Open a Business in Italy with an Entrepreneur Visa
Apply for Italy’s entrepreneurship visa as a non-EU national. Get the right immigration advice to open your business in Italy.
How can a lawyer help with Italy’s Entrepreneur’s Visa?
Our office of Immigration experts can help with all documentation. Depending on what you need, they can also advise on the appropriate residence permit for your case.
Our team of experienced legal professionals will review all your documentation and advise you on the appropriate residence permit for your situation. In addition, we can arrange for translated documents, certification services, or even help with an interview if necessary. Our support offered is English, French, Greek, Spanish, Portuguese or Italian.
There are already nine different Work Visas offered that can be granted. Each has its own requirements and situations, with more to come based on recent legislation by the Italian government.
Deciding on which one to apply could be a confusing process.
A Lexidy Immigration Lawyer is your best option to avoid useless effort and waste of time.
Our Attorneys will assess not only if you meet the requirements to be granted the Visa but also advise you on what could be a better manner to set up your activity. We work with all business entities, products or services and even small business owners.
Establishing yourself in Italy as a self-employed worker, a business owner or a company Director can become way more straightforward with the assistance of Lexidy and our qualified Attorneys.
We can also assist with helping you understand the requirements for business insurance, licenses and permits.
¨We will be with you each step of the journey.¨
What is an Entrepeneur's Visa?
This visa is a national type “D” visa for foreigners and ex-pats who wish to reside in Italy and open a business activity.
It is issued for those who wish to start a business, set up a company or hold a corporate position in a company. The business can be an innovative startup, industrial, professional, artisanal or other commercial activity. There are very few limitations on the business idea, type of business or the business structure.
Corporate positions include the following:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Sole Administrator
- Holder of Power of Attorney
- Curator
- Common Representative
- Shareholders with corporate positions
The applicant must demonstrate that he has sufficient wealth in Italy to sustain the business and that in the last year, they earned at least €6,050.
How to get an Entrepreneur’s Visa in Italy?
More than one type of visa allows entrepreneurs to open their businesses and stay in Italy.
The most common is the Autonomous Work Visa, which is granted to those who start a company or commercial activity in the country.
Here, you’ll have to request a “Nulla Osta” from the Chamber of Commerce. This document will allow you to show the financial viability of the business. You will need to display at least €19,000 in wealth to qualify.
You will also have to prove that you have accommodation in Italy and earned at least €6,050 in the previous year while in your country of residence.
The Italian authorities then have 120 days to evaluate your application. If approved, they will issue a six-month visa to allow you to enter Italy.
Within the first eight days of arriving in Italy, you must visit the local police station, or Questura, and request a “Permesso di Soggiorno” in the Police Station. This is a short process to declare that you are present in Italy and is valid for one year. A Permesso di Soggiorno is an Italian residence card.
When applying, you will need a passport that’s valid for at least three months beyond the period of the “Permesso di Soggiorno”. This would be one year and three months at a minimum.
How do I Renew the Entrepreneur’s Visa?
The first step is to renew the “Permesso di Soggiorno”. Then, you must show that you meet the wealth requirement, earning at least €6,050 and that the business is still active.
This residence permit can be converted to a work permit whenever the requirements are met. Of course, this depends on the work. However, mostly it’s being hired by a company and having a clean criminal record.
Process of getting an Entrepeneur's Visa
General Process
1. Gathering Documentation
For this step, you need to collect all the essential paperwork. This includes the “Nulla Osta” from the chamber of commerce and the “Nulla Osta Provvisoria” from the local police station. You will also need proof of accommodation in Italy and evidence of available resources in Italy, among others.
All the documents that are not initially in Italian must be translated into Italian by a sworn translator.
Lexidy lawyers can act on your behalf to request the necessary authorisations from the Chamber of Commerce and Questura.
This step usually takes from 45 to 60 days;
2. Presenting the Application
You can file your application at your local Consulate or Embassy with all the paperwork and request an appointment with the immigration officials.
A fee of €116 is due upon the Visa request.
It takes up to 120 days to get an answer and you need to return to the Consulate to collect the Visa.
3. Getting the Permesso di Soggiorno
Once you have a visa, you have six months to enter Italy. After entering the country, you have eight days to request your “Permesso di Soggiorno”.
This one will be valid for one year and renewable whenever the requirements are still in place.
This “Permesso di Soggiorno” will also allow the holder to be hired in Italy with a subordinate work contract.
Finally, after six years of residence in Italy, you can ask for a permanent residency card.
What Documents Do I Need?
- The “Nulla Osta”, or authorization, to perform the business activity. The Chamber of Commerce issues this
- Proof of enough wealth in Italy to support the business specified in the “Nulla Osta”. A bank statement is enough and must show a minimum of €19,000
- “Nulla Osta Provvisoria” from the local police station
- Proof of accommodation in Italy. This can be a lease agreement, owned real estate or a hospitality declaration by an Italian citizen
- Evidence of that you can support your lifestyle. This can be a bank statement or tax declaration showing that you earned at least €6,050 in the last year
- Valid passport with at least nine months validity when collecting the Visa
- Passport photos
What Else do I Need to Know?
When requesting the “Permesso di Soggiorno,” the applicant can perform other work. They can even convert the permit into a Work Permit if the requirements are present. For example, being hired by a company and having regular accommodation to upgrade the residence permit in Italy.
This Visa is granted respecting the limits of the entry quotas established every year by the “Decreto Flussi”. Therefore, the applicant must ensure that those quotas are still available when requesting the Visa.
OUR WORK
We are a department formed by qualified legal experts who have been trained in the field of immigration law. We work on these residency permit requests every day. It’s our passion.
For us, Lexidy is a way of life and what excites us the most is to be able to deliver the happiness and satisfaction of a successful immigration process. We want to help you achieve your goals and dreams, whether it’s residence in Spain or simply an investment.
Laura Fusté
Head of Immigration Europe
David Planes
Lawyer
Cristina Negro Vizoso
Lawyer
Mónica Isern López
Lawyer, Head of Immigration Spain
Gabriela Baly
Lawyer
Francesca Coluccio
Trainee
Luisa Rivera
Trainee
Paola Cavalleri
Paralegal
Sandra Faura
Lawyer
Carolina Gimeno
Lawyer
Elizabeth Garcia
Legal TraineeIS TO MAKE CLIENTS HAPPY
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, Italy’s type D visa allows your family members to join you. However, they can request a different visa and apply from their home country or Italy.
The applicant must prove that they can financially support the family. This is at least 50% of the minimum for the principal applicant per family member. They must also have suitable accommodation in Italy.
Yes, the Family “Permesso di Soggiorno” allows them to work or apply for jobs in Italy whenever the requirements are met. Our lawyers can help with any situation from the department of labor in Italy.
Italy allows permanent residence after six years of residency. You must have a “Permesso di Soggiorno” and have been legally residing in Italy.
It depends on your plans. The minimum amount is three times what you need to support your lifestyle. This threshold is €6,050 in 2022.
However, the amount must align with the business stated in the “Nulla Osta” issued by the Chamber of Commerce.
How Can We help you?
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