Last Updated: September 21, 2026

Global Retirement Report: Italy

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Introduction

The 2026 Global Retirement Report & Index benchmarks 46 retirement, passive-income and non-lucrative visa programs as an allocation decision, a way to diversify tax, lifestyle and political exposure across borders. Each is scored on five weighted factors: Quality of Life, Mobility & Citizenship, Tax, Procedure, and Costs & Investment, combined into a single composite. Below is the program’s overall score and rank, followed by the five sub-indices that show where its real strengths and trade-offs lie.

Rankings Snapshot

Index	Ranking	Score
Overall Ranking	9th	97.2
Procedure Index	12th	80.5
Citizenship and Mobility Index	2nd	99.3
Quality of Life Index	8th	85.1
Tax Optimization Index	36th	61.6
Costs and Invest Index	32nd	91.6

Country Information at a Glance

Category	Details
Legal Provision	Elective Residency Visa (ERV) — Elective Residence Visa (Visto per Residenza Elettiva). Flat-tax regimes: Art. 24-bis TUIR (HNWI) and Art. 24-ter TUIR (7% South).
Region	Europe
Income Requirements	€2,583/mo (€31,000/yr). Qualifying income: Pension or annuity, income from properties, stable economic and commercial activities.
Processing Time	6–12 months
Family Member Inclusion	Not on the same ERV, family join via reunification (ricongiungimento familiare) after the main applicant’s permit is issued.
Tax Benefits	Worldwide taxation; income tax 23%–43%. Wealth tax: Wealth tax on real estate properties owned outside of Italy (IVIE): 1.06%; Wealth tax on investments owned outside of Italy (IVAFE): 0.2% (0.4% for investments held in countries with a privileged tax regime). Inheritance tax: 4%–8%; €1M exemption per spouse/child, €100k siblings. Retiree benefits: 7% flat tax on foreign income for southern municipalities under 30,000 residents (up to 10 yrs); HNWI substitute tax Art. 24-bis is €300,000/yr from 1 Jan 2026 (was €200,000; originally €100,000), +€50,000 per family member, up to 15 yrs.
Path to Citizenship	10 years. Time spent on this visa counts toward the residency requirement for naturalisation.
Dual Citizenship	Allowed

Conclusion

Italy places #9 of 46 overall (score 97.2), scoring strongest on Mobility & Citizenship and weakest on Tax Optimisation. Its Elective Residency Visa (ERV) sets an income bar of €2,583/mo, with citizenship possible after 10 years. It best suits those who value travel freedom and a clear path to a second citizenship; the main trade-off is that the tax treatment of foreign and retirement income is less favourable.

Footnotes

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