European golden visas are very popular among non-EU investors. Many foreign investors are interested in the Italian investor visa for various reasons, such as access to a strategic pathway to the European Single Market, to live in a city full of history and art such as Florence, Rome, etc. However, we have been noticing that some misleading information is being shared on the internet regarding the Italian Investor Visa program.
Myth: I can get an Italian passport (Italian Citizenship) through investment
Fact: The Investor visa for Italy program grants a 2-year visa and a permit of stay to applicants who make significant investments in Italy (as indicated by Italian Law), and this entails the right to take residency in Italy and it does not directly entails the right to apply for the Italian Citizenship.
Italian Citizenship can be acquired also by residency. However, Italian citizenship can be applied only after 10 years of legal and uninterrupted residency in the country. This means that it doesn’t matter whether you make an investment or not, you just need to comply with all the requirements to be eligible for “Italian citizenship by Residency”.
Therefore, if you obtain an investor visa for Italy and you reside in Italy for 10 years and fulffilling the rest of the requrirements to apply for the Italian citizenship by residency, then, you can be considered elegible to apply for it. This means that you won’t be elegible to apply for the Italian citizenship thanks to your Italian Investor visa, but because you simply comply with the requirements for the Italian citizenship by residency.
For further information about Italian citizenship by residency, please visit: Italian Citizenship through Naturalization by Residency
Myth: There is a high chance that Italy will soon introduce the option of real estate purchase as one of the ways to obtain the Investor Visa
Fact: There are rumors that the Italian government is now discussing the introduction of investment by purchase of real estate as an additional option to the already existing paths (i.e.: purchase of at least 2 million euros in Italian government bonds, investment of at least 500K euros in a company based and operating in Italy (250K in case of a start-up), and donation of 1 million euros in a philanthropic project of public interest). These rumors do indeed create false expectations about Italian investor visa, if they were true, it will become more popular and accessible to a wider range of individuals. However, the truth is that it was just an amendment proposal made back in 2019, and it hasn’t been any further developments at a legislative level.
Myth: If I get an Investor Visa for Italy, I will have to spend a minimum amount of time in Italy.
Fact: The Investor Visa for Italy does not require you to spend a minimum amount of time in Italy. In addition, it does not require you to register as resident with the local municipality and take residency in Italy. You will be required to register with immigration police and apply for the permit of stay (permesso di soggiorno) but no further registrations are required.
This article is posted by Mazzeschi Web Content Manager. Should you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@mazzeschi.it. Follow us on social media @StudioMazzeschi to receive the latest updates.
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