Italy Retirement Visa 2026
Elective Residence Visa (ERV) — income requirement, rules & eligibility.
Income requirement
Italy's Elective Residence Visa (ERV) is a consular benchmark — the exact figure is not fixed in law (Consular benchmark of about €31,000/yr per applicant (Boston: more than €31,000; Washington: about €31,000; Vancouver: €31,000 after tax); DM 11 May 2011 Annex A §13 sets the floor at three times the annual Table A subsistence amount): consulates apply about €31,000/year (≈$3,002/month equivalent) in practice, so treat it as a working benchmark, not a legal minimum. Income must be passive (pensions, rent, dividends) — not remote employment. Consular benchmark — the exact figure is not a fixed statutory amount, though a decree formula may underlie it (source: Consolato Generale d'Italia — esteri.it (Elective Residency), checked 2026-09-06).
Key facts
- €31,000/year (≈$3,002/month equivalent) Elective Residence Visa (ERV) — single applicant
- Family uplift Uncertain — consulate-dependent; a July-2025 Rome court ruling found rigid per-person demands improper
- Passive income only pensions, rent, dividends — not remote employment
- Watch out The floor is a decree formula (DM 11 May 2011: three times the annual Table A subsistence amount) that consulates express as about €31,000 per applicant. Income from employed work is NOT counted, and you typically must secure Italian housing before applying.
Italy Elective Residence Visa (ERV): common questions
What is the income requirement for Italy's Elective Residence Visa (ERV) in 2026?
Italy's Elective Residence Visa (ERV) is a consular benchmark — the exact figure is not fixed in law (Consular benchmark of about €31,000/yr per applicant (Boston: more than €31,000; Washington: about €31,000; Vancouver: €31,000 after tax); DM 11 May 2011 Annex A §13 sets the floor at three times the annual Table A subsistence amount): consulates apply about €31,000/year (≈$3,002/month equivalent) in practice, so treat it as a working benchmark, not a legal minimum. Income must be passive (pensions, rent, dividends) — not remote employment. Consular benchmark — the exact figure is not a fixed statutory amount, though a decree formula may underlie it (source: Consolato Generale d'Italia — esteri.it (Elective Residency), checked 2026-09-06).
How does the Italy Elective Residence Visa (ERV) requirement change for a couple or family?
Uncertain — consulate-dependent; a July-2025 Rome court ruling found rigid per-person demands improper Verify the current uplift with the consulate before applying.
Is the Italy Elective Residence Visa (ERV) income allowed to be from remote work?
No. The Elective Residence Visa (ERV) requires passive income — pensions, rental income, dividends or annuities — not salary from remote employment. The floor is a decree formula (DM 11 May 2011: three times the annual Table A subsistence amount) that consulates express as about €31,000 per applicant. Income from employed work is NOT counted, and you typically must secure Italian housing before applying.
Is Italy's Elective Residence Visa (ERV) income figure a legal minimum?
Consular benchmark — the exact figure is not a fixed statutory amount, though a decree formula may underlie it (source: Consolato Generale d'Italia — esteri.it (Elective Residency), checked 2026-09-06). Requirements change — often yearly as minimum-wage or index figures re-float — so re-verify before any decision.
Part of the WhereNext Retirement & Passive-Income Visa Requirements 2026 open dataset (CC BY 4.0), generated 2026-06-25. Figures are primary-sourced and dated; they change yearly — re-verify before any decision.
The nearest income bars in this dataset
Italy sits toward the edge of the range (≈$3,002/month), so the closest rows are still some distance away — above and below. USD figures are normalised monthly equivalents at current FX; each country's own currency and basis is the binding figure, on its page.
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