Italy
Italy Elective Residence Visa: how much income do you really need?
The elective residence visa (visto per residenza elettiva) is for people who want to settle in Italy permanently and live on passive income. It forbids any work in Italy, and income from employment or self-employment, including remote work, does not count toward the requirement, so the passive-income test carries the whole file.
By The Visa Blueprint · 3 min read
The benchmark: about €31,000 per year
The formal reference is three times the annual amount in Table A of the Interior Ministry Directive of 1 March 2000. Consulates round it to about €31,000 per year per applicant; Toronto describes it as approximately €32,000 and a minimum starting value rather than a guarantee.
Couples and families: it depends on the consulate
| Consulate | Published position |
|---|---|
| Boston | More than €31,000 per year per applicant, family members included |
| New York, Washington | "Typically around €31,000 per person" for family applications |
| Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, London | No figure, "substantial and stable" resources |
A 2025 ruling of the Lazio administrative court annulled a London refusal and held that a couple's resources should be assessed as one household, with a lower amount for each additional member. It binds only that case. Plan for €31,000 per adult; if your household falls between the two readings, explain the household logic in your cover letter.
Income, not savings
Consulates ask for "substantial and steady" resources: pensions, annuities, rental income, investment income. Some court decisions have accepted large liquid balances, but a savings-only file is high-risk. Typical evidence:
- official letters from banks, financial advisers, pension institutions or the US Social Security Administration;
- the last two years of tax returns (New York, Los Angeles, Boston, London, Toronto);
- in San Francisco, the last three months of bank statements and complete federal returns with all schedules;
- Boston asks for a summary spreadsheet when there are several income sources.
The accommodation rule
You need a purchase deed or a lease in your name, covering the whole period and registered with the Agenzia delle Entrate; San Francisco requires a lease of at least 365 days. Hotels, multiple bookings and offers of hospitality are refused. Many applicants underestimate this: you must commit to housing in Italy before you have the visa.
After arrival
Apply for the residence permit within eight working days (post-office kit). The permit lasts one year and is renewable. Elective residents must either keep private insurance valid in Italy or enrol voluntarily in the national health service, at a minimum of €2,000 per year. Pensioners moving to small southern towns may qualify for Italy's 7% flat tax on foreign income, take tax advice before choosing where to live.
Sources
- Consulate General of Italy in Boston: Elective residence
- Consulate General of Italy in New York: Elective residence visa
- Consulate General of Italy in Toronto: Elective residence
- Embassy of Italy in Washington: Elective residency checklist
- Consulate General of Italy in San Francisco: Elective residency checklist
- Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles: Elective residency visa
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Means of subsistence table (Table A, basis of the benchmark)
