Elective Residence Visa (ERV) Explained in One Slide

Mar 26, 2025

Elective Residence Visa in Italy

The elective residence visa is targeted at wealthy persons (especially those who are retired and/or of Italian origin) who wish to reside permanently in Italy and who can demonstrate a stable and ample pension income and high financial resources.

1. An individual applies for the elective residency visa with the intention of establishing a permanent home in Italy.
2. Individuals who receive an elective residency visa cannot work for a domestic employer or rely on a salary; they must be able to sustain themselves from their existing financial assets, such as annuities, stocks, pensions, bonds, and so forth
3. most Consulates require the applicant to prove a passive income 2–3 times the minimum set forth by the law
4. can be applied also for the spouse, if financial resources are considered sufficient
5. Consulates also request the applicant to submit the last tax returns, they expect the passive income to be clearly listed in the returns;
6. if they see that the applicant has also in income deriving from work, they tend to deny the visa because they consider that the applicant will not stop working while in Italy;
7. if the applicant does not own a property in Italy, it must execute and submit a minimum 1 year lease agreement (to e stamped by the tax office) and it is increasingly difficult to find landlords willing to lease a property with such conditions. It is also likely that the applicant will need to pay the rent for several months before being sure to obtain the visa;
8. in most Consulates it is very difficult to book an appointment for filing the visa application and when available appointments can be given after some months. To book an appointment, aplicant must register with the online portal and choose the Consulate that has jurisdiction on its domicile;
9. the processing time for the visa is by law up to 90 days (and the Consulate will keep the passport) and if the Consulates request more documents the time can be extended. Consulates recommends that applicants do not purchase airplane tickets until they have received their visas. Processing time cannot be accelerated.
10. Its issuance is discretionary on each Consulate and the outcome of the application has become extremely unpredictable.

The elective residence visa is regulated by Decree 850/2011, Exhibit A, point 13:

13. Visto per “residenza elettiva” (V.N.)

Il visto per residenza elettiva consente l’ingresso in Italia, ai fini del soggiorno, allo straniero che intenda stabilirsi nel nostro Paese e sia in grado di mantenersi autonomamente, senza esercitare alcuna attività lavorativa. A tal fine, lo straniero dovrà fornire adeguate e documentate garanzie circa la disponibilità di un’abitazione da eleggere a residenza, e di ampie risorse economiche autonome, stabili e regolari, di cui si possa ragionevolmente supporre la continuità nel futuro. Tali risorse, comunque non inferiori al triplo dell’importo annuo previsto dalla tabella A allegata alla direttiva del Ministro dell’interno del 1 marzo 2000, recante definizione dei mezzi di sussistenza per l’ingresso ed il soggiorno degli stranieri nel territorio dello Stato, dovranno provenire dalla titolarità di cospicue rendite (pensioni, vitalizi), dal possesso di proprietà immobiliari, dalla titolarità di stabili attività economico commerciali o da altre fonti diverse dal lavoro subordinato. Anche al coniuge convivente, ai figli minori ed ai figli maggiorenni conviventi ed a carico, potrà essere rilasciato analogo visto, a condizione che le suddette capacità finanziarie siano giudicate adeguate anche per quest’ultimi.

Can the applicant obtain the Italian permit of stay directly in Italy without having a visa?

The general rule requires the applicant to obtain a visa by the Italian Consulate when applying for the permit of stay. However, the Italian administrative court of the Marche region (2021) and the administrative court of Lombardy (2019) have ruled that the possession of an elective residence visa (ERV) is not a strict requirement for applying for the elective residence permit (permesso di soggiorno), if all other requirements are met (availability of a house in Italy, possession of a pension and constant and considerable monthly income). Therefore, according to the Court, the residence permit residenza elettiva can be issued in Italy also when the applicant has entered the country as a tourist and has not previously applied for the ERV at the Italian consulate in his/her country of residence.

ATTENTION: this Court decision is not a binding precedent and local Police offices can still deny the issuance of the permit. In this case (i) the applicant can first submit observations and attach a copy of the Court decision to support its application (ii) if denial is confirmed by the Police, the individual is entitled to file an appeal within 60 days (iii) filing an appeal does not automatically grant the applicant the right to stay in Italy unless the Court issues an interim order to the Police to grant a permit of stay (iv) the final ruling by the Court can take 2–3 years.

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• Is the Elective Residence Visa (ERV) the easiest visa option for those who want to move and live in Italy?
• Elective Residence Visa and taking Residency in Italy
• Italian Elective Residence Visa vs Investor Visa for Italy: Which is the best option for you?
• Residency registration in Italy: mandatory for those who obtain an Elective Residence Visa

Marco Mazzeschi

Attorney at law.
One of the leading corporate immigration lawyers in Italy. Admitted to the Milan Bar Association (1988) and to the Taipei Bar Association (2016), a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and an accredited partner of Invest in Tuscany.

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