What are the requirements for Italy's digital nomad visa?

Checked on 2026-10-25

Italy's digital nomad visa is for non-EU citizens doing highly qualified work remotely, self-employed or for a company that may be based abroad. The 2024 decree requires income of at least three times the health-cost exemption level, health insurance, housing, six months' experience and, for employees, a contract. No work authorisation (nulla osta) is needed.

Key facts

What	The law says	Source
Who can apply	Non-EU citizens doing highly qualified work remotely through technology, self-employed or for a company that may be based outside Italy	D.Lgs. 286/1998, art. 27(1)(q-bis) and (1-sexies); DM 29 Feb 2024, art. 1(2)
Two categories	“Nomade digitale” = self-employed; “lavoratore da remoto” = employee or collaborator (art. 2(1), D.Lgs. 81/2015)	DM 29 Feb 2024, art. 2(3)–(4)
Highly qualified	You must meet the requirements of art. 27-quater(1) of the Testo unico	DM 29 Feb 2024, art. 2(2)
Income	At least three times the minimum level for exemption from health-cost sharing, from lawful sources, per year	DM 29 Feb 2024, art. 3(1)(a)
Health insurance	Covering medical care and hospital stays, valid in Italy for the whole stay	DM 29 Feb 2024, art. 3(1)(b); D.Lgs. 286/1998, art. 27(1-sexies)
Housing	Suitable documents on your accommodation	DM 29 Feb 2024, art. 3(1)(c)
Experience	At least six months in the work you will do as a digital nomad or remote worker	DM 29 Feb 2024, art. 3(1)(d)
Remote workers only	Employment or collaboration contract, or a binding offer	DM 29 Feb 2024, art. 3(1)(e)
Work authorisation	Not required; stays over 90 days are outside the quotas	D.Lgs. 286/1998, art. 27(1-sexies); DM 29 Feb 2024, arts. 1(2), 3(2)–(3)

What the law sets out

Article 27 of the Testo unico on immigration adds “digital nomads and remote workers” to the categories that can enter Italy to work outside the annual quotas. The law says no work authorisation is needed: you get the entry visa first, then a residence permit for up to one year, on condition that you have health insurance covering all risks in Italy and that you comply with Italian tax and social security rules.

The details are in the decree of 29 February 2024, adopted by the Minister of the Interior together with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Tourism and Labour. It applies from the day after its publication in the Gazzetta Ufficiale of 4 April 2024.

The conditions in the decree

Both categories must have:

annual income from lawful sources of at least three times the minimum level for exemption from health-cost sharing;
health insurance for medical care and hospital stays, valid in Italy for the period of the stay;
suitable documents on their accommodation;
at least six months’ previous experience in the work they will do.

Remote workers must also present the employment or collaboration contract, or a binding offer, for work that requires one of the qualifications in art. 27-quater(1).

The decree also says the visa is refused, or revoked, if an employer or client resident in Italy was convicted in the last five years of the offences in art. 22(5-bis) of the Testo unico. The applicant hands the consulate a declaration signed by the employer confirming there are no such convictions.

Short trips too

The decree says that even for stays of less than 90 days, this route needs the entry visa and the residence permit it describes.

What counts as highly qualified: a three-year degree, a regulated-profession recognition, five years of comparable professional experience, or three years in the last seven for ICT managers and specialists (D.Lgs. 286/1998, art. 27-quater(1)).
After arrival: you apply for the residence permit at the questura within eight working days (DM 29 Feb 2024, art. 4(2)).

Sources

Change history

2026-10-25: Page created

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