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Digital nomad and remote worker visa

In the Official Gazette of April 4, 2024, the Interministerial Decree of February 29, 2024, was published, establishing the procedures and requirements for the entry into Italy of “digital nomads” and “remote workers” as referred to in Article 27, paragraph 1, letter q-bis, and paragraph sexies.1 of Legislative Decree No. 286 of 1998 (Dlgs 286/98).

Definition

These are foreign nationals who are not members of the European Union and who intend to carry out a highly qualified activity in Italy, in accordance with the aforementioned article 27c, paragraph 1 of Legislative Decree 286/98:

  • the “digital nomad” is a foreigner who will be self-employed by using technological tools that allow her/him to work remotely. In such cases, a Self-Employment/Digital Nomad Visa will be issued if the requirements listed below are met;
  • the “remote worker” is the foreigner who, through the use of technological tools that allow her/him to work at a distance, carries out subordinate work or collaborative activities in accordance with the modalities set out in Article 2, paragraph 1 of Legislative Decree no. 81 of 15 June 2015; the employer or client may have its registered office in Italy or abroad. In such cases, an Employed/Remote Worker Visa will be issued if the following conditions are met.

Requirements and conditions for issuing both types of visas

These visas may be valid for up to 365 days: the holder must also apply for a regular residence permit at the Italian Questura (Police Headquarters) of the Province in which s/he is staying, within eight working days of entering Italian territory. In the case of the entry of a “digital nomad”, the provisional nulla osta of the Questura is not required in accordance with Article 40, par. 5 of Presidential Decree no. 394 of 31 August 1998. In the case of the entry of a “remote worker” the work permit of the Sportello Unico per l’Immigrazione (Immigration Office – SUI) is not required.

When submitting their visa application, both “digital nomads” and “remote workers” must provide evidence that they:

  1. are highly qualified workers as defined by Article 27c par. 1 of Legislative Decree 286/98;
  2. have a minimum annual income from lawful sources not less than three times the minimum amount (€ 8,500) required for exemption from contribution to health care costs;
  3. have a medical and hospitalisation insurance valid for the national territory and for the period of stay;
  4. have a suitable accommodation for the duration specified by the visa, either through a rental contract registered with the Revenue Agency or a property ownership document;
  5. have at least six months’ experience of working as a digital nomad or remote worker.

 

It is also necessary to submit:

– passport valid for at least 3 months beyond the last day of the applicant’s stay abroad + copy of the passport itself;

  • national visa D form;
  • two recent photographs conforming to ICAO standards: 35 x 40 mm, full face, front view, in colour.

For the purpose of demonstrating the requirement under (a) ‘highly qualified worker’, the applicant must alternatively provide evidence of:

  1. possession of a tertiary education qualification (issued by a competent university in the country where it was obtained) attesting to the completion of a higher education course of at least three years’ duration, or a post-secondary professional qualification of at least three years’ duration, or corresponding to at least level 6 of the National Qualifications Framework, as referred to in the Decree of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of 8 January 2018 on the “Establishment of the National Qualifications Framework issued under the National System for the Certification of Competences referred to in Legislative Decree 16 January 2013, no. 13”, published in Official Gazette no. 20 of 25 January 2018;
  2. possession of the requirements set out in Legislative Decree no. 20 of 6 November 2007, concerning the exercise of regulated professions. Possession of these requirements must be certified by one of the Italian authorities listed in Article 5 of Legislative Decree no. 206 of 6 November 2007 (for the list of regulated professions and competent authorities see impresainungiorno.gov.it) prior to applying for a visa. For the purposes of the visa, the applicant must therefore produce a copy of the above certificate;
  3. possession of a higher professional qualification attested by at least five years’ professional experience at a level comparable to that of a tertiary education qualification and relevant to the profession or sector specified in the work contract or binding offer. To prove that this requirement is met, the applicant must submit the following documents issued by the public authorities in the country in which the experience was acquired (e.g. Chamber of Commerce, municipality, competent public authority, social security body, etc.):
  • identification of the company and the specific sector in which it operates or has operated;
  • position of the person concerned within the enterprise (owner, partner, employee);
  • copy of the contract of employment and/or copies of pay slips relating to the period of employment (at least two for each year declared);
  • certificate from the employer describing the experience acquired in the company and indicating the starting and ending dates;
  1. possession of a higher level of professional qualification attested by at least three years’ relevant professional experience acquired during the seven years preceding the date of application, if the applicant is a manager or a specialist in the field of information and communication technologies, as defined by ISCO-08 nos 133 and 25.

The documents referred to in points 1), 2) and 3), issued by authorities/bodies outside the EU must be submitted in the form of a certified copy (or a true copy of the original), legalised by the competent Italian embassies or apostilled by the competent authorities, together with a translation into Italian. For translation and legalisation of documents issued by Kosovo authorities, see this page.

Only “remote workers” must also submit

  1. the employment or collaboration contract or the binding offer to carry out an activity that requires the fulfilment of one of the conditions set out in Article 27 – quater, paragraph 1, of Legislative Decree 286/98;
  2. a declaration signed by the employer, accompanied by a copy of a valid identity document, certifying that there have been no convictions against her/him in the last five years.