By Avv. Caterina Luzzi Conti · Immigration Lawyer at MoveWise · Last updated: 12 November 2026

💡 The short answer: The Italy Digital Nomad Visa is for highly qualified people who keep working remotely for employers or clients abroad, with work income of at least about €24,790 a year by law (consulates often ask more). The Elective Residence Visa is for people who will not work at all and live on passive income, about €31,000 a year at most consulates. Both are type D visas from the consulate where you live, followed by a 1-year permit.

Key facts for 2026

• Legal basis: Digital Nomad Visa (DNV), article 27 of the Consolidated Immigration Act and the Decree of 29 February 2024. Elective Residence Visa (ERV), Interministerial Decree 850/2011, Annex A, point 13.
• Work: DNV, remote work for employers or clients outside Italy is the whole point. ERV, no work of any kind in Italy, including remote work.
• Income: DNV, lawful work income of at least about €24,790 a year; consulates apply €25,500 up to about €28,000, and pensions, rents and shares are not counted. ERV, about €31,000 a year of passive income (consular practice, not statute).
• Couples: DNV, about €3,550 a year more for a spouse (article 29 rules). ERV, about 20% more for a spouse at some posts, or the full €31,000 per adult at others.
• Qualification: DNV, highly qualified status and 6 months of experience in your field. ERV, none.
• Home: both need a registered lease or a deed; a free-use loan (comodato) works at some consulates for the DNV, but usually not for the ERV.
• Permit: both start with up to 1 year, requested within 8 working days of arrival; neither is renewed after more than 6 continuous months abroad without serious reasons.
• Long term: both lead to EU long-term residence after 5 years of legal residence.

This guide is for non-EU nationals who want to live in Italy and are still working, already retired or somewhere in between. After reading it you will know which visa your income and plans fit, where each one is stricter, and what to do in the borderline cases we see most: the retiree who still consults, the part-time investor and the couple where only one person works.

It is written by MoveWise's Legal Managers for Italy, who prepare both visas for consulates in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and Switzerland. Every figure comes from the law or a published consular checklist, and we say so when it is consular practice rather than law. For the full document lists, read our Italy Digital Nomad Visa requirements checklist and our Italy Elective Residence Visa checklist.

The main pitfall it helps you avoid: a mixed file. Pension income on a DNV, or freelance income on an ERV, undermines either application.

In this guide:

• What changed recently
• Is this comparison for you?
• The core difference: working or not working
• Income: work income vs passive income
• Qualifications and experience
• Accommodation
• Health insurance and other documents
• Bringing your family
• Timeline and process
• Permit, renewals and long-term residence
• How much it costs
• Tax: what to know before you choose
• Borderline cases
• Which one should you choose? (by profile)
• Mistakes we see
• Frequently asked questions
• How MoveWise can help

What changed recently

Neither decree changed in 2026; consular practice and the tax context did.

• New DNV checklists. Tbilisi (May 2026) and Pretoria (August 2026) ask remote employees to earn at least the ISTAT average gross salary. Tbilisi also states that pensions, rents and shares are not taken into account.
• ERV per adult. The Embassy in Tel Aviv confirmed to us in October 2026 that it applies €31,000 for each adult, as the Embassy in Tashkent publishes.
• Tax regimes. The 7% regime for foreign pensioners now covers towns of up to 30,000 inhabitants, and the lump-sum regime rose to €300,000 a year for people moving from 2026.
• EES. Since 10 April 2026 the Entry/Exit System records short-stay visitors digitally. D-visa holders are outside it: keep your boarding pass as proof of entry.

Is this comparison for you?

Yes, if your income is either remote work or money that arrives without working. No, if you want an Italian job or have savings but no income.

✅ Read on if you are:

• A remote worker who also has a pension or investments.
• A retiree or investor who still does some paid work.
• A couple where only one person works remotely.

❌ This comparison is not for you if:

• You want to work for an Italian employer: that needs a work visa, not either of these.
• You only have savings: both visas assess income, not wealth.
• You are still choosing between countries: Spain's twin choice is explained in our comparison of the Spain non-lucrative visa and digital nomad visa.

Our Italy Digital Nomad Visa service and our Elective Residence Visa service both start with an eligibility check of exactly this question.

👉 Book a free eligibility call with a MoveWise Client Manager — tell us where your income comes from, and we will tell you honestly which of the two visas fits.

The core difference: working or not working

Everything follows from one question: will you work while you live in Italy? The DNV requires that you do; the ERV that you do not.

Digital Nomad Visa:

• ✅ You work remotely, as an employee of a company outside Italy (lavoratore da remoto) or as a self-employed professional (nomade digitale), using technology.
• ✅ The work must be highly qualified, and your income must come from it.
• ✅ Self-employed holders open an Italian VAT number (partita IVA) after arrival.

Elective Residence Visa:

• ✅ You choose Italy as your home and support yourself from resources you do not earn by working.
• ❌ No work in Italy, for an Italian or foreign employer, as a freelancer or remotely. The INPS information sheet confirms it.
• ✅ Your motivation letter must confirm that you have stopped working.

⚠️ Common mistake: Thinking a little remote work is fine on the ERV because the client is abroad. It is still work, and it puts the visa and every renewal at risk.

Income: work income vs passive income

Both visas have an income floor, but they count opposite kinds of income. The DNV counts only lawful work income; the ERV counts only passive income.

Digital Nomad Visa:

• Legal minimum: three times the healthcare co-payment exemption threshold, about €24,790 a year (3 × €8,263.31), as the Ministry of Labour's integration portal explains.
• What consulates apply: €25,500 at Tbilisi; more than €28,000 at Chicago in our experience.
• Employees: some consulates add the collective-agreement minimum and the ISTAT average gross salary, about €33,500 according to the integration portal.
• Counts: salary from your employer abroad, client fees, what you draw from your own foreign company.
• Does not count: pensions, rents, shares, savings or one large deposit.

Elective Residence Visa:

• Consular figure: about €31,000 a year. The Embassy in Ankara derives it from three times the annual amount in Table A of the Ministry of the Interior Directive of 1 March 2000; the decree itself asks for "ample, stable and regular" resources and sets no amount.
• Counts: state and private pensions, annuities, rental income, dividends and interest, and income from businesses you own but do not work in.
• Does not count: salary, freelance fees, remote work income, gifts or transfers between your own accounts.
• Evidence: typically 12 months of bank statements and, at London, two years of tax returns.

What this means in practice:

• 👉 €40,000 a year from a remote job: a DNV file, if you meet the qualification test. It does nothing for an ERV.
• 👉 €40,000 a year from pensions and rent: an ERV file at most consulates, and a refused DNV file.
• 👉 €20,000 from work plus €20,000 from pensions: neither threshold is met by the right kind of income. See the borderline cases below.

💡 Pro tip: So far every ERV client we have handled has been a retiree with a long-term pension, which is the profile consulates find easiest to accept. We have no precedent yet with an annuity bought to create the income: if you plan one, choose the longest term you can, because the ERV is designed for permanent settlement.

💡 Pro tip: For a DNV employee, the UK P60 or US W-2 is the strongest proof we can file (last year only). For the ERV, a financial summary in Italian should link each pension or dividend to each credit in your account.

👉 Not sure whether your income counts as work or passive? Ask a MoveWise Client Manager — this is the question that decides which visa you can apply for, and the one most files get wrong.

Qualifications and experience

The DNV asks who you are professionally; the ERV does not ask at all. For many retirees this is the reason the ERV is simpler.

Digital Nomad Visa:

• ✅ Highly qualified status under article 27-quater, through one of four routes: a degree from a programme of at least 3 years, a regulated profession recognised in Italy, 5 years of experience at a comparable level, or 3 years within the last 7 for ICT managers and specialists.
• ✅ A non-EU degree needs an apostille, a translation and a Declaration of Value (Dichiarazione di Valore) or a CIMEA statement.
• ✅ At least 6 months of experience in the field you will work in from Italy.
• ✅ Employees also need a notarised employer declaration of no convictions in the last 5 years.

Elective Residence Visa:

• ✅ No degree, experience or employer documents.

💡 Pro tip: A consulate (Detroit, in our files) has asked for the Declaration of Value even from DNV applicants on the experience route. If you hold a degree, starting it for one degree (about a month in our experience) avoids a late request. In our files, online notarisation of the employer declaration has worked for UK employers but not for US ones.

Accommodation

Both visas need a stable home in Italy before you apply, but the ERV is stricter about what counts.

Digital Nomad Visa:

• ✅ A lease registered with the Agenzia delle Entrate or a deed in your name; Tbilisi wants it to cover the whole visa period.
• ✅ A comodato d'uso (free-use loan of a room or a whole flat) has usually been accepted by London, New York and Detroit in our files.
• ✅ A hospitality declaration is mostly not enough; only Los Angeles and Frankfurt have accepted it in our experience.

Elective Residence Visa:

• ✅ A registered residential lease or a notarial purchase deed, in your name and already signed when you apply; we work to at least 12 months.
• ❌ A comodato is usually not accepted, and nor are hospitality letters, hotels or platform bookings.

Both: Airbnb and other short-term bookings are not accepted, and you usually need an Italian tax code (codice fiscale) before the lease can be registered.

💡 Pro tip: The lease must cover at least 12 months of the visa's validity, and consulates take 2 to 3 months to decide, so a 12-month lease that starts on application day falls short. Extend a transitional lease (contratto transitorio) to 18 months, sign a 4+4 lease or set a later start date. The lease city decides your Questura: our guide to the best cities in Italy for remote workers can help you choose.

Health insurance and other documents

The rest of the file is similar, with a few differences that catch people out.

• Health insurance: both need cover for medical care and hospitalisation valid throughout Italy for the whole stay, usually at least €30,000 (consular guidance, not decree text). Once resident, you can usually enrol in the National Health Service (SSN).
• Criminal record: for the DNV, the Tbilisi and Pretoria checklists do not ask for your own certificate; employees file the employer's declaration instead. For the ERV, many consulates ask for one from each country where you lived in the last 5 years, although London, Washington and Tashkent do not list it. Check your consulate's list.
• Motivation letter: both, but the ERV letter must state that you have stopped working and will not work in Italy.
• Passport: the consulate keeps it throughout. US citizens can usually get a second passport; UK citizens generally only for documented work travel.

Bringing your family

The two visas treat families differently: the DNV follows the family-reunification rules and lets your spouse work; the ERV is a joint consular application, and nobody in the family may work.

Digital Nomad Visa:

• ✅ Who: a non-separated spouse aged 18 or over and minor children, under article 29 of the Consolidated Immigration Act. Parents are not covered.
• ✅ Income: the annual assegno sociale (€7,101.12 in 2026) plus 50% per family member, about €3,550 each, with a separate rule for two or more children under 14. A couple needs about €28,340 on the legal minimum.
• ✅ Routes: visa-exempt nationals (UK, US, Canada, Australia and others) can usually enter with you and apply in Italy through family cohesion (coesione familiare, article 30). Others enter on a Schengen visa and use family cohesion, or follow the familiari al seguito route, starting with a clearance (nulla osta).
• ✅ Work: the family permit allows your spouse to work.

Elective Residence Visa:

• ✅ Who: spouse, minor children and, at some posts such as London, dependent children over 18 who live with you.
• ✅ Income: some posts add about 20% for a spouse and 5% per child (for example the VFS checklist for Guangzhou); others, such as Tashkent and Tel Aviv, require €31,000 per adult, about €62,000 for a couple.
• ✅ Routes: applications are usually filed together at the consulate. Children with visa-exempt passports can sometimes enter with you and use family cohesion; families without visa-waiver passports all apply at the consulate.
• ❌ Work: family members cannot work either.

💡 Pro tip: Some Questure have refused DNV family cohesion by applying a two-year prior-residence requirement. MoveWise holds three court rulings stating that it does not apply under article 30, yet a Questura has refused on that ground since, and the remedy was a court challenge.

💡 Pro tip: Marriage and birth certificates need an apostille and a sworn translation for both visas. Sworn translations of UK certificates are often sworn at the Tribunale di Torino in our files, with one €16 revenue stamp per 4 pages (translation and sworn statement counted together).

Timeline and process

Both visas follow the same two phases: the visa at the consulate for your place of legal residence, then the residence permit in Italy. These are typical ranges, not guarantees.

• Appointment: Prenot@Mi, a visa centre or email, depending on the post; waits range from days to weeks.
• DNV decision: typically 30 to 90 days; London has indicated up to 120 days for self-employed applicants and up to 30 for employees.
• ERV decision: up to 90 days at many consulates (Tashkent, Washington); Toronto indicates 45 to 90 business days.
• Slowest step: for the DNV, usually the Declaration of Value or CIMEA; for the ERV, usually finding and registering a home.
• After arrival: the Poste kit within 8 working days, then fingerprints at the Questura; the card typically 1 to 2 months later.

⚠️ Common mistake: Entering Italy and starting work before your DNV period begins. Wait for the visa's start date.

Permit, renewals and long-term residence

Both permits start at 1 year, depend on actually living in Italy and lead to long-term residence after 5 years. They differ in how they renew and what they can become.

Digital Nomad Visa:

• ✅ Permit of up to 1 year marked "nomade digitale – lavoratore da remoto", renewed annually while you meet the requirements. Our Italy DNV renewal and extension guide explains the process.
• ✅ According to the integration portal, the Ministry of the Interior does not currently treat the DNV permit as convertible into other permit types.

Elective Residence Visa:

• ✅ First permit of 1 year. Renewals cannot exceed the initial duration under article 5 of the Consolidated Immigration Act; INPS describes annual renewals, so plan for them.

Both:

• ✅ No renewal after more than 6 continuous months outside Italy, unless for serious, documented reasons.
• ✅ EU long-term residence after 5 years; see our guide to Italian permanent residence. Citizenship after 10 years for most non-EU nationals, or 2 if a parent or grandparent is or was an Italian citizen by birth.

How much it costs

The official fees are the same; what you prepare differs.

• National visa fee: set by each consulate and payable per applicant, often in local currency; check your consulate's page.
• Residence permit (Poste kit): €16 revenue stamp, €70.46 payment slip and €30 Poste fee, about €116.46 per person for a permit of up to 1 year.
• DNV only: Declaration of Value or CIMEA, notarisation and apostille of the employer declaration.
• ERV only: a financial summary in Italian and sworn translations of pension letters or official financial certificates where your consulate requires them.
• Both: apostilles, translations, insurance and the lease costs.

Tax: what to know before you choose

Neither visa gives you a tax regime, and we do not compare tax results. Both generally make you an Italian tax resident once you settle, taxed on worldwide income.

• Tax residence: since 2024 you are tax resident if, for most of the tax year, you meet one of four tests (presence, domicile, Civil Code residence or registration with the comune). Our guide to Italy tax residency rules explains them.
• Often discussed with the DNV: the impatriati regime for workers who move to Italy (50% of qualifying Italian work income exempt, 60% with a minor child, up to €600,000 a year, for 5 years, under strict conditions including 3 years without Italian tax residence and high qualification) and, for the self-employed, the regime forfettario (15% substitute tax up to €85,000 of turnover, 5% for 5 years for genuinely new activities).
• Often discussed with the ERV: the 7% regime for people with a pension paid from abroad who move to an eligible town (up to 30,000 inhabitants in eight southern regions, or listed earthquake-area towns), and the lump-sum regime for new residents (€300,000 a year plus €50,000 per family member, for people moving from 2026).

👉 Each regime has conditions that depend on your history. Speak to a qualified tax adviser (commercialista) before you rely on any of them; our guide to taxes in Italy for foreigners describes how they work. MoveWise does not give tax advice.

Borderline cases

Each of these is decided by where your income comes from and whether you will work.

The retiree who still does some consulting

Any paid work, even a few hours for a former employer abroad, is incompatible with the ERV. You have two clean options:

• 👉 Stop the consulting and apply for the ERV on your pension, if it reaches your consulate's figure.
• 👉 Keep consulting and apply for the DNV, but only if the consulting income alone reaches the DNV threshold, you meet the qualification test (a long career often fits the 5-year experience route) and you have a current contract or client agreements. Your pension will not count towards the DNV income.

The investor who works part-time

If your part-time work income reaches the DNV threshold on its own, the DNV fits and your investments simply show stability. If not, the ERV is open only if you stop working and your passive income reaches about €31,000. You cannot combine the two incomes.

The couple where one works and the other does not

The usual solution in our files is a DNV for the working partner and a family permit for the other, with income covering both (about €3,550 a year more under article 29). The family permit lets the non-working partner work later if they wish. An ERV for the non-working partner does not help the working one, who would need their own visa: we assess that combination case by case.

The early retiree with savings but no pension yet

Neither visa fits on savings alone: the ERV needs recurring income and the DNV needs work. An annuity can create income, but we have no precedent with one yet.

The remote worker planning to retire in a few years

Start where you are today: if you work, the DNV. Because the DNV permit is not currently treated as convertible, moving to the ERV later may mean a new consular application. Plan it before you stop working.

The company owner

If you work in your company, the DNV fits, with incorporation documents and evidence that you run the business remotely; we always send company owners to a tax consultation first. If you only receive dividends from a business you do not work in, that income can support an ERV.

Which one should you choose? (by profile)

If you will work, choose the DNV; if you will not, the ERV.

• 👉 Remote employee or freelancer with a degree or 5 years' experience: the DNV.
• 👉 Retiree whose pension exceeds your consulate's figure: the ERV.
• 👉 Landlord or investor living on rents and dividends, not working: the ERV.
• 👉 Retiree who wants to keep consulting: the DNV, if the consulting income alone meets the threshold; otherwise stop the consulting and use the ERV.
• 👉 Couple with one remote worker: usually the DNV with the partner as a family member.
• 👉 Couple living on one pension at a per-adult consulate: the ERV only if the household reaches €31,000 per adult; check your post first.
• 👉 Family moving with a parent: the DNV family provision does not cover parents, and the ERV family lists we work with do not include them either. A parent with their own pension may be able to apply for an ERV in their own name; ask us before you plan.
• 👉 Only savings, no income: neither, for now. Compare other countries, such as the Spain Non-Lucrative Visa, which accepts savings as well as passive income.

Mistakes we see

Most errors come from mixing the two logics.

1. Adding a pension to a DNV file to reach the threshold. Fix: only work income counts; present the pension, if at all, as background.
2. Keeping a small freelance activity on an ERV. Fix: stop all work before you apply and say so in the motivation letter.
3. Relying on a comodato for the ERV. Fix: a registered lease or a deed in your name, signed before the appointment.
4. Using the generic €31,000 for a couple at a per-adult consulate. Fix: check whether your post adds 20% or requires €31,000 per adult.

Frequently asked questions

Can I work remotely on the Italy elective residence visa?

No. The elective residence visa does not allow any work in Italy, including remote work for a foreign employer or for clients abroad, and work income does not count towards its threshold. If you want to keep working remotely while living in Italy, the Digital Nomad Visa is the route designed for it.

Can I use my pension for the Italy digital nomad visa?

No. The Digital Nomad Visa counts only lawful income from your remote work, and consulates such as Tbilisi state that pensions, rents and shares are not taken into account. A pension can support your file as background, but the threshold of about €24,790 a year, or your consulate's higher figure, must be met by work income.

Which needs more income, the Italy digital nomad visa or the elective residence visa?

The elective residence visa, in most cases: about €31,000 a year of passive income, against a legal minimum of about €24,790 a year of work income for the Digital Nomad Visa. But DNV figures rise at some consulates (more than €28,000 in Chicago, in our experience), and some ask employees to earn the ISTAT average, about €33,500.

Does a married couple need €62,000 a year for the elective residence visa?

At some consulates, yes. Tashkent publishes €31,000 per applicant, spouse included, and Tel Aviv confirmed the same to us in October 2026. Other posts add about 20% for a spouse, about €37,200 in total. For the Digital Nomad Visa, a spouse adds about €3,550 a year under the family-reunification rules.

Can my spouse work in Italy?

Yes on the Digital Nomad Visa: the family permit lets your spouse work in Italy. No on the elective residence visa: family members cannot work either, because the whole household lives on the main applicant's passive income. If your spouse plans to work, that alone often points to the Digital Nomad Visa.

Can I switch from the digital nomad visa to the elective residence visa later?

No, not by a simple conversion at the time of writing. According to the Ministry of Labour's integration portal, the Ministry of the Interior does not currently treat the Digital Nomad permit as convertible into other permit types. Moving to the elective residence visa may therefore mean a new consular application, so plan it before you stop working.

Is a comodato accepted for either visa?

Yes for the Digital Nomad Visa at some consulates: London, New York and Detroit have usually accepted a comodato in our files. No, as a rule, for the elective residence visa, where consulates want a home you control on a stable basis: a registered lease or a purchase deed in your name, already signed when you apply.

How long can I stay outside Italy on either permit?

6 continuous months at most, as a rule, for both. Neither permit is renewed after a longer absence unless you have serious, documented reasons. Long absences also weaken your Italian tax residence and the 5 years of legal residence you need for the EU long-term residence permit.

Does either visa give me the 7% flat tax?

No. Neither visa gives you a tax regime. The 7% regime is a separate option for people who receive a pension paid from abroad and move to an eligible southern or earthquake-area town, with other conditions; it is more often relevant to elective residence applicants. Ask a commercialista whether you qualify before you rely on it.

How MoveWise can help

Choosing between the two visas is the first thing our Italy Legal Managers do with a new client.

• Module 1, eligibility assessment: a Legal Manager reviews where your income comes from, your qualifications, your family and your consulate's real rules, and tells you which visa fits and what to fix first.
• Module 2, full preparation and submission: the letters, declarations and Payment Summary (DNV) or financial summary (ERV) in Italian, the lease review, the codice fiscale and support until your permesso di soggiorno is issued.
• Tax: we do not give tax advice, but we can introduce you to independent, qualified tax advisers.

Our modular service comes with a full refund of our fee if your application is refused, under the conditions of our service agreement. Our clients have left more than 500 client reviews on Trustpilot. We also run free webinars on the Italy Digital Nomad Visa, where you can ask your questions live.

👉 Book a free consultation with a MoveWise Client Manager — tell us about your income, your plans and your family, and we will tell you honestly whether the Digital Nomad Visa, the Elective Residence Visa or another route is right for you.

Sources and legal references

• Ministry of Labour integration portal: digital nomads and remote workers
• Embassy of Italy in Tbilisi: digital nomads and remote workers checklist (May 2026)
• Embassy of Italy in Pretoria: digital nomads checklist (August 2026)
• Embassy of Italy in Tashkent: elective residence (Interministerial Decree 850/2011, Annex A, point 13), May 2026
• Embassy of Italy in Ankara: elective residence checklist (Table A, Directive of 1 March 2000), May 2026
• VFS Global for the Consulate General of Italy in Guangzhou: elective residence checklist
• INPS: residence permit for elective residence (information sheet)
• Consolidated Immigration Act, article 29: family reunification (Brocardi)
• Consolidated Immigration Act, article 5: residence permit (Brocardi)
• European Commission: Entry/Exit System (EES)
• Interministerial Decree of 29 February 2024 on highly qualified remote workers (Official Gazette, 4 April 2024); Legislative Decree 209/2023, article 5 (impatriati); articles 24-bis and 24-ter of the Income Tax Code (TUIR), as amended by Law 199/2025 and Law 34/2026

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Immigration rules and consular practice change frequently; the information was verified on 12 November 2026. For advice on your situation, speak to a qualified professional.

Contact Us and start your italian Journey

This is a game-changing development and significative news for digital nomads considering Italy. If you’re dreaming of living in Italy with your family, the door is open today! MoveWise has cleared the path and set the precedent for you.

Don’t wait. Don’t settle for uncertainty. Start your application now, bring your family, and make Italy your home.

Use the following link to book a DNV free call consultation HERE.

Use the following link to book a ERV free call consultation HERE.

Buona fortuna!