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Elective residence visa

The Elective Residence Visa (Residenza Elettiva) grants foreign nationals the right to a long-term stay in Italy — either for a fixed term or permanently — provided they intend to settle in the country and can demonstrate financial self-sufficiency. The Elective Residence Visa and the subsequent residence permit do not allow employment in Italy, which entails specific legal and tax classifications within the country. A similar visa may be issued to a cohabiting spouse, minor children, and dependent adult children living in the same household, if the applicant’s financial resources are sufficient to support all accompanying individuals.

 

The visa application must be submitted in person. If the applicant is a minor, the visa application form must be signed by both parents (or, in cases provided for by law, by a legal guardian) exclusively at the time of submission in the presence of a VMS employee. The signing of the application form by only one parent is permitted exclusively in the absence of the other parent, if a notarized consent issued by them is presented, which explicitly authorizes the other parent to sign the visa application form on their behalf.

 

When applying for any category of “D” type visas, ALL documents must be translated into Italian. The translations must be carried out by translators accredited by the Consulate General of Italy in St. Petersburg and legalized by the Consulate General; otherwise, they must be notarized and apostilled.

 

The Elective Residence Visa (Residenza Elettiva) is a type of visa intended for foreign nationals who plan to stay in Italy without engaging in any employment.

 

  1. National Visa (Type D) Application Form;
  2. Photograph:
    • Format: 30 mm x 40 mm or 35 mm x 45 mm; the face must cover 70–80% of the photograph.
    • General requirements: The photograph must be no older than 6 months;
    • The photograph must show the applicant’s face looking directly at the camera;
    • The photograph must be in color, on a white background, with no borders or retouching;
    • Glasses or clothing that cover any part of the face are not permitted, unless required for medical reasons. Photographs that are too light, too dark, too contrasty, or overly bright, as well as images that have been edited or processed using digital image correction tools, will not be accepted.It is strongly recommended to strictly comply with all the above photo requirements. Failure to meet these requirements constitutes grounds for refusal to accept the visa application.
  1. Passport:

    • Validity: The passport must be valid for at least 3 months beyond the expiration date of the requested visa. Copies of the current passport, as well as any canceled and/or expired international passports, must be provided (specifically, the personal data pages and all pages containing stamps, marks, and visas).
    • Blank pages: The passport must contain at least two blank pages.
    • Issue date: The passport must have been issued within the last 10 years.
    • It is required to provide the originals and photocopies of the passport pages containing personal data, as well as all pages with stamps or visas. Each applicant, including minor children, must have their own travel document. The Consulate does not accept visa applications for minors registered in their parents’ passports. Expired/canceled passports must be provided (photocopies of the pages with personal data and all pages with stamps or visas + the original, if applicable). In the event of a change of surname, additional supporting documents must be provided (e.g., a marriage certificate or a certificate of name change). If there are two valid international passports, both passports must be provided upon submission of the visa application (originals and photocopies of the pages with personal data and all pages with stamps or visas).
    • If you are planning another trip to a third country with your second valid international passport before your trip to Italy, you must submit the original and photocopies of the personal data pages, as well as all pages with stamps or visas of this passport, along with the relevant supporting documentation (tickets, hotel bookings in the country you plan to visit, etc.) during your appointment at the visa center.

      PLEASE NOTE:

      Some countries do not recognize ordinary non-biometric passports issued by the Russian Federation.

 

  1. Personal Statement (Cover/Motivation Letter) in free form and any supporting documentation confirming the applicant’s actual intention to reside in Italy. Applicants must state their own reasons why they would like to relocate to Italy. All information will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, taking into account, among other things, their current standard of living, activities, age, previous trips to Italy, and family composition. The use of standardized letter templates for all applicants is highly discouraged.

 

  1. Documents proving the availability of substantial, autonomous, stable, and regular economic resources, the continuity and regularity of which can be guaranteed in the future.
    • The applicant is required to provide proper, adequate, and documented guarantees of the availability of sufficient, autonomous, stable, and regular financial resources, the future continuity of which can be reasonably assumed. These resources must not be less than the minimum amount of €31,000 per year for each “Elective Residence” applicant and must derive from the ownership of substantial rental assets (such as pensions or annuities), income-generating real estate, stable economic or commercial activities, or other sources of income, and/or from interest-bearing assets, which must always be verifiable and traceable.
    • Since the visa implies that the applicant will settle in Italy, income from employment or self-employment cannot serve as grounds for its issuance if its source ceases after relocation — even if officially registered abroad. The annual amount specified in the aforementioned “Table A” represents a minimum requirement, which must be understood as a baseline economic assessment subject to individual evaluation within the context of the specific application and visa objectives. This type of visa is designed for individuals possessing sustainable financial independence: it is required to demonstrate to the competent authorities stable, autonomous, and documented sources of income that are not linked to current employment in Italy.
    • Economic resources not directly owned by the applicant may be taken into account subject to a case-by-case assessment, provided that they are guaranteed by a close family member residing with the applicant. Such family members include a spouse, minor children, as well as adult children dependent on the applicant.
    • It should be noted that rental income must be traceable: the respective payments must be reflected in the applicant’s bank statements for the past 24–36 months through specific payment references. Concurrently, this income must be reported in the tax returns of the individual who is the actual recipient. All supporting documents (lease agreements, corporate participation documents, and other contracts) must be submitted in original and accompanied by a certified translation into Italian. Official documents must be duly legalized (apostilled) in accordance with the legislation of the issuing country. The lease must be registered in compliance with the applicable national laws. Italian lease agreements must be registered in Italy with the local tax office (Agenzia delle Entrate) if their duration exceeds one month, whereas Russian lease agreements must be registered with “Rosreestr-Roskadastr” if their duration exceeds one calendar year. It should also be noted that the rental income details must be included in the payment description: therefore, payments made via the “Fast Payment System” (SBP) may not be accepted, as they contain neither the source nor the purpose of the payment.

    Documentary proof of actual access to the aforementioned financial funds in Italy is required — taking into account that the current restrictions on the use of Russian bank cards abroad and on international currency transfers from the Russian Federation to the European Union create significant practical obstacles for transferring these funds to Italy.

     

    PLEASE PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION!

     

    This Consulate General, whose jurisdiction is strictly limited to the boundaries of its consular district, cannot evaluate facts, circumstances, or conditions occurring in countries other than the Russian Federation. Any documentation submitted in support of a visa application and issued outside the Russian Federation shall be considered valid only if it is presented in its original form and legalized in accordance with the established requirements

     

    Regarding the member states of the Hague Convention of 1961: public documents issued by the government authorities of the Russian Federation or a third country (including documents confirming family relationships) must be certified with an apostille and translated into Italian. The translation must be certified by the territorially competent Italian diplomatic mission. For other (non-public) documents, an Italian translation certified by the consular mission as a true copy of the original is required. Documents issued by a third country must be legalized in accordance with the applicable laws of that country, and the Italian translation must be confirmed (legalized) by the competent Italian diplomatic or consular mission in that country.

 

  1. Complete and print the source of income form.
  2. Provide documentary proof of accommodation in Italy intended for use as a place of residence. One of the following options is accepted as supporting documentation:
    • A residential lease agreement registered with the Tax Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) in compliance with the requirements of Law No. 431/1998 regulating housing rental relationships;
    • A document confirming ownership of real estate in Italy (deed of sale) — regarding a property located in the place where the applicant intends to establish their place of residence.
  1. Consent for processing the personal data.
  2. Domestic passport.

 

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ELECTIVE RESIDENCE VISA

The duration of stay is approximately 365 days, with the possibility of renewing the residence permit in Italy at the territorially competent police headquarters (Questura), provided that the grounds for its issuance are maintained. Such a residence permit cannot be renewed if it is found that the foreign national interrupted their stay in Italy continuously for more than six months, unless this interruption was due to the fulfillment of military duties or other serious and proven reasons (Presidential Decree 394/1999, Art. 13);

Within eight days of arrival in Italy, it is necessary — as with all types of long-stay visas — to apply for a residence permit to replace the entry visa.

Type “D” visas – cost €116 (the equivalent of the quarterly consular fee). Payment is made in rubles.

The Diplomatic or Consular Mission reserves the right to request additional documents.