The Secret to Securing an Elective Residency Visa

As a European citizen, you can retire or live off your investment income in Bologna without seeking prior authorization. The Elective Residency Visa (Residenza Elettiva) is designed for non-EU citizens, primarily targeting British, American, and Australian nationals 🇬🇧 🇺🇸 🇦🇺 who wish to spend their retirement in the land of the Dolce Vita.

While this visa is accessible, building the application requires absolute rigor, and having on-the-ground assistance greatly maximizes your chances of success.

Passive incomes

The Italian consulate in your home country will verify that your income (a minimum of €31,000 per year) comes 100% from passive sources (pensions, investments, rental income). Italian consulates in the US and the UK systematically refuse this visa if any part of this amount comes from a salary, even from remote work.

Signed lease agreement officially registered

You must present either a signed lease agreement officially registered with the Agenzia delle Entrate (Italian Tax Agency) or a property deed in Bologna at the time of your consulate appointment.

On paper, it sounds simple. In (Italian) real life, things get complicated. To register a lease agreement online, a landlord absolutely needs the tenant's codice fiscale (Italian tax code). However, an Australian or American who hasn't arrived in Italy yet does not yet possess this crucial tax number.

To register the lease without a codice fiscale, you have to convince the landlord to use a specific paper form (the Modello 69). The catch with this form is that it cannot be submitted online. In other words, the landlords must physically go to the Agenzia delle Entrate offices... Suffice it to say, there is very little chance they will still want to rent you their apartment if you ask them to stand in line for 5 hours. This is exactly where having professional support can change everything and unlock your path to the Dolce Vita...

"Eric managed to convince the landlord to give him a power of attorney to go and register the contract on his behalf. This allowed us to present a signed and officially registered lease to the Italian Embassy in Melbourne. And the timing was absolutely perfect. Because the real challenge isn't just getting a registered lease, it's managing to get it before your consulate appointment," recalls Nicholas, who was able to land in Bologna with his wife after selling his business in Australia.