Italy Digital Nomad Visa for US Citizens: Requirements by Consulate (2026)

By Avv. Caterina Luzzi Conti · Immigration Lawyer at MoveWise · Last updated: 27 October 2026
💡 The short answer: US citizens apply for the Italy Digital Nomad Visa at the Italian consulate that covers the state, and in four states the county, where they live: there are ten offices. The legal income minimum in 2026 is about €24,790 a year, but some US consulates expect more (around €28,000 in Chicago, in our experience). Expect a 15-month passport rule, fees paid by money order, state apostilles and a decision that typically takes 30 to 120 days.
This guide is for US citizens, and for green card and long-term visa holders living in the United States, who want to move to Italy on the Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) while keeping their remote job or clients. After reading it you will know which consulate is yours, what the US consulates ask for on top of the decree, and how to get US documents into a form an Italian officer accepts.
It is written by MoveWise's Legal Managers for Italy, who prepare Italy DNV files for the New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Detroit consulates, among others. Every rule comes from the consulates' pages or the decree; where something is our experience, we say so.
The general requirements are explained in our Italy Digital Nomad Visa requirements checklist; here we cover only what is specific to the US. The pitfall this guide helps you avoid: building your file on a generic checklist and then finding out that your consulate reads the decree differently.
In this guide:
The decree has not changed since April 2024. What changed for US applicants is procedure and consular practice.
The Italy DNV fits Americans with a documented professional career and work income earned outside Italy. If you want a second opinion before you start, our Italy Digital Nomad Visa service begins with an eligibility check.
✅ It is for you if:
❌ It is not for you if:
👉 Check your eligibility with a MoveWise Client Manager — tell us your state, your work set-up and your income, and we will tell you honestly whether your consulate's checklist is within reach.
You apply at the Italian office whose district includes your place of residence in the US. The Embassy of Italy in Washington publishes the full network; at the time of writing it is:
Honorary consulates (for example Denver or Minneapolis in the Chicago district) do not process national visas.
💡 Pro tip: You prove residence in the district with a driver's licence, a state ID or a utility bill. If you moved recently, update your licence before you book: an address in another district can get your appointment turned away.
⚠️ Common mistake: Non-US citizens living in the US (for example British or Indian nationals) apply at the same consulate, but must also prove legal residence. The New York, Los Angeles and Boston pages state that a B1/B2 visa is not acceptable for this: you need a green card or a valid long-term US visa.
The US consulates apply the same decree, and their published checklists share a core that is stricter than the decree on several points. These are the US-specific versions of the general requirements explained in our requirements checklist.
✅ Passport: valid at least 15 months beyond your intended date of travel to the Schengen area, with at least two blank pages. This is longer than the general rule, so renew first if you are close.
✅ Income: printed as €24,789 (2024) by New York, Los Angeles y Washington. Passive income does not count.
✅ Employees' salary: at or above the Italian collective agreement for your role and the ISTAT median annual salary, which the Ministry of Labour's integration portal puts at about €33,500.
✅ Accommodation: an original residential lease (contratto di locazione ad uso abitativo) in your name, registered by the landlord with the Italian Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate), or a deed, covering the entire visa duration.
✅ Insurance: at least €30,000 or $50,000 for medical expenses, hospitalisation and repatriation; an insurance card alone is not accepted. New York and Boston also accept an affidavit that you will buy an Italian policy on arrival.
✅ Proof of residence in the district and, for non-US citizens, of legal residence in the US.
✅ Fee and passport return: the exact fee by money order or cashier's check (Houston: USPS money order only), plus a prepaid USPS Priority envelope with tracking and the consulate's declaration for mailing passports.
💡 Pro tip: US fee amounts change on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July and 1 October, when the euro-dollar rate is updated. Buy the money order after checking your consulate's fee page in the same quarter as your appointment: a money order for the old amount is not accepted.
The published checklists look alike, but officers read them differently. These are patterns from files we have prepared, not published rules; they can change without notice.
In our experience Chicago expects work income of around €28,000 a year or more, well above the legal minimum. If you are close to €28,000, add evidence rather than arguing the decree: a second year of tax returns, a raise letter or recent payslips showing the current salary.
Detroit has asked for the Declaration of Value even from applicants qualifying through 5 years of experience, although the decree makes degree and experience alternatives. Either obtain it for one degree (about a month, in our experience) or answer in writing citing the decree and the consulate's own guidelines; the first is usually faster. Detroit has accepted a registered free-use loan (comodato d'uso) as accommodation in our files.
New York's page is one of the most detailed: third-party hospitality and hotel stays are expressly unacceptable, while a registered comodato has been accepted in our files. New York also explains that family sponsorship starts at the Questura in Italy and covers only a spouse and children under 18.
Los Angeles has, in our files, accepted a declaration of hospitality (dichiarazione di ospitalità) as accommodation, although its published checklist asks for a lease or deed in your name. Do not plan around this exception: a registered lease is always the safer choice. Los Angeles is also the consulate that states the fingerprinting rule for all D visas since January 2025.
Houston asks you to book a national visa slot on Prenot@Mi, marked as Digital Nomad or Remote Work, publishes its own employer-declaration template and insurance affidavit, and states processing times of up to 120 days for self-employed applicants and 30 days for employees.
Boston accepts as income evidence paystubs, a tax return, a W-2 or the three most recent bank statements. For Washington, Philadelphia, Miami and San Francisco, follow each office's national visa page and the core list above.
💡 Pro tip: Apply our "most demanding rule": prepare the file to the strictest US reading we have seen, with income above €28,000, a registered lease for the whole visa period, a notarised and apostilled employer declaration and, if you hold a degree, its Declaration of Value.
Italy and the US are both parties to the Hague Apostille Convention, so US public documents need an apostille, not consular legalisation. The Embassy of Italy in Washington explains who issues it:
⚠️ Common mistake: Sending a notarised letter to the Secretary of State of the wrong state. The apostille certifies the notary's commission, so it comes from the state where the notary is commissioned, not where you or your employer live.
If you qualify through a degree, the US consulates require it to be "recognized through CIMEA or a Declaration of Value". The crucial US detail is that the Declaration of Value (Dichiarazione di Valore) is issued by the Italian consulate covering the state where your university is located, not the one where you live.
✅ Example: you live in Denver (Chicago district) and graduated from a university in Boston. You apply for the visa in Chicago, but the Declaration of Value comes from the Boston consulate.
✅ Documents: Chicago and Boston ask for the diploma and final transcript signed by the registrar before a notary and apostilled by the Secretary of State of the school's state, plus an Italian translation and a passport copy, sent by mail with a prepaid return envelope. The Chicago consulate states that rush processing is not available.
✅ Signature rule in New York: the New York consulate states that, for non-EU citizens not resident in Italy, authentication of the signature on the application is mandatory.
The alternative is a CIMEA statement of comparability, requested online from the Italian ENIC-NARIC centre, which the US consulates accept instead. It avoids mailing originals to a consulate far from where you live.
💡 Pro tip: If you have a degree but plan to qualify on experience, still start the Declaration of Value or CIMEA for one degree: it is the slowest document in a US file, and Detroit's practice shows why.
👉 Want a MoveWise Client Manager to check your degree and experience evidence? — we will tell you which route fits your consulate and which documents to start first.
If you are an employee, your employer must declare that it has had no convictions in the last 5 years for the offences listed in article 22, paragraph 5-bis of the Consolidated Immigration Act. The US pages ask for the letter to be signed by an executive, legal representative or other appropriate agent, with a copy of the signer's photo ID.
✅ Use the consulate's template where one exists (New York, Los Angeles and Houston publish one).
✅ Notarise and apostille it: the US pages do not spell this out, but in the files we prepare the declaration is notarised and then apostilled by the Secretary of State of the notary's state, which removes a common reason for a second request.
✅ Add an employment confirmation letter stating your role, salary, start date and that you are authorised to work remotely from Italy, unless your contract already says so.
⚠️ Common mistake: Using remote online notarisation. Many US companies notarise documents online by default, but in our experience Italian consulates in the US have not accepted declarations notarised online. Ask HR for an in-person notary from the start; it saves weeks. In a large company a manager or HR director can sign if the letter states their power to represent the company.
US tax forms are strong evidence because a third party issues them; in our files consulates focus on the last year's.
MoveWise prepares a Payment Summary that matches every payment in your bank statements to the corresponding payslip or invoice, converted into euro, so the officer can verify the income at a glance.
⚠️ Common mistake: Presenting transfers between your own accounts, or a large one-off deposit, as income. Only payments from your employer or clients count, and the figure must be identical across contract, letters, W-2 or 1099 and bank statements.
Usually not for the visa itself. The DNV pages of New York, Los Angeles, Boston and Washington that we reviewed do not list a criminal record certificate for the applicant: the conviction check in the decree concerns your employer.
A consulate can still ask for further documents during processing. If you are asked, this is the US-specific chain:
💡 Pro tip: If in doubt, request the FBI record early: the federal apostille is the slow part, and a request during processing comes with a short deadline.
Employees normally include a certificate of coverage showing which country's social security covers them, where a bilateral agreement applies. The US and Italy have one, and the Social Security Administration's booklet on the agreement explains how to request the certificate.
How the agreement applies to your contract is a question for your employer's payroll team or an adviser. For the visa, the certificate must exist and match the period you file for; ask HR to request it as soon as the move is agreed.
The consulate keeps your original passport for the whole procedure and mails it back with the visa. If you need to travel meanwhile, the US Department of State issues a second passport book in specific cases, including urgent travel while a foreign country processes your visa. It is valid for four years or less and requires a signed statement explaining why you need it.
💡 Pro tip: Decide which passport the visa goes into before your appointment. Your Italian residence permit will be tied to that passport, so use the book with the longer validity and keep the second one for travel.
US citizens are visa-exempt for short stays, which opens the faster route for families: your spouse and minor children can enter Italy with you and apply for a family permit there under family cohesion (coesione familiare, article 30 of the Consolidated Immigration Act). Your income must cover them (about €3,550 a year more per family member under the family-reunification rules), and each person needs health insurance.
Marriage and birth certificates are state vital records: apostille them with the Secretary of State of the issuing state and have them sworn translated into Italian. Some Questure have refused family cohesion by applying a two-year residence requirement; MoveWise has obtained three court rulings that it does not apply. See the family section of our Italy DNV requirements checklist.
These are typical ranges from our files and from published consular statements, not guarantees.
Overall, a well-prepared US applicant typically needs 3 to 6 months from the first document to landing in Italy.
Official fees
Other costs (amounts vary by state and provider)
Within 8 working days you file the residence permit kit at a post office, then attend fingerprinting at the Questura of the city where your lease is; add your boarding pass if your passport was not stamped. The permit lasts up to 1 year: see our Italy DNV renewal and extension guide and our guide to Italian permanent residence.
On tax, two systems can apply at once. The IRS states that US citizens abroad generally must keep filing US returns, and Italy has its own tests, explained in our guide to Italy tax residency rules. Our overview of moving to Italy: tax benefits and obligations covers the Italian side. MoveWise does not give tax advice: speak to a qualified adviser who works with both the US and Italy before you move.
The same as for other applicants, plus US consular rules: income of at least about €24,790 a year (more at some consulates), a degree or 5 years' experience, a registered lease, insurance of €30,000 or $50,000, and a passport valid 15 months beyond travel. You apply in person at the consulate covering your state.
The one whose district includes your residence. There are ten offices: the Embassy in Washington and the consulates in Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco. In California, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia the district depends on your county.
€24,790 a year, approximately, is the legal minimum, and New York, Los Angeles and Washington print €24,789. In our experience Chicago expects around €28,000 or more. Employees must also meet the Italian collective-agreement minimum and the ISTAT median salary. Add a margin for each family member.
No, not usually: the US consulates' DNV checklists we reviewed do not list one for the applicant. If a consulate asks for it, you need an FBI Identity History Summary with a federal apostille from the US Department of State, not from a Secretary of State. In our practice it should be less than 6 months old.
At the Italian consulate covering the state where your university is located, which may differ from the consulate where you apply for the visa. Your diploma and transcript must be signed by the registrar before a notary and apostilled by that state's Secretary of State. A CIMEA statement is the alternative.
No, not safely. In our experience the Italian consulates in the US have not accepted employer declarations notarised online. Use an in-person notary, attach a copy of the signer's photo ID and have the declaration apostilled by the Secretary of State of the state where the notary is commissioned.
Yes, if you obtain a second US passport book. The Department of State issues one in specific cases, such as urgent travel while a foreign country processes your visa. It is valid for four years or less and needs a signed statement explaining why. Otherwise, plan to stay put until the passport is mailed back.
No. Since 11 January 2025 all applicants for a national (type D) visa are fingerprinted, as the Los Angeles consulate states, so you must attend in person. Only the return of your passport is handled by mail, with the prepaid USPS envelope you provide.
No. The New York and Los Angeles pages say passive income such as Social Security, rents or stocks is not considered for the DNV. If your income is passive, the Elective Residence Visa is the route designed for you, with its own income and accommodation rules.
30 to 120 days for the consular decision, depending on the consulate and your profile: Houston states up to 30 days for employees and up to 120 for self-employed applicants. Add about a month for a Declaration of Value and the appointment wait. Most US applicants need 3 to 6 months overall.
A US file runs through a notary in one state, a Secretary of State in another, sometimes the Department of State, a consulate that may not be yours, a landlord in Italy and the Questura. Our Legal Managers for Italy sequence these steps so the slow ones start first.
We have more than 500 client reviews on Trustpilot. You can also join our free webinars on the Italy DNV, where US applicants' questions come up every time. Learn more about our Italy Digital Nomad Visa service.
👉 Book a free consultation with a MoveWise Client Manager — tell us your state, your consulate and your work set-up, and we will tell you honestly what your file needs before you spend money on apostilles.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Immigration rules and consular practice change frequently; the information was verified on 11 November 2026. For advice on your situation, speak to a qualified professional.
The requirements are manageable; assembling the documents and navigating consular practice is where applications go wrong. If you have questions about the Italy Digital Nomad Visa, BOOK TODAY a 100% Free Consultation. We're here to help you at every step.
Buona fortuna!
