ACQUIRING CITIZENSHIP IN ITALY
Italy doesn’t have a specific residency by investment program, but it is possible to obtain residency permit by purchasing property or through investment.
The necessary amount of investment is not determined to obtain “investor visa” in Italy. However, Italian immigration laws provide self-employed applicants, including entrepreneurs that they may obtain Italian temporary residence permit, if the funds that are necessary for the planned activity are made available. The residence permit, or in Italian “Permesso di Soggiorno” in this case is also available for those applicants who don’t want to work in Italy, but they wish to live there and enjoy the lifestyle of the beautiful European country.
There are two types of visa in Italy, which are considered as applicable for investors, the elective residence visa and the self-employment visa.
Elective residence visa can be obtained by third country nationals (non-EU citizens) who has sufficient funds to stay and live in Italy without working. In this case sufficient funds can be for example annuities, pensions, ownership of real estate, ownership of business, etc. This visa can be granted initially for two years and can be renewed for the same duration. After five years, the resident can obtain the permanent residency permit. Family members can apply for the same visa to join the main applicant. The holder of the elective residence visa can carry out any type of business activity in Italy.
