Italy's Digital Nomad Visa: How to Work Remotely from Italy

What's a Digital Nomad Visa?

At its core, a digital nomad visa is an all encompassing name that really means a visa for remote workers. Countries all around the world have been launching these visas since 2020 and while many have unique names for their visas, "digital nomad visa" is the most common one they all go by.

Other names for these types of visas are freelancer visa or visa for remote worker.

In general, this type of visa gives a remote worker the legal ability to reside in their country, while maintaining their online job.

Depending on the country's requirements, you can either be a freelancer, a full-time employee, an entrepreneur, or have passive income. Some countries are strict about where your income comes from, others don't really care, so long as you can do whatever you need to do to earn it online.

Here's our full list of countries with digital nomad visas.

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Italy's Digital Nomad Visa

Now, diving into Italy's.

Just like all of the countries on the list above, Italy has a set of requirements an applicant will need to have in order to apply.

Keep in mind though that visas are typically fluid, not fixed, especially brand new visas. What you read today might not apply in 6 months so understand that new requirements could pop up.

Requirements

These are the requirements outlined by the Italian government to be able to apply for the digital nomad visa:

• Ability to do job completely online
• Non-EU citizen
• Have a college degree or accredited professional license
• Can be either employee or self-employed
• Annual income of at least €28,000
• Health insurance*
• Proof that you've been a digital nomad for at least six months previously
• Not been convicted of a crime in the past five years
• Willingness to be tax compliant in Italy

*While they don't currently state online the exact health insurance they ask for, it's being described as a "robust plan." I typically recommend Safety Wing's nomad insurance but I'm not sure that'll be enough in this case. These are my top recommendations for health insurance.

How to Apply

To apply for an Italian visa, you'll need to apply at the nearest consulate or embassy from your address of residency.

You'll need to bring with you to the appointment:

• A valid passport
• Proof of employment
• Proof of income
• Health insurance
• Proof of suitable accommodation
• Criminal record certificate

You'll need an in-person appointment to do so but I recommend calling or emailing beforehand to see if you can get a clear idea of what these documents should look like before you make an appointment.

In particular, I would ask about the accommodation part. In my experience living in Italy, we needed our paperwork in order to sign our contract, so it sounds to me like a chicken and egg situation. I would ask if this needs to be a year contract or just somewhere to land to get a super clear understanding of what they're looking for.

Otherwise, go ahead and expect to have 2-3 appointments.

Trust me, as someone currently dealing with their residence permit in Italian (although not through this visa), it might take some back-and-forth to get everything good to go.

Next Steps

Once you arrive in Italy with your digital nomad visa, you'll have eight days to apply for your permesso di soggiorno, or residence permit.

Note: if you apply with family members, they won't be able to travel within the EU while they wait on their permesso di soggiorno. You, with the visa in your passport though, can. The time it takes to get your residence permit can vary. From my experience, I've been waiting for eight months for mine.

As of now, if granted, your residence permit will be valid for 1-year but you do have the ability to renew it annually, if your conditions and the conditions of the visa remain the same.

This caveat draws on my earlier point that this visa might shift over time. They might change the requirements as needed depending on how this initial roll-out goes.

They also note that family members are allowed to join you in Italy but don't yet stipulate how much more income you would need to make for each additional family member, as I imagine it would go up to cover the cost of each.

Best Places to Live in Italy as a Digital Nomad

Now on to the fun bit: choosing where in Italy you'd like to live! Since you're moving to Italy on the digital nomad visa, you're not required to stay in one specific city like you would if you moved here as an employee.

Thus giving you the freedom to fully explore and choose your dream spot in Italy.

Here are my top recommendations of places to live in Italy:

• Florence: Centrally located, you'll be able to travel much of the country by train. It's also famed for its delicious cuisine and tranquil getaways to the surrounding hillsides.
• Rome: The capital of Italy might feel like an overwhelming place to live but compared to other major cities, like Milan, Rome doesn't feel all that big. Plus, the history at every corner really makes it a surreal place to call home.
• Turin: Just outside of Milan, nearing the border to France, is Turin, or Torino in Italian. It's one of the biggest cities but not as well-known as the tourist hubs, giving you a true Italian lifestyle.
• Verona: This is a personal preference as I just love this city. Here, you'll have Lake Garda and the Dolomites just outside your door for year-round outdoor activities and Venice and the coast is just a short train ride away.
• Trieste: This is where I currently live and for the right person, I do think it's a great spot. If you're looking for a super tranquil place to live and are excited about exploring Slovenia and Croatia, too, you'll love living in Trieste.

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Things to Know Before Moving to Italy

Not everything can be rainbows and butterflies abroad and you'll still face a lot of the same digital nomad realities that the rest of us do but having the chance to live in Italy really is a treat.

There are just a few things I recommend you knowing before you make the move:

• Learning Italian will take you really far. The moment you try even just a little bit, no matter how silly you sound, locals will want to help you and will open up completely.
• Although Italy is in Europe and there are a lot of perks, like the train system, public services and transportation might not run as smoothly as you're expecting. I've had buses simply not show up and trains delayed without warning. Some cities are more advanced than others in this regard though.
• Forget everything you know about Italian food, you haven't really tried it yet. Eating Italian food abroad is nothing like the real thing. I'm now one of those people that happily craves a different pasta every day of the week.
• You're about to have so much fun! From ancient Matera to snowboarding in Dolomites and beautiful beaches in Sardinia, there's so much to explore while you live here.

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Will You Apply for Italy's Digital Nomad Visa?

I'm super excited to see yet another new digital nomad visa to hit the market. As a remote worker myself, it's exciting to see more and more countries welcoming those of us who work remotely.

I do expect there to be some bumps in the road as this is a brand new visa but as of April 4, 2024, the application process is open and you can jump on the chance to move abroad to Italy.

Sources: Euronews, Forbes