The Elective Residency Visa

Imagine the keys on the table, the shutters opened for the first summer, and a neighbour’s ordinary question over the wall: how long are you staying?

Does buying a house in Italy give me the right to live there?

No. Italy does not link the purchase of a home to a residence permit, unlike some other countries. Ownership does not extend the period a visitor may stay. Citizens of visa-exempt countries, for example the United States or the United Kingdom, may stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, according to the European Commission, whether or not they own property there.^[2] A stay of more than 90 days requires a national long-stay (D) visa, and then a residence permit.

Since 10 April 2026 the Entry/Exit System (EES) has been fully operational at the external borders of 29 European countries, and it registers non-EU nationals travelling for a short stay, according to the European Commission.^[2] The travel authorisation ETIAS is not in operation.^[3] The European Commission’s ETIAS page, read on 1 October 2026, states that no applications are collected and that the start date will be announced several months before the launch.^[3] This article does not rely on ETIAS. For the way the days are counted, what the Entry/Exit System records and the position of ETIAS, see “Schengen 90/180, EES and ETIAS for Second-Home Owners in Italy”.

What is the elective residence visa, and what does it ask for?

The visa allows a foreign national to enter Italy in order to settle there and to support himself or herself without working. Under a ministerial decree of 11 May 2011, the applicant must provide adequate, documented guarantees of two things.^[1] The first is the availability of a home to be elected as residence. The second is ample autonomous, stable and regular economic resources, whose continuation in the future can reasonably be presumed.^[1]

The decree fixes a floor for the resources: not less than three times the annual amount in Table A of the Interior Ministry directive of 1 March 2000.^[1][4] The resources are to come from substantial income such as pensions and annuities, from the ownership of real estate, from stable business activities or from sources other than employment.^[1] The spouse living with the applicant, minor children and adult dependent children living with the applicant may receive a similar visa if the financial capacity is adequate for them too.^[1] The two conditions are separate, and both must be met.

Consulates apply their own published figures. The Consulate of Italy in Adelaide, in Australia, which receives applications only from residents of South Australia, asks in its checklist, a file dated 17 June 2026, for regular income of at least €31,000 a year per applicant, shown by Australian bank statements covering at least three months.^[5][6] The Italian Embassy in Tashkent publishes the same figure per applicant, spouse included.^[7]

Other consulates publish their own requirements. The Consulate General in Los Angeles states that submitting the listed documents does not guarantee a visa, and the consular administration may ask for further documents.^[8] The consulate that receives the application assesses the requirements, and they change over time.

Does the house I buy count towards the visa?

The Adelaide and Los Angeles checklists list what they accept as accommodation. The Adelaide checklist accepts a notarial deed of purchase or a lease registered with the Agenzia delle Entrate, the Italian revenue agency.^[5] The Los Angeles page accepts a signed lease under Italian rules or a deed of ownership of a habitable home and proof of registration with the Agenzia delle Entrate.^[8] It does not accept multiple hotel or house bookings or an offer of hospitality by third parties.^[8]

In other words, owning a home can answer the accommodation requirement. It is not income. Income from the ownership of real estate is one of the income sources the decree lists,^[1] and consular checklists mention property rental income among acceptable sources.

Can the holder of the visa work?

No. The visa does not permit employment or self-employment in Italy: the consular pages state that the holder may not work or seek employment. Within eight days of arrival the holder must register with the Questura, the police, to obtain the permesso di soggiorno, the residence permit, according to the Los Angeles consulate.^[8]

How is it different from the Investor Visa?

The investor route, the Investor Visa for Italy, is managed by the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy.^[9] It requires a defined investment by a non-EU national, held for at least two years for the first two options.^[10] The first is at least €2,000,000 in Italian government securities. The second is at least €500,000 in the capital of an Italian company or venture-capital fund, or €250,000 if the company is an innovative start-up. The third is a philanthropic donation of at least €1,000,000 in a public-interest project.^[9]

The purchase of a house is not among the investments listed.^[9] The two routes are separate.

How does the visa relate to tax residence?

An elective residence visa is an immigration matter. The tax regime for new residents, described in “Italy’s Flat Tax for New Residents”, is a separate tax option open to persons who transfer their tax residence to Italy. It depends on tax residence, not on the type of visa.

The office does not give immigration advice. That belongs to qualified immigration counsel.