The investor visa
Article 26-bis of the consolidated immigration act, introduced by the Budget Law for 2017, admits outside the quotas the citizen of a third country who invests in Italy: two million euro in bonds of the Italian State, five hundred thousand euro in the shares or bonds of an Italian company, two hundred and fifty thousand euro in an innovative start-up, or a donation of one million euro to a project of public interest in culture, education, research, migration management or the heritage. The visa lasts two years and leads to a permit which is renewed on the proof that the investment is kept.
The nulla osta and the visa
The investor applies online to the committee of the Ministry of Enterprises, on the investor visa portal, with the passport, the proof of the lawful origin of the funds, the description of the investment and the declaration of commitment to make it within three months of the entry. The committee issues the nulla osta within thirty days of a complete file, and the nulla osta is valid for six months, within which the visa is requested at the Italian consulate of the country of residence, in London in person with the nulla osta, the passport, the photograph, the proof of the means and of the accommodation and, for a resident who is not British, the proof of the British status. Bonds must have at least two years to run.
The permit and the family
Within eight working days of the entry the investor requests the permit for investors, which lasts two years, is renewed for three on the proof that the investment has been made within three months and kept, and after five years opens the long-term EU permit. The spouse, the children and the dependent parents enter under the rules on family reunification, without the income and housing conditions of the ordinary cases, with permits of the same length and the right to work. The investor who disposes of the investment before the term loses the permit.
The tax regime of the new resident
A person who transfers the tax residence to Italy after at least nine of the previous ten years abroad may opt for a substitute tax on the income produced outside Italy, in place of the ordinary tax, for up to fifteen years: the Budget Law for 2026 raised it to three hundred thousand euro a year for those who move after 1 January 2026, from the two hundred thousand of the previous rule, and to fifty thousand euro for each family member who joins the option. The regime is independent of the visa, and an investor who is a British citizen may combine it with the investor permit, or with any other.
A British entrepreneur sells his company in 2026 and invests five hundred thousand euro in the capital of an Italian manufacturer, with the nulla osta of the committee obtained in six weeks. He obtains the visa in London, the permit in Florence within the month, his wife and daughter join him under the family rules, and from the tax year 2027 he opts for the substitute tax on his foreign income. After five years he applies for the long-term permit, and after ten for the citizenship.
If you are considering an investment in Italy as the basis of your residence, send us the outline of the investment and of your family. We tell you which option fits, what the committee and the consulate will require, and we prepare the file and the translations of the corporate and banking documents.