Washington DC or the Consulate General of Italy in Boston or the Consulate of Italy in Detroit or the Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles, for residents of CO, IL, IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI, WY, NY, CT, NJ, TX, OK, LA, AR, AK, CA, HI, ID, MT, OR, UT, WA, GU, AS, MP, PA, DE, NC, WV, NJ, MD, VA, FL, GA, SC, AL, MS, PR, VI, DC, MD, VA, MA, RI, NH, VT, ME, IN, KY, MI, OH, TN, AZ, NM, NV, CA.

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