Retiring in Italy: the visa situation
EU citizens: no visa required (freedom of movement)
If you hold citizenship of an EU member state, you generally do not need a visa to retire in Italy. Under EU freedom of movement you may live here; you can stay up to three months without registering, and for longer stays you register your residence with the local authorities. Confirm the current steps with the official source before you rely on this.
Source: europa.eu, last checked 2026-07-04. The visa route below is for non-EU citizens.
For non-EU citizens
As of our last check, Italy offers a dedicated retirement route: the Elective Residence Visa (visto per residenza elettiva), a national long-stay Type D visa.
The income requirement is in the middle of the range we see for retirement visas. Consulates look for stable passive income commonly cited around EUR 31,000 per year for a single applicant (roughly EUR 2,600 per month), with more expected for couples; higher amounts and savings strengthen the application.
The Elective Residence Visa does not permit any work or employment in Italy. Applicants must prove steady, self-sustaining passive income not deriving from subordinate work, such as pensions, property rental income, or investment returns.
Verified against conslosangeles.esteri.it, last checked 2026-07-03.
The verified fields
Elective Residence Visa (visto per residenza elettiva), a national long-stay Type D visa
Consulates look for stable passive income commonly cited around EUR 31,000 per year for a single applicant (roughly EUR 2,600 per month), with more expected for couples; higher amounts and savings strengthen the application.
The Elective Residence Visa does not permit any work or employment in Italy. Applicants must prove steady, self-sustaining passive income not deriving from subordinate work, such as pensions, property rental income, or investment returns.
Before you act on this
Visa rules, income thresholds and processing practice change, sometimes with little notice. This page reflects what we could verify on the dates shown, nothing more. Always confirm the current requirements with the official immigration authority or a licensed immigration adviser before making plans, and treat the linked source as the authority, not us.
See how Italy scores overall
The visa is one of six axes. RetireScore 77/100, ranked 9 of 40 countries on the default weights.