Visas and permits

Italy Investor Visa (Golden Visa): Investment Routes and Process (2026)

By Linda MurphyFacts checked October 24, 2026

The short answer

Italy's investor visa, often called the golden visa, gives non-EU citizens a 2-year residence permit for one qualifying investment. The options are €2,000,000 in Italian government bonds, €500,000 in an Italian company or venture capital fund, €250,000 in an innovative startup, or a €1,000,000 donation. A government committee approves your plan first, and you invest within 3 months of entering Italy. The permit renews for 3 years at a time while you keep the investment; buying property does not qualify.

Routes and minimums: €2M government bonds; €500,000 company or venture capital fund; €250,000 innovative startup; €1M donation
Who approves: The Investor Visa for Italy Committee issues a nulla osta (clearance), decision due within 30 days
Visa: Requested at the consulate within 6 months of the nulla osta; valid 2 years for entry
Deadline to invest: 3 months from your entry into Italy
Residence permit: 2 years, renewable for 3-year periods while the investment is held
Real estate: Not an eligible investment
Fees you pay: Application free; permit card and fees €96.46 (€30.46 + €50 + €16, October 2026); visa fee not included

A person seen from behind climbing the wide stone staircase of an old Italian palazzo toward a tall arched window in afternoon light — The money moves last: Italy approves the plan first, and the 3-month clock to invest starts only when you arrive.

What the investor visa is

The investor visa is a long-stay visa for non-EU citizens who make one qualifying investment or donation in Italy. It rests on article 26-bis of Legislative Decree 286/1998, Italy's immigration law, and sits outside the annual work-visa quotas.

"Golden visa" is the popular name. The official program is called Investor Visa for Italy. An inter-ministry committee runs it through an online platform. You can apply as an adult individual or as the legal representative of a foreign company investing in its own name.

The four investment routes

Route	Minimum	Must be held
Italian government bonds	€2,000,000	2 years
Shares of a company, or of a venture capital fund, set up and operating in Italy	€500,000	2 years
Shares of an innovative startup on Italy's special business register	€250,000	2 years
Donation to a public-interest project	€1,000,000	One-time gift

The amounts are from article 26-bis in its text in force since December 18, 2024, and match the program's site in October 2026.

Per the program's guidance:

Bonds: CCT, CTZ, BTP, inflation-linked BTP and BTP Italia, each with at least 2 years left to maturity.
Company: a limited company resident in Italy, listed or unlisted, that is active and has filed at least one set of annual accounts. You name it when you apply.
Startup: a company on the official innovative startup list at startup.registroimprese.it.
Donation: a project in culture, education, immigration management, scientific research, or recovery of cultural and landscape heritage.

The law now adds venture capital funds, but the guidance, last updated July 19, 2021, does not cover them. Ask the committee's secretariat before you commit to a fund.

Every route allows one single investment. You cannot combine smaller ones to reach a threshold, and money invested before you apply does not count.

Is real estate an option?

No. The guidance says a visa "can only be issued for a single investment" of the listed types, and property is not among them. Property does not count as proof of funds either. Other routes to living in Italy are compared in long-stay visas.

What you must prove

The law asks for three things. You must own funds that are available and transferable to Italy, and commit in writing to invest them within 3 months of entry. You also need separate resources to live on, above the income floor for exemption from health-care co-payments.

The statute's wording still sets the funds to show at €2,000,000 for bonds and €1,000,000 for the company and startup routes. The guidance asks for proof of the sum you will invest. If you are on the €500,000 or €250,000 route, ask the secretariat which figure it applies before your bank drafts its letter.

On the platform, you upload:

A passport scan. It must have at least 2 years and 3 months of validity when you apply for the visa.
A short CV, and the investment's details with the recipient's consent.
A bank statement covering the last 3 months, issued within 30 days of applying. Securities count if you can sell them within the 3-month window.
A signed bank letter confirming the exact amount, in the original currency and in euros, that it can move to Italy, and the bank's anti-money-laundering checks.
Criminal record certificates, apostilled, from each country where you lived more than 12 consecutive months in the last 10 years since turning 18.
A final declaration the platform generates, which you sign digitally.

Documents must be in Italian or English, or translated and certified. Applying is free.

How the process works

The investment comes after approval, the visa and your arrival

1Apply online for the nulla ostaDay 0Free application on the Investor Visa for Italy platform, in Italian or English, with a digitally signed declaration.
2Secretariat checkWithin 1 working weekFormal check of your documents; missing items must be sent within 30 days.
3Committee decisionWithin 30 days of submissionNulla osta, rejection, or a request for more documents, which pauses the clock.
4Visa at the consulateWithin 6 months of the nulla ostaAt the Italian consulate for the country where you live, with your original documents.
5Enter Italy and apply for the permitWithin 8 working days of entryIn person at the questura (police immigration office); then record your entry date on the platform.
6Invest and upload proofWithin 3 months of entryBonds and shares deposited with a financial institution in Italy.
7RenewEvery 2, then 3, yearsA new nulla osta confirming you still hold the investment, then the questura.

Source: Investor Visa for Italy policy guidance (July 2021) and program site (July and October 2026); Legislative Decree 286/1998, art. 26-bis and art. 5

The committee brings together several ministries, Italy's Financial Intelligence Unit, the Guardia di Finanza (financial police) and the Agenzia delle Entrate (Revenue Agency).

With the nulla osta, apply for the visa at the Italian consulate covering the country where you live. Bring the originals of everything you uploaded and proof of accommodation in Italy (a hotel booking is accepted). You also need proof of last year's income above the health-care exemption threshold, about €8,500 in the 2021 guidance.

After you arrive: the permesso per investitori (investor residence permit)

Within 8 working days of entry, apply in person at the questura (state police immigration office) where you will live. The post office kit is not accepted for this permit. You give fingerprints there, as every permit applicant does. Bring a full passport copy, 2 passport photos, proof of housing and these payments:

Item	Amount	How you pay
Electronic permit card	€30.46	Postal payment slip
Contribution for a 2-year permit	€50	Postal payment slip
Marca da bollo (revenue stamp)	€16	Stamp

Then log your entry date and questura on the platform. Within 3 months of entry, invest and upload proof. Bonds and shares must be deposited with a financial institution in Italy.

The permit lasts 2 years from entry and carries the same rights as a self-employment permit. For the first 5 years, the law exempts you from the accordo di integrazione (integration agreement) and from rules on continuous presence in Italy.

Renewal and the long term

Each renewal lasts 3 years and needs a new nulla osta showing you still hold the investment. The program's site says to apply at least 60 days before your permit expires; article 5 of the immigration law now says 90 days for every permit. Request the renewal nulla osta early enough to file at the questura 90 days ahead.

Missing the 3-month deadline, or selling within 2 years, can cost you the permit. A different investment target needs a new visa application. The program's site says that after 5 years of holding your original investment, you may request a long-term residence card.

Can your family come with you?

Yes. Article 26-bis lets family members eligible for reunification travel with you on a family visa. Under article 29, that means a spouse aged 18 or over and minor children. Totally disabled adult children and dependent parents qualify in limited cases. You must show housing that meets local standards and a minimum income. See family reunification.

What about taxes?

Italian tax residency, the flat-tax option for new residents and US filing duties are covered in taxes in Italy for Americans.

Common problems and fixes

Assets that do not count. Property and stakes in companies without shares do not prove funds. Hold cash or securities you can sell within the 3-month window.

A bank letter that falls short. The guidance lists the exact statements the bank must make and supplies wording it can copy. Give your bank that section, not a summary.

Late proof of investment. The committee can ask for more documents after the deadline. The full transfer must still fall within 3 months of entry, so invest early in the window.

Do you need help with this?

The guidance says you can manage the whole procedure online without intermediaries until the visa is issued. It gets harder when the money reached your account within the last 3 months, from a business sale or an inheritance, for example. You must then document its origin, with a report from an independent legal or accounting expert.

Frequently asked questions

How much do you need to invest for Italy's golden visa?

The minimums are €2,000,000 in Italian government bonds, €500,000 in shares of a company or venture capital fund set up and operating in Italy, €250,000 in an innovative startup, or a €1,000,000 donation to a public-interest project. You choose one route and make one investment. The figures are set by article 26-bis of Legislative Decree 286/1998, in its text in force since December 18, 2024.

Can I get an Italian investor visa by buying property?

No. The program's guidance says a visa can only be issued for a single investment in one of the listed types: government bonds, company shares, innovative startup shares or a philanthropic donation. Property does not qualify, and it does not count as proof of funds either.

Do I have to live in Italy full time on an investor permit?

No. Article 26-bis exempts investor permit holders, for 5 years from the first permit, from the rules on continuous presence in Italy and from the integration agreement. Italy's embassy in Abuja describes the program as having no minimum residency requirements. You still need to keep the investment for the permit to stay valid and be renewed.

How long does the Italian investor visa take?

The committee's secretariat checks your file within 1 working week, and the committee decides within 30 days of submission, unless it asks for more documents. You then have 6 months to request the visa at the consulate. After entry, you apply for the permit within 8 working days and invest within 3 months. The questura has 90 days by law to issue the permit.

When do I have to transfer the investment money?

After you enter Italy, not before. Investments made before the application do not qualify. The law gives you 3 months from your entry date to make the full investment or donation, and you upload proof on the program's platform.

Can my spouse and children come with me?

Yes. Family members eligible for reunification under article 29 of the immigration law can enter with you on a family visa. That includes a spouse aged 18 or over and minor children, subject to housing and minimum income requirements.

Permesso di Soggiorno: How to Apply in Italy (2026)

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Sources

Rules and office practices change. Every fact in this guide was checked against the sources above on October 24, 2026. This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice.