Relocating to Italy for Israelis: Residence Visas, Elective Residence, Digital Nomads, the Self-Employed, Family and Citizenship

This guide is intended for Israeli families, retirees, remote workers and entrepreneurs considering a move to Italy. It deals with the legal side of the right to live there: which visa suits whom, what the consulate checks, what happens after landing, and what the path to permanent residence and citizenship looks like. The tax side, including the tax regimes for new residents, is covered in a separate guide on tax residency in Italy. The figures are correct as of November 2026.

1Does an Israeli need a visa to live in Italy?

Not for a short visit, but yes for living there. Israeli citizens are exempt from a visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen Area, under Regulation (EU) 2018/1806. Anyone intending to live, work or study in Italy for more than 90 days needs a national visa (visto nazionale, type D) before travelling. It is important to understand that on most routes you cannot enter as a tourist and regularise your status from within Italy. The national visa is applied for at the Italian mission in the country of residence, and only after entry do you apply for a residence permit. Days spent as a tourist also count within the 90 days, so plan the travel date around the application date.

2What is the difference between an Israeli with only an Israeli passport and someone who also has a European passport?

Someone who holds citizenship of an EU member state, including Italian citizenship, does not need a visa or a residence permit. They may live and work in Italy, and after three months must register in the population register (anagrafe) of the municipality where they live.

• An EU citizen who is employed or self-employed: registers with the municipality on the basis of the work.
• An EU citizen who does not work (for example a retiree): must show sufficient financial resources and health insurance. Under the legislation (D.Lgs. 30/2007) and municipal guidelines, the threshold is calculated by reference to the annual social allowance (assegno sociale), increased according to the number of family members.
• After 5 years: you can apply for a certificate of the right of permanent residence (attestazione di soggiorno permanente).
• An Israeli spouse of an EU citizen: applies at the embassy in Tel Aviv for a type D national visa for family reasons, issued free of charge, with an invitation letter and translated and apostilled civil status certificates.
• An Italian citizen registered in AIRE: must cancel the AIRE registration and register in the anagrafe of the new municipality. This registration also has tax implications, explained in the tax guide.

3What are the main residence routes in Italy for an Israeli?

There is no single route that suits everyone. The choice depends on what you will live on in Italy: passive income, remote work, local employment, your own business, investment, study or a family connection. The table summarises the routes, with details below.

4What is the elective residence visa and who is it suitable for?

Elective residence, “residence by choice”, is a national visa for those who want to live in Italy and live on income that is not from work: a pension, annuities, rental income or income from assets. Holders of the visa may not work in Italy, either as employees or as self-employed. The mission checks that the income is stable, documented and ongoing. Official information sheets published by Italian embassies in 2026 state a threshold of EUR 31,000 a year per applicant, including the spouse, and examine documentation for at least the last year. Professional sources mention a supplement for a spouse and each child. The threshold and documents are in practice set by the mission, so check them with the embassy in Tel Aviv before starting.

• Passive income: pension certificates, rental income statements, investment statements. One-off savings alone are usually not enough, because ongoing income is examined.
• Housing: according to the missions' information sheets, an already-signed document is required: a notarial purchase deed or a lease registered with the authorities in Italy. A promise or draft is not enough. Buying an apartment does not confer the visa, it only proves housing. On the purchase itself, see the guide to the purchase process in Italy.
• Health insurance covering the stay in Italy.
• Criminal record certificate and civil status documents, with an apostille and translation as required by the mission.

5How does Italy's digital nomad visa work?

The visa is intended for highly qualified remote workers, employed or self-employed, who work using technology, including for an employer or clients outside Italy. The rules were set in an interministerial decree of 29 February 2024, published in the Italian Official Gazette on 4 April 2024. The visa does not require prior work authorisation (nulla osta) and is not subject to quotas.

• Income: annual income from a lawful source of at least three times the minimum threshold for exemption from healthcare co-payments. Professional sources estimate the amount at about EUR 25,000 to 28,000 a year for a single applicant, and it should be verified with the mission.
• Experience: at least 6 months in the work that will be performed from Italy.
• High qualifications: for example a university degree of at least three years, a regulated profession, or long professional experience under the alternatives in the decree.
• Contract: for a remote worker, an employment or engagement contract, or a binding offer. An employer must declare that it has not been convicted in the last five years of offences of facilitating illegal immigration.
• Health insurance covering hospitalisation for the whole period of stay, and suitable housing.

The residence permit is granted for at most one year, and can be renewed each year as long as the conditions are met. Family members can join through family reunification. The permit holder must obtain a tax identification number (codice fiscale), and according to professional summaries also open a VAT number (partita IVA) when working as self-employed. Someone who lives in Italy for most of the year can expect to be a tax resident there, so tax planning is especially important here.

6How do you get a visa as a self-employed person or entrepreneur in Italy?

A visa for self-employment (lavoro autonomo) is generally subject to the annual quotas in the quota decree (decreto flussi). The decree for 2026-2028 (DPCM of 2 October 2025) sets 650 places a year for self-employment for all countries combined, so this is a narrow route. According to the same summaries, the categories within the quota include entrepreneurs investing at least EUR 500,000 and creating at least three jobs, members of the liberal professions, certain company officers, recognised artists and founders of innovative start-ups. Each category requires approvals from various bodies in Italy, for example the chamber of commerce or the professional association, before applying to the consulate.

Anyone planning to move a business to Italy needs to look at two questions together: on what basis they will live there, and in what structure the business will operate. On setting up a company, see the guide to company formation in Italy, and on the activity of an existing Israeli company, see An Israeli company doing business in Italy. Holding shares in an Italian company alone does not confer a right of residence.

7Does buying property or investing give a right to live in Italy?

Buying real estate does not confer a visa in Italy. The investor visa (Investor Visa for Italy, Article 26-bis of the Immigration Act) is based on investments such as EUR 250,000 in an innovative start-up, EUR 500,000 in an Italian company, EUR 2,000,000 in government bonds or a donation of EUR 1,000,000 to a public cause. The application first goes through approval by a special committee via an online platform, and only then is a visa applied for at the consulate. According to professional sources, the investment is made within three months of entering Italy, and there are requirements to maintain the investment over time. A comparison between Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Portugal appears in the guide to golden visas in Europe 2026.

8What about employment, study and family reunification?

• Employee: the Italian employer requests work authorisation (nulla osta) in Italy, generally within the quotas and on the dates set in the decree. Highly qualified workers can enter on the Blue Card route outside the quotas. Only after approval is a visa applied for at the consulate.
• Study: a student visa is applied for at the consulate in Israel, with admission to an institution, proof of means and insurance. According to the embassy in Tel Aviv, appointments for study visas are booked on the Prenot@mi system.
• Family reunification: someone holding a suitable residence permit can bring a spouse, minor children and in certain cases parents. Approval from the authorities in Italy, proof of income and suitable housing are required.
• Children: minor children generally join the parent's permit. Leaving Israel with children requires the consent of both parents or a court decision.

9What do you do after landing in Italy?

The visa only allows you to enter. The actual status is obtained from the Questura, the provincial police headquarters, where you apply for a residence permit within 8 working days of entry. After that you arrange the remaining registrations.

1. Eligibility check in Israel: choose a route, check the income threshold and documents with the embassy in Tel Aviv, and plan tax with an Israeli accountant.
2. Prepare documents: birth and marriage certificates, criminal record certificate, income certificates, housing contract and health insurance, with an apostille and translation as required.
3. Prior approval in Italy (where required): a nulla osta for an employee or for family reunification, committee approval for the investor visa, or approvals according to the self-employment category.
4. Apply for a national (type D) visa at the Italian mission in Israel.
5. Enter Italy and apply for a residence permit within 8 working days, usually through a kit at post offices, followed by fingerprinting at the Questura.
6. Codice fiscale and registration in the anagrafe: a tax identification number, and registration in the municipal population register, which entitles you to an Italian identity card and an official address.
7. Register with the national health service (SSN) according to the route's entitlement, or continue with private insurance.
8. Renew on time: apply to renew the residence permit before it expires, and continue to meet the route's conditions.

10How many years until permanent residence and Italian citizenship?

After 5 years of lawful and continuous residence you can apply for an EU long-term resident permit (permesso UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo), which is not limited in time. Citizenship by residence generally requires 10 years of lawful residence for a national of a non-EU country, under Citizenship Law 91/1992.

• Long-term resident permit: according to the Italian police and the legislation, 5 years with a valid permit, sufficient income, housing and an Italian language test are required. The document itself is renewed every 10 years for adults.
• The June 2025 referendum: a proposal to shorten the residence period for citizenship to 5 years did not reach the turnout threshold, and the law remained as it was.
• Citizenship by descent: Law 74/2025 (which converted Decree-Law 36/2025) limited recognition of citizenship by descent to those with a parent or grandparent born in Italy, subject to exceptions. Israelis who planned to obtain an Italian passport through a great-grandparent should reassess their position.
• Spouses of Italian citizens benefit from a separate citizenship route, under conditions set by law.

11What are the rights of spouses and children?

On most routes family members join through family reunification, and their permit is usually tied to the term of the main applicant's permit. The elective residence information sheets state that family members are included in the original application, not at a later stage. Family members of a digital nomad visa holder receive a permit for the same period. Children of compulsory school age may enrol in a public school, and school certificates from Israel need authentication and translation. A spouse arriving through family reunification may usually work, even when the main applicant holds an elective residence visa that prohibits work. Before relying on this, check the type of permit that will be issued to the spouse.

12What is important to remember about the Israeli side?

Moving to Italy does not automatically end Israeli residency for tax purposes. Israel examines the centre of life, and the day-count presumptions in the Israeli Income Tax Ordinance continue to apply. Israel and Italy have a treaty for the avoidance of double taxation, with tie-breaker tests for someone treated as resident in both countries. Alongside tax planning, before travelling deal with a power of attorney for managing assets in Israel, custody arrangements and both parents' consent to relocating children, and the question of what happens to bank accounts, pension funds and income-producing assets. The reporting obligations in Israel on assets and income abroad are gathered in the guide to the Israeli side. If you expect to let an apartment in Italy, see also the guide to letting property in Italy.

13What common mistakes should you avoid?

• Entering as a tourist in the hope of regularising status on the spot: most routes require a national visa from the mission in Israel before entry.
• Relying on buying an apartment as a route to a visa: in Italy real estate is not a qualifying investment route.
• Elective residence with work: the visa prohibits work, and someone who works remotely needs a different route.
• Applying late for a residence permit: the first 8 working days are critical.
• Registering with the municipality without tax planning: registration creates a presumption of tax residency, and a special tax regime may be closed to you if you do not plan ahead.
• Documents without an apostille or translation: a common cause of delay at the mission and the Questura.

This guide is general information correct as of November 2026, and every case requires individual review with the Italian mission and advisers in both countries.

More on relocating to Italy: Tax residency in Italy · Ending Israeli tax residency · Moving abroad with an Israeli company or business · The family legal checklist

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