How to Get Italy Citizenship After Golden Visa

With an Italian passport, you can visit 190 destinations visa-free and freely travel through the EU and the Schengen Area. As a citizen of the EU, you and your family will be protected by its regulations.

Life in Italy is comfortable and safe, with a low crime rate, excellent education and healthcare, robust career opportunities, and rich culture.

Italy allows dual citizenship, so you don’t have to give up your first passport if you don’t have to. The country offers several ways to obtain citizenship by investment, including business fields and donation.

The Italy Golden Visa program offers non-EU citizens residency permits in exchange for investments, encouraging foreign direct investment into the country’s economy while providing investors with tax incentives and access to Italy’s beautiful landscapes and cuisine.

Key Benefits of the Italy Golden Visa Program

• Tax incentives: benefit from a favourable tax regime designed for high-net-worth individuals.

• Lifestyle perks: enjoy world-class food, wine, art, and culture that make Italy one of Europe’s most sought-after destinations.

• Schengen Area access: a residence permit allows visa-free travel within the Schengen Zone.

• Educational opportunities: access top-quality education institutions for yourself or your family members at reduced costs compared to other countries.

• Backup plan: investors and their family members can enter the country at any time, even when the country borders are closed, and can spend as much time as wanted in Italy.

Compared to other European golden visa programs, Italy boasts a faster application process with an average processing time of 3—6 months from submission until approval. It is significantly shorter than similar schemes in Portugal or Spain.

Although it is not possible to get Italian citizenship through investment directly, the country does offer a route through the Golden Visa by Investment program.

Applicants choose from 4 investment options:

• €250,000 — for investing in an innovative start-up;

• €500,000 — for equity financing to an Italian limited company;

• €1,000,000 — as a philanthropic donation;

• €2,000,000 — for a purchase of government bonds.

The investor confirms the legality of receiving funds for the investment contribution and undergoes Due Diligence.

A residence permit under the Italy Golden Visa program is issued for two years. It can then be extended for another three years provided that the investment is maintained. Investors are not required to live in Italy if they do not want to obtain citizenship.

Investors receive citizenship by naturalisation under general conditions. After five years of permanent residence, the investor receives permanent residence and after ten years, citizenship.

Get ready to live la dolce vita with the Italy Golden Visa program, which not only lets you reside in one of Europe’s most beautiful countries but also allows you to include your family members.

Start your application process by gathering your passport, proof of investment made under the Golden Visa program, health insurance coverage valid in Italy, and proof of accommodation, and then submit your application at a designated police station or immigration office within eight days of arriving in Italy.

Including family members:

• eligible family members: spouses (married or common-law), dependent children under 18 years old (or older if financially dependent), parents over 65 years old who are financially dependent on the investor;

• fees: adding family members to your residence permit application requires an additional fee of €25,000 per person;

• application process: to include family members under this scheme, provide their personal information along with supporting documentation such as birth certificates or marriage licences, and proof of financial dependency if applicable.

By including family members in your Italy Golden Visa application, you can establish a new life together in Europe while enjoying the benefits of Italian residency.

• Easier application process: EU citizens have a smoother and faster application process due to fewer bureaucratic hurdles.

• Favourable tax regime: the Italian government offers special tax incentives for new residents coming from other countries, including reduced income taxes on foreign-sourced income and exemption from wealth taxes on assets held outside Italy.

• Simplified residence permit procedure: EU citizens can enjoy a more straightforward registration process with local authorities once they have settled in their new home country.

• Including family members: spouse, children under 18, financially dependent adult children and parents are allowed to participate in the Italy Golden Visa program.

A citizenship application form is filled out through the official government bodies in Italy, and submitted along with the documents:

1. Birth certificates, valid passports, and Italian residence permits of all applying family members. Should be submitted in both original form and in form of notarized and translated copies.

2. Photographs in passport format of all applicants.

3. No criminal record certificate issued by the country of origin and any third countries where the applicants have ever resided after turning 14.

4. Italian language proficiency certificate proving the B1 CERF level or higher.

5. Ministry of the Interior fee receipt in the amount of €250.

Processing times for Italian citizenship applications take between three months to three years, depending on the queue and each individual case. If all the application conditions are met, the government employees set a date for the original document transfer.

To obtain Italian citizenship, you need to live in the country for ten years. Some countries give investors the opportunity to obtain a residence permit, permanent residence and citizenship faster.

With these statuses, you can live, study and work in the chosen country, enjoying the right of visa-free travel worldwide. Moreover, their conditions are often better than in Italy: for example, in Portugal, investors receive citizenship after five years of resident status.

Malta citizenship by naturalisation for exceptional services by direct investment allows becoming naturalised after 1 or 3 years as a resident. Investors can include their spouses or registered partners, as well as principally dependent family members: unmarried children under 29, as well as parents and grandparents over 55. All applicants undergo a strict four-tier Eligibility Test.

Want to become an Italian citizen after obtaining a golden visa? Consider investing €250,000 in local startups or €2 million in government bonds for permanent residence.

Include your family members in the application process and obtain a no impediment certificate and residence permit.

Non-EU applicants may face limitations, but the Italy Golden Visa program offers quicker application processes than other European programs.