The Golden Visa for Italy (formerly Investor Visa for Italy).
What is that? What benefits the Italian Golden Visa carries?
Italy allows foreign citizens acquire long-term residency by
offering investment opportunities. The investor visa in Italy, also
known as the Golden Visa, not only gives you resident status in
Italy. It is also your gateway to obtaining a long-term EU
residency with exclusive rights and free access to the Schengen
Zone.
For High Net Worth Individuals moving to Italy, this is a
risk-free, fast-track visa that comes with additional tax
benefits.
What is exactly the Golden Visa?
It is a two-year visa that non-EU citizens can acquire, who can
then become long-term residents and can later apply for Italian
citizenship. You can renew it for another 3 years. With the
Investor Visa for Italy, you (and your family members too) will be
entitled to have a right of residency (residence permit) in Italy,
thanks to an Investment you will do in Italy. You can choose
between four types of investments for qualifying for the Investor
Visa:
- € 250,000 in Italian StartUp;
- € 500,000 in Italian Company;
- € 1,000,000 Philathrophic donation;
- € 2,000,000 in Government Bonds;
What are the benefits on applying for the Investor Visa for
Italy?
There are many benefits connected with the Golden Visa. First of
all, the Italian Golden Visa will allow you to maintain your
residence status also if you don’t physically stay in Italy for
most the time. Generally speaking, all the other Visas require you
to stay, for at least 183 days/yearly basis, in Italy without
risking to lose your residency rights. Differently, with the
Investor Visa you won’t lose your status also if you will stay
abroad.
Also, your immigration process will be pretty straighforward, as
your Visa application is considered with
“high-priority”(so it’s processed before any other
Visa). The process itself is relatively fast, as it may take 30
days, from the application, to receive your approval. After 5 years
of residency, you can also apply for your EU Permanent Residence.
You can get Italian Citizenship by Investment after you spent 10
years as a legal resident in Italy. So, as long as you got your
Investor Visa in Italy, you have to wait 10 years. Then, you can
apply for Italian Dual Citizenship by naturalization.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general
guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought
about your specific circumstances.