Italian Digital Nomad Visa – What we know so far

For a while there have been rumors about an Italian Digital Nomad Visa. But to he honest, the news has always been a little shady. It looks like finally, the government is making moves to make this visa a reality. This means that finally rather than going through the long process of getting a Nulla Osta, remote workers might have an easier way to move to Italy temporarily. There is still a lot in the works and we don’t know all the details about a Digital Nomad Visa for Italy, but here is a bit of what we know so far.

How will the Italian Digital Nomad Visa work?

So far according to Sole24, the visa would offer a one-year permesso di soggiorno. But it is still unclear if it would be able to be renewed. So this could be a very temporary solution to coming to Italy. Remember as is now you can visit Italy for 3 months, every 6 months.

It looks like with the Digital Nomad Visa you would be able to skip the Nulla Osta and decreto flussi. This is usually required for the Work or Freelance Visa, where you must get permission from the Sportello Unico Immigrazione, or Immigration office. Often this is the toughest part of the visa situation.

To apply you’d need a minimum income TBD, then suitable housing, health insurance, and no criminal record.

Can I apply already?

While it has passed into law, it still has yet to be made available. It looks like they are still wrinkling out the edges of this whole process. You might have to wait a second to apply for the Digital Nomad Visa.

Who can apply for this visa?

It is open to non-EU residents who work for a company that is not registered in Italy. However, that doesn’t mean just anybody. The exact text of the law says those “who carry out highly qualified work activities through the use of technological tools that allow them to work remotely, autonomously or for a company that is not resident in the territory of the Italian state.”

Sole24 has mentioned health professionals, circus workers, and university professors. Though it is unclear how many of these professions might be able to have the freedom of a one year nomad visa.

How is this visa different than the Self-Employed Visa?

A question many of you have asked me already is, how will the Italian Digital Nomad Visa be different than the so-called freelance visa?

For one the Freelance visa requires you to get a Nulla Osta – or permission to work in Italy. Only 500 of these are granted, but most applications are unsuccessful. This particular visa is very difficult to get.

Under the freelance visa – you cannot work for one company in the US, and just claim you are freelance, you do need to prove you are a flexible, self-employed person. And you will have to pay all your taxes to Italy, rather than your home country.

It isn’t outright stated, but during the process of the application, I have heard from clients they often want to see you are working with some projects or clients relevant to Italy.

On the other hand, the Italian Digital Nomad Visa would skip the Nulla Osta – there wouldn’t be the limit of 500 and it, in theory, would be slightly easier to get in. Under this visa, you also would be allowed to work for one specific company, just remotely.

To give you an example:

If you work for a US company, but that has gone 100% remote, you could apply for the Digital Nomad Visa. This would give you one year to work from Italy. While keeping your US company benefits, salary and everything. Plus that company would still pay the tax for you as an employee.

If you happen to do 20 hours for one company but have 10 other private clients for something like website development, you’d need to get the Self-Employed visa.