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Digital nomad / Remote worker visa

The digital nomad / remote worker visa is intended for individuals who are not EU citizens and who intend to work remotely while living in Italy.

The visa is only available to highly specialized workers whose careers require or exceed the requirements listed in article 27-quater of the Legislative Decree n. 286 of 25 July 1998, including careers that require post-secondary degrees or at least three years’ professional training or experience. Please see page 4, “Qualifying Professions”.

The visa is subdivided into two categories: “digital nomads”, who are freelancers, consultants, or other independent specialists, and “remote workers”, who are employees of a company but can perform their work completely remotely. Remote workers are subject to two additional requirements, listed separately on page 3.

Applicants must submit all required documents. For appointment instructions, please see our webpage.

Starting January 11th 2025 all applicants for National Visa (D) will be fingerprinted according to the Italian Decree dated October 11th 2024, nr. 145.

At the appointment, applicants must submit the following documents:

  1. Passport or travel document accepted by the Schengen countries valid for a period of at least 15 months past your intended date of travel to the Schengen Area (including Italy). The passport must have at least two blank pages. (plus: photocopy of the page with personal data and expiration date, and photocopy of the page with signature if the signature does not appear on the same page).
  2. Proof of physical residence in our jurisdiction, such as a driver’s license, state ID, or utility bill. If submitting a driver’s license or state ID, please also provide a photocopy of the document.
  3. Only for non-U.S. citizens: Proof of legal residence in the United States, such as U.S. Alien Registration Card or valid long-term U.S. visa.
    • U.S. B1/B2 visas are not acceptable for this purpose. B1/B2 visa holders must apply at a Consulate in their home country. (plus: photocopy of the card or the passport page with the long-term U.S. visa).
    • Non-U.S. citizen students must have a valid I-20 Form and exchange visitors a valid I-66.
  4. One National Visa form (if you intend to stay in Italy more than 90 days) or Schengen visa form (if you intend to stay in Italy 90 days or less) completely and clearly filled out, and signed by the applicant.
  5. One recent, ICAO standard photograph: 40mm (1.57 inch) tall and 35mm (1.37 inch) wide, full face, front view, color photograph of yourself. The photograph must be glued to the top of the form where indicated.
  6. Letter or certificate of travel medical insurance showing coverage for medical expenses, hospitalization costs and repatriation for medical reasons, for the days you are outside the United States. Insurance coverage must not be less than 30,000 Euro (or $50,000). Inadequate medical expenses coverage is the number one reason for visa rejections. You cannot present your insurance card alone as proof of insurance.
  7. Proof of qualifying profession (see below)
  8. Lease, rental contract, or deed for property in Italy
    • The lease, rental contract, or deed must be in the applicant’s name and must cover the entire duration of the visa.
    • If renting or leasing, the applicant must present an original copy of a “Contratto di Locazione ad Uso Abitativo”, complete with proof that the landlord has registered it with the Agenzia delle Entrate, the Italian Tax Authority.
    • Click here to download a sample contract. The contract must comply with this standard.
    • In the event that the applicant must change residence, you should notify the Questura that issued your residency permit (see page 6 for “Permesso di Soggiorno”).
  9. Proof of legal income of at least three times the minimum necessary to pay healthcare taxes in Italy.
    • At the time of this writing, the minimum legal income is no less than 24,789 euros (or the equivalent in USD) per year.
    • Proof can be provided in a variety of ways, including paystubs, tax return, W-2, or three most recent bank statements.
    • The income must derive from the work the applicant will be performing in Italy. Other passive income, such as Social Security, rents, or stocks, will not be considered.
  10. Proof of six or more months’ prior work experience in the field
    • For digital nomads: tax returns, client invoices, membership in professional or industrial associations can all provide evidence of employment
    • For remote workers: tax returns, pay slips or a letter from the employer can be used as proof of employment
  11. The nonrefundable visa application fee must be paid in exact amount by cashier’s check or money order made out to the Consulate General of Italy. The fee adjusts every three months – Jan. 1st, April 1st, July 1st, Oct. 1st – based on the Italian government’s official euro-dollar exchange rate. The fee is posted on our webpage.
    • If you intend to stay for more than 90 days, you must pay the national visa fee.
    • If you intend to stay for 90 days or less, you must pay the Schengen visa fee.
  12. One Declaration for Mailing Passports completely and clearly filled out and a self-addressed (from yourself and to yourself) pre-paid USPS Priority or Priority Express envelope so that your passport can be mailed back to you. Please be sure to ask the postal clerk for a tracking number.

 

Additional Requirements for Remote Workers

  1. Employment contract showing a salary that equals or exceeds that required by the collective contracts negotiated by the relevant Italian national union, and that in any case cannot be below the median annual salary as calculated by ISTAT (the Italian National Institute of Statistics).
  1. Letter from employer stating that the employer has not been convicted in the past five years of any crimes related to the facilitation of illegal immigration, the exploitation of minors for work purposes, the violation of labor laws, or other crimes listed under comma 5-bis of article 22 of the Testo Unico Sull’Immigrazione (Italian immigration code).
    1. Click here to download a sample letter your employer can fill out.
    2. The letter must be signed by an executive, legal representative, or other appropriate agent of the employer, and the signature must be accompanied by a photocopy of the signer’s photo ID.

 

 

Qualifying Professions

The visa is only available to highly skilled workers whose careers require or exceed the requirements listed in article 27-quater of the Legislative Decree n. 286 of 25 July 1998, including careers that require post-secondary degrees or at least three years’ professional training or experience.

There are three ways to demonstrate you belong to a qualifying profession.

  1. The possession of a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate degree that must be recognized through CIMEA or a Declaration of Value.
  2. For professions licensed by government agencies, such as architects, engineers, teachers, etc., please present an attestation from the applicable Italian Authority certifying that you possess the requirements set out by Legislative Decree n. 206 of 6 November 2007 (click here to see the full list of approximately 180 licensing agencies and their professions).
    1. In some cases, it may be necessary to acquire a license to exercise a regulated profession before you are able to apply for the visa;
    2. In reviewing the list of licensing agencies above, you may notice agencies specifically for the regions of Trento and Bolzano. Due to their special legal status as “autonomous regions”, both regions may establish and use their own licensing agencies. If you do not intend to live in the Trento or Bolzano regions, you do not need to refer to these agencies.
  3. A higher professional qualification with proof of at least five years’ professional experience in the field. For each employment in the relevant five years, the applicant must submit the following documents released by the Public Authority of the country where the expertise was acquired:
    1. Identification data of the company and the business sector it operates or operated in;
    2. The position held within the company (owner, partner, employee);
    3. Copy of the employment contract and/or copies of the pay slips related to the period worked (at least two for each year);
    4. Letter from the company or employer describing your professional duties at the company including the start and end dates of the employment
  4. For executives and specialists working in the ICT industry only, the requirement is reduced to three years’ professional experience acquired in the past seven years.

 

Dependent Family Members

 

Once in Italy, a digital nomad or remote worker can sponsor for a family visa a spouse from whom they are not separated or separating, and a child under 18, including a spouse’s child from a previous marriage or out of wedlock, provided that the other parent consents to the issuance of the visa.

At the time of this writing in 2024, digital nomads or remote workers cannot sponsor children over 18 or parents to join them in Italy, even if these individuals are dependent on them.

The sponsorship process begins in Italy at the Questura where the digital nomad or remote worker applied for the residency permit (see “Permesso di Soggiorno” on the next page). Questions about sponsoring family members should be directed to the Questura entitled to receive the application.

 

 

 

The Permesso di Soggiorno (Residency Permit)

 

Once you enter Italy on a national visa, including the digital nomad or remote worker visa, you are required to visit the local Questura (provincial police headquarters) and apply for a “Permesso di Soggiorno” (residency permit) within the first eight working days of your arrival. The Questura you visit must be the one with jurisdiction over your home in Italy.

The permesso is a small plastic card like a U.S. green card, and, like the U.S. green card, it replaces your visa. You do not need to apply for a visa again while it is valid. Unlike the green card, the permesso is issued for a limited time; at the time of present writing in 2024, the permesso for digital nomads is issued for one (1) year, but you can renew it locally at the Questura (provincial police headquarters) as long as you maintain your employment, lodging, and health insurance (and your employer is not convicted of crimes).

You will need to present many of the same documents to the Questura for your permesso that you presented to this office for the visa; for that purpose, we highly encourage you to print a photocopy of your application packet for yourself before submitting it to this office.

 

During and after the Covid-19 pandemic, many of the Questure in Italy began allowing applications for the permesso through a post office. Please check the website of the Questura in whose jurisdiction you will be living for this and any other questions related to the permesso issuance.