Digital Nomad Visa (Visto Nomade Digitale)

Who Qualifies

You must be a non-EU/EEA citizen. EU citizens do not need a visa to live or work in Italy and should not apply for this pathway.

You must fall into one of two categories:

• Digital Nomad: You are self-employed — a freelancer, consultant, or independent specialist who generates your own income from clients or projects.
• Remote Worker: You are an employee of a company based outside Italy and can perform your entire job remotely.

Highly Skilled Status

You must demonstrate that you are "highly skilled" under Italian law. There are four ways to prove this:

1. University Degree: You hold a bachelor's, master's, or doctorate degree. The degree must be recognized through CIMEA (the Italian center for credential evaluation) or validated through a Declaration of Value (Dichiarazione di Valore) issued by an Italian embassy or consulate.

2. Licensed Profession: You hold a license in a regulated profession (architect, engineer, teacher, accountant, etc.). You must obtain an attestation from the relevant Italian Authority confirming that your qualifications meet the standards under Italian Legislative Decree No. 206 of 2007.

3. Five Years' Professional Experience: You have at least five years of professional experience at a level comparable to tertiary (university-level) education in your field, plus a higher professional qualification (such as a diploma from a specialized institute or advanced vocational training).

4. ICT/Management Fast-Track: You work in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector as an executive or specialist. For this pathway only, the requirement is reduced to three years of professional experience acquired within the past seven years.

Income Requirement

You must earn a minimum of approximately €28,000 per year (about €2,333 per month). This threshold is calculated as three times the minimum income required for exemption from Italian healthcare contribution costs.

Critical: Your income must come from work you will perform while in Italy and must originate from foreign sources only. Income from Italian clients, employers, or sources does not count. Passive income — such as Social Security, rental income, stock dividends, or investment return — is not acceptable.

You must demonstrate this income through:

• Employment contracts
• Recent tax returns (typically covering the past 6–12 months)
• Bank statements showing regular deposits
• Pay stubs or invoices
• A combination of the above

Work Experience Requirement

You must have at least six months of prior experience in the remote work activity you intend to perform in Italy. For digital nomads, this can be demonstrated through tax returns, client invoices, or membership in professional associations. For remote workers, pay slips, tax returns, or a letter from your employer can serve as proof.

Employment/Contractor Status

• Digital Nomads: You must work as a freelancer or self-employed professional. Your clients or projects must be based outside Italy.
• Remote Workers: You must be employed by a company registered outside Italy. Your employer must be able to confirm that you can work entirely remotely.

In both cases, you cannot generate any income from Italian sources during your stay on this visa. If you take on work for an Italian employer or client, you would need to switch to a different visa category.

Criminal Record Requirement

You must not have been convicted of any crime in the past five years. You will submit a self-certification to this effect, and Italian consular authorities will verify this through law enforcement channels.

Additional Requirements for Remote Workers Only

If you are applying as a remote worker (employee), your employment contract must show a salary that:

• Meets or exceeds the salary required by the relevant Italian national collective labor agreement (contratto collettivo nazionale del lavoro)
• Is at least equal to the median annual salary as calculated by ISTAT (the Italian National Institute of Statistics)

Your employer must also provide a signed letter (from an executive, legal representative, or authorized agent) stating that the company has not been convicted in the past five years of crimes related to:

• Facilitation of illegal immigration
• Exploitation of minors for work
• Violation of labor laws
• Other specified immigration or labor crimes

The employer's signature must be accompanied by a photocopy of their photo ID. A template letter is available on the Italian consulate websites.