Digital nomad and remote worker visa for Italy

Italy opened a dedicated route for highly qualified remote workers with the interministerial decree of 29 February 2024. The digital nomad visa lets a non-EU professional live in Italy while working remotely, employed or self-employed, for companies not necessarily based in Italy. It sits outside the annual quota, and it rests on income, insurance and a qualification the authorities accept.

What this visa is for

The route suits highly qualified non-EU professionals who carry out their work remotely, through digital tools, for an employer or clients anywhere in the world. It covers both employed remote workers and the self-employed, and it is meant for stays longer than ninety days.

The main requirements

The applicant shows a qualification of the kind required for highly skilled work, a degree of at least three years or, in its place, qualifying professional experience. The income threshold is set at three times the level exempting a person from healthcare charges, which recent official guidance places at a little under 28,000 euro a year, rising where a spouse or children come too. On top of this the applicant holds health insurance valid throughout Italy for the whole stay, documents suitable accommodation, shows at least six months of prior experience in the work to be carried out, and holds a remote-work or collaboration contract, or a binding offer. The precise income figure is confirmed against the current threshold at the time of application.

No quota and no work authorisation

Unlike ordinary employed work, this route sits outside the annual quota decree (Decreto Flussi) and needs no work authorisation (nulla osta). The application goes straight to the Italian consulate, which keeps the procedure shorter than the employer-led routes.

Visa and residence permit

The visa is applied for at the consulate, with a signed employer declaration among the documents, and a tourist visa cannot be turned into this permit once in Italy. After entry, the applicant applies for the residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) at the police headquarters (Questura) within eight working days. The permit is issued for up to one year and renewed year by year while the conditions still hold, and family members obtain permits of the same duration. Once resident, the holder obtains a tax code (codice fiscale), and a self-employed nomad opens a VAT position (Partita IVA) and registers for social security, while a remote employee of a foreign company settles the Italian tax and contribution duties where these apply.

Documents and qualification

The qualification and the supporting documents are legalised or carry an Apostille and are translated into Italian by a sworn translator. Where the qualification is academic, a Declaration of Value (Dichiarazione di Valore) or a CIMEA statement brings it into line with Italian standards. Preparing these before the application keeps the procedure on track.

How we assist, from abroad and in Italy

We check whether your profile meets the qualification and income tests, prepare and translate the documents, and, where needed, obtain the Declaration of Value or prepare the file for CIMEA. We then follow the visa and the residence permit, so the move is handled end to end by one team.

Legal references: Article 27, paragraph 1, letter q-bis, of the Consolidated Immigration Act (Legislative Decree 286/1998), introduced by Law 28/2022, the interministerial decree of 29 February 2024, and the qualification criteria of Article 27-quater.