Working from abroad · November 2026
Working remotely from Italy: the visa, tax and time zones
Yes, if your work is highly skilled. Italy's digital nomad and remote worker visa is for people who are not EU citizens and want to work remotely while living in Italy: digital nomads are freelancers, remote workers are employees. It asks for an income of at least three times the level that exempts a person from healthcare charges, about 25,000 euros a year on the consulates' checklists, and for employees a gross salary of at least 33,000 euros. The residence permit lasts one year and can be renewed.
Every visa and tax fact here was read on the official page linked under it on 11 November 2026. It is a summary, not legal or tax advice: rules and amounts change, and the consulate or the tax office decides your case. It does not cover social security or what your employer has to do in the country.
At a glance
| Permit | Digital nomad / remote worker visa, then a residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) |
|---|---|
| Who it is for | People who are not EU citizens, in highly skilled work: careers that need a post-secondary degree or at least three years of professional training or experience |
| Income asked | At least three times the level that exempts from healthcare charges: 24,789 euros a year (New York consulate, 2024) or 8,500 euros times three (Perth consulate, July 2026). Employees: a gross salary of at least 33,000 euros a year |
| Also asked | Six months of earlier remote work, and health insurance with at least 30,000 euros of cover |
| How long | The residence permit is issued for one year and renewed in Italy |
| Tax resident | With residence, domicile or physical presence in Italy for most of the year (183 days) |
| The clock | 6 hours ahead of New York, 1 ahead of London |
The visa
Italy's digital nomad and remote worker visa is for people who are not EU citizens and intend to work remotely while living in Italy. It has two categories: digital nomads, who are freelancers, consultants or other independent specialists, and remote workers, who are employees of a company and can do their work completely remotely.
It is open only to highly specialised workers: careers that require a post-secondary degree or at least three years of professional training or experience (article 27-quater of Legislative Decree 286 of 1998).
The income asked is at least three times the minimum level that exempts a person from healthcare charges in Italy, and it must come from the work you will do in Italy: pensions, rents and investment income do not count. The consulates state the figure differently. New York's page, written in 2024, says no less than 24,789 euros a year; Perth's checklist, revised on 31 July 2026, says 8,500 euros times three, which is 25,500 euros. For employees, the Washington embassy's 2026 checklist and Perth's both ask for a gross salary of at least 33,000 euros a year.
Perth's checklist also asks for at least six months of earlier experience as a digital nomad or remote worker. Both it and New York ask for health insurance with at least 30,000 euros of cover.
Within eight working days of arriving you apply at the local Questura (police headquarters) for a residence permit. New York's page says the permit is issued for one year and can be renewed there as long as you keep your work, your lodging and your health insurance.
Sources: Consulate General of Italy in New York: Digital nomad / remote worker visa, Embassy of Italy in Washington: 2026 checklist (PDF), Consulate of Italy in Perth: checklist revised 31 July 2026 (PDF). Read on 11 November 2026.
Tax
The Revenue Agency treats a person as resident in Italy for income tax if, for most of the year (at least 183 days, 184 in a leap year), one of these is true: their habitual residence is in Italy; their domicile is in Italy, meaning the place where their personal and family relationships are mainly kept; they are physically present in Italy, counting fractions of days; or they are entered in the resident population register, unless they prove the entry does not match where they really live.
Source: Revenue Agency: Residence for tax purposes. Read on 11 November 2026.
The clock
Rome is 6 hours ahead of New York, 9 ahead of San Francisco and 1 ahead of London. A 9:00 to 17:00 day in New York is 15:00 to 23:00 in Rome; a San Francisco day runs from 18:00 to 02:00. For a few weeks in March and one week around the end of October the gap to the US is an hour smaller, because the clocks change on different dates.
Will the employer agree?
A visa lets you live in Italy. It does not make an employer hire there. Most remote ads name the countries they accept. In a sample of 3,076 open remote roles on RoleFinder on 5 November 2026, 59% named the US or Canada, 15% the UK or Europe and 14% another single country. Fewer than 1 in 100 said worldwide.
So read the ad's location line before you plan around a role, and ask the employer in writing. Italy asks employees for the contract and a signed declaration from the employer.
RoleFinder lists 2,639 open roles in Italy today, 365 of them remote. Those are jobs with employers that hire in Italy: a different route, which needs the right to work there rather than the visa above.
Open roles in Italy · All remote roles (51,691 today)
Questions
Does Italy have a digital nomad visa?
Yes: the digital nomad and remote worker visa, for people who are not EU citizens and whose work is highly skilled. Freelancers apply as digital nomads, employees as remote workers.
How much do I need to earn for Italy's digital nomad visa?
At least three times the level that exempts a person from healthcare charges. The consulates put it at 24,789 euros a year (New York, written in 2024) or 8,500 euros times three (Perth, July 2026). Employees also need a gross salary of at least 33,000 euros a year.
How long does Italy's digital nomad permit last?
The residence permit is issued for one year. You apply for it at the Questura within eight working days of arriving and can renew it in Italy while you keep your work, lodging and health insurance.
When do I become tax resident in Italy?
When, for most of the year (at least 183 days), your habitual residence or your domicile is in Italy, you are physically present there, or you are in the resident population register.
Other countries
- Working remotely from Japan (on Buy Houses Japan, a site by the same maker)
- Working remotely from Portugal
- Working remotely from Spain
- Working remotely from Thailand
- All the guides side by side
Find the remote roles that fit your CV.
Add your CV once. RoleFinder checks every new listing against it and keeps a short, ranked list of the ones that fit, remote ones included.