Italy — Work (Digital nomad / remote worker)

Main requirements

Since April 2024 Italy has a digital nomad / remote worker visa for people doing 'highly qualified' work remotely with digital tools, either self-employed or employed by a company; it is outside the quotas and needs no nulla osta. Highly qualified means a university degree or, as for the Blue Card, at least 5 years' professional experience (3 for ICT), and you also need at least 6 months' experience in the field. Income must be at least three times the minimum for exemption from health-care charges: the Labour Ministry's Integrazione Migranti FAQ (2024) puts this at about EUR 24,789 a year and the Italian consulate's notice at EUR 28,000, so plan for EUR 28,000, shown with tax or bank documents. Remote employees need an employment or collaboration contract or binding offer, and the employer or client must declare it has no immigration-related convictions.

Documents

Proof of professional qualification (certified copy, legalised, with Italian translation); employment/collaboration contract; income documents; health insurance valid in Italy for the whole stay; proof of accommodation; passport; D visa form and photos. Iran is not in the Apostille Convention, so legalisation by Justice, Foreign Affairs and the Italian embassy replaces the apostille.

Language

No language certificate is listed in the consular notice.

Costs and proof of funds

The key requirement is EUR 28,000/year income. Costs: translations/legalisation, EUR 116 visa plus VisaMetric fee, insurance, permit, flight, rent deposit and living. Before applying, make sure your bank records show the income in a traceable way.

Steps and timeline

1) Gather income and qualification documents; 2) translate and legalise; 3) insurance and housing; 4) VisaMetric appointment and submission; 5) apply for the permit after arrival. Per the Labour Ministry FAQ the permit lasts one year and is renewable yearly while conditions are met.

Notes for Iranian applicants

You get the national D work visa from the Italian Embassy in Tehran via VisaMetric. Booking is free but a 50 million rial (about EUR 25) deposit is taken and refunded at submission; slots follow registration order and each visa type's checklist is on the site. The national visa fee is EUR 116 plus the VisaMetric fee. The embassy was closed from February to June 2026 and resumed all consular services on 8 July 2026; during the closure Iranians could apply at any reachable Italian embassy where they could stay legally. The embassy stresses that no intermediary has special channels; only the consular and VisaMetric fees are allowed. Iranian documents (degrees, work records, shenasnameh) usually need official translation and legalisation by Justice and Foreign Affairs, since Iran is not in the Apostille Convention.

As of October 2026 neither the Tehran embassy's visa page nor VisaMetric's checklists list a digital-nomad visa; ask the embassy ([email protected]) how to apply before you pay for anything.

Men: without a completed-service card or exemption you cannot leave Iran for work; per Iranian secondary sources, the bonded exit permit is only for master's/PhD study.

After arrival (work during studies, post-study stay, path to permanent residence)

The EU long-term residence permit needs 5 years of legal residence, income at least equal to the assegno sociale, suitable housing and an Italian language test pass.