Residency in Italy without investment: Elective Residency Visa and eligibility conditions

Not every family wishing to move to Italy is prepared to commit a large amount of capital. For those with a stable income source who no longer need to work, residency in Italy without investment is a route worth considering: Italy offers a visa category specifically for individuals who can cover their own living expenses without entering the labour market.

This is not a residency by investment programme. There is no capital contribution, nor are there projects to choose from. The requirements lie elsewhere: proving passive income and accommodation.

Which visa category Italian residency without investment is based on

This visa category is known in Italian as visto per residenza elettiva — Elective Residence Visa. The target audience is foreign nationals who wish to reside long term in Italy and are able to support themselves through income not derived from employment.

The list of requirements and documents is published by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on its official visa portal. You can look it up directly on the visa portal of the Ministero degli Affari Esteri, select Vietnamese nationality and elective residence as the purpose of stay to view the requirements applicable to applications submitted from Vietnam.

Core requirements: passive income and accommodation

Two categories of requirements that determine the application:

• A stable, regular income stream not derived from employment. Common forms in the applications we handle include pensions, real estate rental income, dividends, and returns on financial assets — the eligible categories and proof requirements are specified by the Italian consular authority, with which you must cross-check. The common factor is stability and predictability, rather than net worth at a single point in time.
• Accommodation in Italy. The application must demonstrate specific residence through a long-term lease contract or ownership documents.

The minimum income threshold is set by Italian regulations and applied by the consular authorities; as this amount is adjusted periodically, we do not state a fixed figure here. You can obtain the applicable threshold from the official visa portal or from the Italian Consulate handling your file.

Key points to understand before choosing this route

Employment is not permitted. According to the description of this visa category on the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa portal, elective residence visa applicants do not enter the labour market in Italy. Anyone planning to work or set up a business should consider another category.

The visa and the residence permit are two separate steps. According to instructions from the Polizia di Stato, after entering the country, the applicant applies for a residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) within the timeframe set by the Italian authorities. Per the aforementioned guidance, the permit is renewed periodically and requirements are reassessed at each renewal.

This is a residence route, not a fast-track citizenship route. Converting to a long-term residence permit or applying for naturalisation later are separate procedures with their own requirements set by the Italian authorities. Families aiming for second citizenship in the medium term should compare this residence route alongside citizenship programmes to weigh timelines and obligations, rather than assuming it is a first step by default.

The procedure for applying for a residence permit after arrival is guided by the Italian side on the Polizia di Stato residence permit page.

Costs and timeline of Italian residency without investment

Unlike investment programmes, there is no capital contribution here. Costs fall into three categories: visa and residence permit fees set by the Italian authorities; accommodation costs in Italy, including deposits and long-term lease contracts; and file preparation costs in Vietnam — translation, notarisation, consular legalisation, and proof of income.

Fee amounts and processing timelines are published by the Italian authorities and subject to change over time. You can check the current rates on the official visa portal or enquire directly with the consulate handling your application. We do not quote figures here, nor do we predict processing times.

Quick comparison with residency by investment

For families who are undecided, the simplest way to differentiate is to ask where their resources lie. If they lie in a regular income stream and the goal is to live there, the elective residence visa is more suitable. If they lie in capital that can be committed to a recognised investment and the goal includes a pathway for the entire family, residency by investment programmes are the route to consider.

These two routes are not mutually exclusive in terms of long-term planning, but the submitted application must follow a clear pathway from the start.

Next steps

The first thing to do is not preparing documents, but checking whether your family’s current income structure meets the requirement of being “stable and not derived from employment”. Among the applications we receive, this is often the decisive step in determining whether to proceed.

Prosperous Living Investment provides advice and accompanies you through the eligibility assessment and file preparation process; approval outcomes fall under the sole authority of the Italian authorities, and we make no advance guarantees. We are also not a law firm and do not provide legal opinions on behalf of the competent Italian authorities.

You can submit your details via the consultation form so that we can review your income sources and residency goals together, and determine the appropriate route.

Related articles

• Italy residency by investment — the capital contribution route, allowing you to compare it alongside the elective residence route.