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Guide · Immigration

How do I get a visa to retire in Italy?

The route depends on your passport — the sequence does not.

If you are a US, UK, or Canadian citizen, you can visit Italy without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180. Retiring there means a long-stay route, and the right one depends on where your income comes from. This is the decision vocabulary you need, in the order the steps actually happen.

If you are American: the Elective Residence visa

The Elective Residence visa (ERV) is the standard route for US retirees. It is designed for people with stable passive income — pensions, investments, Social Security — who will not work in Italy. Consulates set their own income thresholds and document lists, so you apply through the Italian consulate that covers your state, and the bar is meaningfully higher for a couple than a single applicant.

The ERV is not the only route — some retirees qualify through ancestry (jure sanguinis citizenship) or family — but for most pension-driven moves it is the path, and “can I prove enough passive income?” is usually the make-or-break question.

If you are Canadian: the same ERV route

Canadians take the same Elective Residence route as Americans — there is no special bilateral shortcut. You apply through the Italian consulate covering your province (Toronto, Montreal, or Vancouver), with the same passive-income evidence and the same make-or-break question. The Canada-specific traps sit in the benefits you leave behind, not the visa itself — covered in the Canada guide.

If you are British: post-Brexit residency

Since Brexit there is no retiree-specific shortcut. UK nationals use the same Italian national routes as other non-EU citizens — which for most pensioners means an ERV-equivalent application — and then local registration. Two things trip people up:

• The 90/180 rule still applies until you hold Italian residence. You cannot “live” in Italy on visitor status.
• Registration is local. Visa and residency applications are handled through Italian consulates and local authorities (Comune/Questura) — not the British Embassy — which is why sequencing matters.

The sequence almost everyone follows

1. Codice fiscale — your Italian tax number. Needed for almost everything (bank account, lease, healthcare registration), and obtainable early through a consulate.
2. Long-stay visa — ERV or applicable route, at the consulate covering your area, with income evidence and documents.
3. Permesso di soggiorno — the residence permit you apply for after arrival, within days of entering, at the local Questura.
4. Comune registration — registering as a resident at your town hall, which unlocks healthcare registration and everyday life.

How to know if you qualify

Consulate income thresholds and document lists change, and they vary by consulate. Before you assemble paperwork, it is worth getting your situation checked against the current requirements — that is exactly what the Feasibility Review covers first.

Coming from the US? Our two-minute income check tests your passive income against the bar your consulate publishes — with the document list and the dated source.