One of the things I see most discussed among people who aspire to move to Italy, is Visas. I showcase the different types in my page So You’ve Decided to Move to Italy. The latest news is about Italy’s recent adoption of the Digital Nomad Visa. The final requirements aren’t ironed out but this is my updated write-up of what’s known now.
Digital Nomad: (DNV) At the end of March 2022 Italy passed a bill allowing Digital Nomad visas. This is for highly skilled professionals who will work in Italy for themselves or remotely for a non-Italian company. The Visa will be good for one year with the possibility of extending for one more. As of this writing the requirements have not been firmed up. What I read though, is that the individual consulates will have major discretionary powers, as to whether they issue or don’t issue a DNV. The applications will need to be completely bulletproof like those for the Elective Residency Visa. It may require the official recognition of one’s professional qualifications. An applicant may need to show an advanced degree, proof of operating in the field (probably for several years) for which they want to apply for the DNV, a tax return from their home country, and health insurance. It has already been announced that they will need to be completely tax compliant in Italy, so applicants are advised they should consult a tax expert in Italy, if they want to apply for this visa.
I will update this as I learn more. It seems many people think they can move anywhere with no real limitations. But people should ask themselves, would the US let just anyone in with no limitations or requirements? I think not. And it works the same for all countries. You need to get the proper permissions.
Even after nearly eight years here we also have to continue our responsibility to update/renew our permissions to continue living here. As some of you know, we are working to get our permanent residence permit. We have two new, required documents to obtain that the Questura has asked for. The first one is the Certificato d’abilita’. We had already gotten our apartment assessed by our Geometra last year. We mistakenly thought this was what was needed for the long term permit, but it was not. Turns out the steps to get the certificato were many. First we had to buy a Marca da bollo at the Tabaccharia for €16.00. Then we had to make an appointment at the bank in the Piazza (not our bank) and pay a fee at the teller. Then the form had to be returned to the Comune this time to the Protocol office. They told us we had to get ANOTHER Marca da Bollo, then return to the very first guy who would issue the certificato. I am happy to say, last Friday, we got it! Who says things are hard to get done in Italy! 😁
We are now halfway there! We must wait until June so we can file our taxes for this year. Then we can provide the requested tax form. I sure hope after all this we get the cards! Piano, piano…
As a reward we treated ourselves to the seasons first Spritz!
Thanks Rebecca! 💕
Y’all know how to live!
Thanks Jen, I will heave a sigh of relief if we ever get the permanent permit. As for the Digital Nomads, you’re right, the reason I published this is to show how hard it will be to get one of these. Most other countries do not make it this hard and I think most don’t require them to be tax compliant. The DMs expect ease and they won’t find it here. I really think Italy wanted to say they had the visa but did not actually want to give one to anyone! 😂😅🤣
Hi Lynn again, yes easy to travel now. They just dropped the mask mandate except for plans and trains and public transport as well as medical facilities. Otherwise everything is open. You do need to be vaccinated, recovered or have a negative test to get into Italy.
Hi Lynn, you made me laugh. I guess bureaucracies are the same the world over. Good luck and hang in there!
Hi Louann, Assume you are American? We are here on Elective Residency Visas as well. We did have to go to the Poste and get the yellow packet. Then get an appointment at the Questura, then wait for our Permesso di Soggiorno before we could go to the Anagrafe to get our residency. All regions handle this differently. The only issue I see for you is you don’t have a Permesso di Soggiorno which you MUST must have to be legal here. I doubt your Italian realtor knew the rules, nor your Anagrafe. Mainly because the people down there don’t deal with as many foreigners…which is why they had no clue. If I were you I would pursue the PdS. You really do need to have one in order to travel.
Congrats on your certificate!! One can never have too many marche da bollo! I can’t imagine why anyone would want the headache of getting a Digital Nomad Visa. It would be easier to spend 90 days in a Schengen country (Italy), then 90 out, instead of dealing with the bureaucracy of Italy. And, the tax compliance portion is kind of a joke. Don’t ALL visa/PdS holders need to be ‘completely tax compliant’. Honesty, a person with a DNV could arrive in Italy on July 2, 2023 and they wouldn’t be a tax resident for 2023. Then, they could leave on day 182 of 2024 and not have any tax ramifications in Italy, right? It will be interesting! Cin cin!
How is travel now in Italy for US visitors? Is it easy to get the trains, ferries etc like before the pandemic? We are vaccinated
We have had similar challenges and WAITING for papers in the almost year since we moved to the Bahamas.4 months after getting our driving licenses we got our license plates! Trying to get our truck registered which was included in the house sale…We applied twice for our Homeowners Cards and there are new regulations popping up which slow that down.After HO cards we will apply for permanent residency like you are doing.It helps me to read what you are going through so we can persevere!
Thanks Nancy for your informative blog. I read you regularly and enjoy it. In case anyone is working on getting an Elective resident visa, which is particularly for foreign retirees who will not make an income in Italy and want to spend more than 3 consecutive months a year in Italy (thank you Brexit😒), the Italian Embassy info was misleading. It says all I needed to do was take my Italian visa I received in the States and register it at my “local police station” which is Ugento. I spent 3 weeks directed by police offices in 3 different towns, government offices in Casarano and Taurisano and 3 different PO’s as what to do. In each of these places, the staff pretended to know what they were doing but sadly all their advice and info was wrong. I had my Italian friend translate so that was not the issue. One PO told me I needed a yellow envelope and mail my documents to the police in Lecce. Another PO said no, I needed a black envelope. I finally talked to my agent who sold me my house in Ugento and he said it was all wrong! Just go to the Anagrafe office in Ugento and they would register my visa. He was correct. The police will visit my residence within 20 days to be sure I am living here. That’s all there is to it. So, maybe this will save some others a lot of time and energy. Now I can live here up to 6 months total per year without paying Italian taxes. If I overstay, I will be subject to paying Italian taxes which are somewhere around 24 percent. As my Italian friend says, in Italy six heads are one😂 This is not the same meaning as our American saying, two heads are better than one. It means it takes six heads to make one🤣😂 After this experience, all I could think of was, “whose on first base…?” It was right out of a Laurel and Hardy movie. Bureaucracy here is just what you hear it is.
Hey Matt, I can’t tell you what a relief it will be. I hope I’m not being overly optimistic!
Looking forward to your life getting easier soon! Won’t it be nice not to have to deal with this every year?
Thanks Bill. It takes tons of patience and a “never give up” attitude to survive here. I am motivated by my goal to get this permanent residence permit. Keep your eye on the prize!
Congratulations on achieving your goal and also on having the intestinal fortitude to persevere through this most challenging process.