Elective residence visa for Italy

The elective residence visa (residenza elettiva) is for the non-EU national who wants to live in Italy on stable private means, without working. It suits retirees and people with substantial income from pensions, property or investments. The route rests on the income shown and on documents prepared and translated with care, which we handle from abroad through to the residence permit (permesso di soggiorno).

What this visa is for

This visa admits a non-EU national who intends to settle in Italy supported by their own resources, rather than by work. The holder lives on recurring income and does not take up employment or self-employment in Italy. The same visa is issued to the cohabiting spouse, to minor children and to dependent adult children living with the applicant, provided the means are judged adequate for them as well.

The income you must show

The applicant demonstrates stable, recurring private income. The Italian consular network sets the figure at 31,000 euro a year for each applicant, the spouse included, so a couple applying together shows the full amount for each of them. The income has to be passive and continuing, from pensions and annuities, from property owned personally, from a stable business held in one’s own name or from other steady returns, while earnings from employment are not counted. Consulates weigh the evidence closely and some look for a margin above the figure, so the amount and the proof are prepared with the particular consulate in mind.

No work in Italy

The elective residence permit does not allow work, whether employed or self-employed, for an Italian or a foreign employer. A person who intends to work in Italy follows one of the work routes instead.

Accommodation and documents

Alongside the income, the applicant documents a home in Italy, through a notarial deed of purchase or a registered lease already signed, holds health insurance valid across the Schengen area, and presents the proof of means in good order. A simple invitation to stay with someone does not satisfy the accommodation requirement. Documents issued abroad are legalised or carry an Apostille and are translated into Italian by a sworn translator, and well-ordered evidence is often what separates a grant from a refusal.

After you arrive

After entry, the applicant applies for the residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) for elective residence at the police headquarters (Questura), and renews it in time. Over the years of lawful residence the route opens the way to long-term residence. A non-EU national already in Italy on a permit for work or for family reasons who stops working is entitled to convert it into a permit for elective residence on the same conditions.

How we assist, from abroad and in Italy

We assess the income and the evidence against the practice of the consulate handling your case, assemble and translate the documents, and present them in the order the consulate expects. We then follow the file into Italy through the residence permit.

Legal references: Interministerial Decree No. 850/2011, Annex A, point 13.