Italy a destination that’s on the travel bucket list of many travelers. Home to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Alps, the Amalfi Coast, and the birthplace of pizza and gelato—Italy has a long list of iconic tourist attractions and cultural trademarks—all of which are worth visiting and experiencing for yourself.

Italy’s digital nomad visa was created with remote workers in mind and offers them the opportunity to live and work in Italy for up to one year. There is a short list of requirements that must be satisfied by hopeful applicants, but with reasonable criteria, we’re expecting huge numbers of successful applicants in 2023. From the minimum income requirements to the Italian quality of life—find out everything you need to know about the Italy digital nomad visa in our guide to remote working in the country. 

Editor's Note: The Italian digital nomad visa has not yet been launched, but we will update this Italian visa guide as soon as additional information becomes available. 

What is the Italy Digital Nomad Visa?

Pioneered by Estonia in 2020, digital nomad visas have been adopted by more than 35 different countries around the world, and it looks like Italy is stepping up to the plate next. The sharp rise in popularity of these visa schemes comes in no small part due to the global pandemic and the dramatic increase in the “work from home” lifestyle. Our global digital nomad guide showcases the complete list of all countries currently offering a digital nomad visa.

Remote employees, freelancers, and business owners realized that “home” could quite easily be replaced by “a cafe”, “by the pool”, and now “from Italy”. The Italian digital nomad visa follows in the footsteps of neighboring European countries Croatia, Hungary, Spain, and Portugal in offering nomad-specific working visas.

Why is the Italy Digital Nomad Visa Better Than a Tourist Visa?

The main benefit of the Italian digital nomad visa over the traditional tourism visa for Italy comes down to the length of time you can spend living in Italy. Italy lis part of the Schengen Area, a zone made of 26 different countries including Spain, France, Germany, etc. that are unified in their entry requirements. No visitor to the Schengen Zone is permitted to spend more than 90 days out of every 180 when their home of residence is not one of the member nations. 

For example, a British national hoping to visit Italy can only spend a maximum of 90 days in the country before they must leave the entire Schengen Area for an additional 90 days. The Italy digital nomad visa solves this issue, granting permissions for successful applicants to spend up to 12 months within the borders. 

Italy Digital Nomad Visa Requirements 

Applicants must meet small but specific criteria to be approved for an Italian digital nomad visa.

• Valid Passport: The applicant's passport must be valid for the entire visa duration.
• Nationality: All applicants must be either a non-EU or a non-EEA national to apply for the remote working visa. 
• €8,500 Minimum Annual Income: Applicants must prove a minimum annual gross income of at least €8,500 earned in the year prior to the visa application. 
• Health Insurance: Applicants must show proof of health insurance with coverage in Italy for at least the first 30 days following entry. 
• Clean Criminal Record: Applicants must be able to provide a certified clean criminal record check from their home country. 

How to Apply 

Italy's digital nomad visa has not yet launched and application details are unavailable at the time of writing. 

Why Choose Italy for Your Next Remote Working Trip?

From the jaw-dropping coastline to the world-famous food and everything in between—Italy is a must-visit for global remote workers. Looking at the numbers and using the 2021 Legatum Prosperity Index, an annual independent study utilizing more than 100 different indexes to evaluate more than 160 countries, Italy ranks between Latvia (30) and Israel (32) in 31st position. Not only do the cities and towns ooze romance, but they rank highly in the analytics, too. 

However, the cost of living is a downside to living as a digital nomad in Italy. Although the official cost of living is lower than that in the United States, this is the average value of life in the country. Those looking to live and work in areas that attract a lot of tourists—think of Rome, Venice, Milan, Lake Como, and Florence—may be in for a bit of shock when reviewing the cost of living. 

Italy is one of the most visited countries and all that foot traffic tends to drive up prices. For a better deal on living costs, it’s a good idea to look away from the major cities and towards the smaller, less frequented towns and villages. 

Remote Work Culture in Italy

Remote work is well-supported in Italy with many coworking spaces, but some cafes are more traditional may discourage bringing your laptop, so scope out a place before you decide to work there for the day. The internet connectivity and speeds in Italy are rated as good with an overall global ranking of 61 according to speedtest.net. A median fixed broadband download speed of 60.1 Mbps and upload speed of 19.3 Mbps is more than adequate for the majority of remote workers. Mobile speeds are also rated highly with a 53rd-place position boasting median download speeds of 39.3 Mbps and upload speeds of 9.3 Mbps.

Cost of Living and Quality of Life in Italy 

The cost of living and quality of life in Italy are the two of the most popular reasons that expats choose Italy over its European neighbors. The cost of living in Italy is approximately 13.8% lower than in the United States. Comparative rental prices are also dramatically decreased with equivalent Italian properties priced 55.8% lower than in the United States. This translates to an estimated cost of living for an individual digital nomad of $850 USD per month (without rent) or a total of $2980 USD per month (without rent) for a family of four. 

The quality of life in Italy is rated as moderate with an overall index score of 141.3 out of a possible maximum of 240 points. Italy performs well in healthcare, climate, and traffic commute time. All remaining indexes are rated as moderate—there are no poor performing criteria in the study used. 

Healthcare in Italy

Using the 2021 Legatum Prosperity Index, Italy is listed in the 17th position, between Germany (16) and Denmark (18) of the nations included in the study. The health pillar targets a range of indexes from risk factors and health systems to illness outcomes and mortality rates, crafting an overall view of the health service. 

All digital nomad visa applicants are required to provide evidence of health insurance covering the first 30 days of their stay during the application process. However, we recommend investing in health insurance to cover your entire stay in Italy.

Conclusion 

Although announced in 2022, the Italian digital nomad visa is still pending approval and no launch date has been announced. What we do know is that the Italy digital nomad visa will be open to non-EU or non-EEA nationals who earn a minimum of €8,500 per annum. Applicants must have valid health insurance for at least the first 30 days of their stay and must provide a clean criminal record check when applying. We are expecting the remaining visa details to be released in 2023 and will update the application process following this release of information.