Profile

Italia Startup Visa (ISV)

Route status

Active as of 2026-08-04[1][6]

Open to new applications under the rules recorded below.

Residency route facts

Identity

Identity
Official name (local)Italia Startup Visa – visto per lavoro autonomo start-up as of 2026-08-04[5][6]
Official name (English)Italia Startup Visa (ISV) as of 2026-08-04[1][6]
Legal basisDL 179/2012 art. 25 (conv. L. 221/2012, innovative start-ups); D.Lgs. 286/1998 art. 26 (self-employment); DPR 394/1999 art. 39; DM 850/2011; MISE/MIMIT ISV Guidelines as of 2026-08-04[1][5]

Who can apply

Who can apply
Nationals not served by this routeEU as of 2026-08-04[5][7]
Self-employment entry route for non-EU nationals (art. 26 TU: 'lavoratori stranieri non appartenenti all'Unione europea').

Permit terms

Permit terms
Initial duration1 year as of 2026-08-04[5][6]
RenewableYes as of 2026-08-04[5][6]
Renewal duration2 years as of 2026-08-04[5][6]
Renewal for up to 2 years conditional on the innovative start-up having been established and registered in the special section of the Business Register, and adequate income.
Work rightsNot established from a qualifying source

Permanent residence and citizenship

Permanent residence and citizenship
Counts toward permanent residenceYes as of 2026-08-04[10][11]
Time on a self-employment permit counts toward the 5 years for the EU long-term residence permit under general art. 9 rules.

Requirements

Requirements
Minimum capitalEUR 50,000 as of 2026-08-04[1][5]
Financial availability of no less than EUR 50,000 to be invested in the start-up; applies to the whole team when applying as a team; Committee may require more.
Business plan requiredYes as of 2026-08-04[5]
Endorsement requiredYes as of 2026-08-04[5][6]
Nulla Osta ISV from the Italia Startup Visa technical committee (MIMIT); alternative certified-incubator route (Italia Startup Hub for in-country conversion).
Innovation criterionYes as of 2026-08-04[1][5]
Company must meet the 'start-up innovativa' definition of art. 25 DL 179/2012 (age < 5 years, turnover < EUR 5m, innovation indicators: 15% R&D spend, 1/3 PhD staff, or patents/registered software).
Own means requirementEUR 8,400 as of 2026-08-04[1][7]
Per year, separate from the EUR 50,000: personal income above the statutory minimum for exemption from healthcare cost-sharing (art. 26(3) TU); EUR 8,400 figure as stated by the Consulate General in Chicago.

Process

Process
Where to apply fromfrom abroad only as of 2026-08-04[5][6]
Nulla Osta ISV requested from the committee (online, free); visa collected at the consulate within 3 months of Nulla Osta issue.
Statutory processing time30 days as of 2026-08-04[5][6]
ISV Committee issues the Nulla Osta within 30 days of application.
Quota
  • Quota exists: Yes as of 2026-08-04[2][5]
    Subject to the annual decreto flussi self-employment quota; innovative-startup founders are category (e) of the reserved self-employment categories in DPCM 2 Oct 2025.
  • Annual cap: 650 as of 2025-10-15[2][4]
    650 lavoro autonomo entries per year for 2026, 2027 and 2028, shared across all self-employment categories; 500 units/year reserved for the listed categories including startup founders (DPCM art. 6).
  • Exempt from the general quota: No as of 2026-08-04[2][5]
  • Sub-caps:
      • Label: lavoro autonomo (self-employment) overall
      • Annual cap: 650
      • Year: 2,026
      • Label: lavoro autonomo (self-employment) overall
      • Annual cap: 650
      • Year: 2,027
      • Label: lavoro autonomo (self-employment) overall
      • Annual cap: 650
      • Year: 2,028
      • Label: reserved – categories (a)-(e) incl. startup founders
      • Annual cap: 500
      • Year: 2,026
      • Label: reserved – categories (a)-(e) incl. startup founders
      • Annual cap: 500
      • Year: 2,027
      • Label: reserved – categories (a)-(e) incl. startup founders
      • Annual cap: 500
      • Year: 2,028

Physical presence

Physical presence
maximum consecutive absence6 months · to keep the permit as of 2026-08-04[3]
General rule, DPR 394/1999 art. 13(4): permit not renewed after a continuous absence of over 6 months (over half the validity for permits of 2+ years), save for military obligations or other serious proven reasons.

Family inclusion

Family inclusion
Family members may be includedYes as of 2026-08-04[8][9]
Family unity right for holders of self-employment permits of at least 1 year (TU art. 28(1)).
Eligible relationsspouse, minor child, adult dependent child, parent as of 2026-08-04[8][9]
Art. 29 categories with their conditions; since the 2024 flussi decree, reunification with spouse/adult children/parents requires 2 years of uninterrupted prior legal residence of the sponsor (art. 28(1-bis)) – entry 'al seguito' rules differ.
Family may apply at the same timeNot established from a qualifying source
Whether family can enter 'al seguito' at first entry on this route was not verified; standard reunification requires the sponsor to be resident already (and 2 years for some categories, art. 28(1-bis)).
Family members' work rightsNot established from a qualifying source
Additional means per family member
    • Relation: spouse
    • Amount: 0.50 × social allowance (annualised total) per year as of 2026-08-04[9]
      Art. 29(3)(b): annual income of 1x annual assegno sociale plus 0.5x per family member (multiplier against the annual amount, 13 monthly instalments).
    • Relation: minor child
    • Amount: 0.50 × social allowance (annualised total) per year as of 2026-08-04[9]
      Art. 29(3)(b): annual income of 1x annual assegno sociale plus 0.5x per family member (multiplier against the annual amount, 13 monthly instalments).
    • Relation: adult dependent child
    • Amount: 0.50 × social allowance (annualised total) per year as of 2026-08-04[9]
      Art. 29(3)(b): annual income of 1x annual assegno sociale plus 0.5x per family member (multiplier against the annual amount, 13 monthly instalments).
    • Relation: parent
    • Amount: 0.50 × social allowance (annualised total) per year as of 2026-08-04[9]
      Art. 29(3)(b): annual income of 1x annual assegno sociale plus 0.5x per family member (multiplier against the annual amount, 13 monthly instalments).

Your next step

Read the requirements above considering your own situation: the income multiple, the absence limits, who you can bring. Check the country record for the reference figure those amounts are calculated from, and for anything that has changed recently.

The next step is your own case. That assessment is legal work. Create profile for our assistance in this.

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Verification

Verification
Sources cited11
of which official (tier 1)11
Oldest as-of date2025-10-15
Newest as-of date2026-08-04
Reviewed on2026-08-11
Schema version1.1

Sources

  1. [1] Italia Start-up Visa (National/long term visa)
    Consulate General of Italy in Chicago (MAECI) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy
  2. [2] DPCM 2 ottobre 2025 – Programmazione dei flussi d'ingresso 2026-2028 (GU Serie Generale n. 240, 15-10-2025)
    Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri (PDF hosted by Ministero dell'Interno) · gazette · Tier 1 · Published 2025-10-15 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy
  3. [3] DPR 394/1999, art. 13 – Rinnovo del permesso di soggiorno (consolidated, in force)
    Normattiva (Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy
  4. [4] DPCM 2 ottobre 2025 programmazione dei flussi d'ingresso 2026-2028
    Prefettura di Macerata – Ministero dell'Interno · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2025-10-21 · Accessed 2026-08-04
  5. [5] Italia Startup Visa – Guidelines (20 Mar 2018)
    Ministry of Economic Development (MISE, now MIMIT) · official guidance · Tier 1 · Published 2018-03-20 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy
  6. [6] Italia Startup Visa – official portal
    Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy
  7. [7] D.Lgs. 286/1998, art. 26 – Ingresso e soggiorno per lavoro autonomo (consolidated, in force)
    Normattiva (Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy
  8. [8] D.Lgs. 286/1998, art. 28 – Diritto all'unita familiare (consolidated, in force)
    Normattiva (Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy
  9. [9] D.Lgs. 286/1998, art. 29 – Ricongiungimento familiare (consolidated, in force)
    Normattiva (Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy
  10. [10] D.Lgs. 286/1998, art. 9 – Permesso di soggiorno UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo (consolidated, in force)
    Normattiva (Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy
  11. [11] EU long-term residence permit
    Welcome Office Friuli Venezia Giulia (Regione Autonoma FVG) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy

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