Italy's elective residence visa: how British retirees make the move to Rome

If you've a decent pension, some savings and a burning wish to swap the Sunday roast for a long Roman lunch, this is the visa built for you. Just don't plan on working.

The short version

• The elective residence visa (visto per residenza elettiva) is for people who can live in Italy on private income without working [1].
• You show a "substantial and stable" income from pensions, annuities, property or investments. Salary doesn't count [1].
• The London consulate publishes no fixed figure; other Italian consulates quote EUR 31,000 a year (about £25,800) for one person [2].
• You need a registered lease or a deed for a home in Italy before you apply [1].
• No work of any kind is allowed, and within 8 days of arriving you apply for a permesso di soggiorno [1][3].

Who the visa is for

Since Brexit, British retirees are third-country nationals in Italy, so the old "just turn up" days are gone. If you lived in Italy before 1 January 2021, you're covered by the Withdrawal Agreement instead and shouldn't need this visa at all; the FCDO explains how to get or renew your carta di soggiorno [3].

For everyone else, elective residence is the obvious route if you:

• are retired, or living off pensions, rental income or investments;
• don't need to work in Italy, for an Italian or a UK employer;
• can show the money is reliable, not a one-off windfall;
• have already rented or bought a home in Italy.

It also suits a couple where one partner is retired and the other doesn't need to work. A spouse, minor children and dependent adult children living with you can be included, as long as you show you can support them [1].

The passive income test

This is where most applications are won or lost. The London consulate asks for proof of "substantial and stable private income" from pensions, annuities, property or investment income, or a stable business activity, plus "other financial resources" [1]. It adds that the money can't come from employment [1].

How much is enough?

The London page doesn't set a number [1]. The Italian consulate in Houston, working from the same national rules, states a minimum of EUR 31,000 a year for one person and EUR 62,000 for a married couple [2]. Some consulates use a lower figure for couples, so ask London directly before you assume either number.

Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = EUR 1.2002).

What counts as income

Think pensions and passive income, not a pot of savings. Good evidence includes:

• your UK State Pension statement from the Pension Service;
• workplace or private pension statements showing regular payments;
• annuity statements;
• rental income from a UK property, backed by a tenancy agreement;
• dividend and interest statements.

London asks for official letters from banks, financial institutions and UK social security bodies, plus your last two years of income tax returns [1]. A large lump of savings may help as the "other financial resources", but don't rely on savings alone to meet the income test.

If you're below State Pension age and living on a private pension, be careful about how you draw it. Taking money from a UK pension is a big decision with tax consequences in both countries, and moving a pension overseas needs regulated financial advice; read the FCA and MoneyHelper scam warnings before anyone talks you into a transfer. Our guide to UK workplace and private pensions abroad explains the overseas transfer charge.

The home you need first

This is the bit that catches people out. You can't apply first and house-hunt later: London wants a registered lease or a deed for a property in Italy [1]. A holiday let or a hotel booking won't do.

In practice that means signing a tenancy (and having it registered with the Agenzia delle Entrate) or completing a purchase before you've got your visa. Some Brits sign a lease with a clause linking it to the visa. Our guide to renting in Rome explains contracts and deposits, and buying a home in Italy covers the notaio and the rogito.

Why you can't work on it

The visa "does not allow the recipient to work" [1], and Houston spells it out as "any kind of work in Italy" [2]. That rules out a job in Rome, but it also catches the grey area many retirees forget: remote consulting for an old UK client, a little freelance writing or running an online shop. If you want to keep working, look at the digital nomad visa or a self-employment visa instead.

Applying from the UK

London handles applicants living in England, Wales, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, and appointments go through VFS Global in London, Manchester or Edinburgh [4]. Fees are paid in pounds, and VFS adds its own service fee [4]. A national visa can take up to 90 days, and you can apply no earlier than six months before you travel [4].

1. Sort your home in Italy and get the lease registered, or complete the purchase.
2. Collect income evidence: pension statements, bank letters and two years of tax returns [1].
3. Write your cover letter explaining why you're moving to Italy; London asks for one [1].
4. Book a one-way ticket. London wants a printed one-way reservation, or ferry or Eurotunnel tickets plus your car documents if you're driving down [1].
5. Attend your VFS appointment with the application form, passport, photo and originals plus copies [1].
6. Bring dependants' certificates. Marriage certificates must be less than six months old [1].

Once you're in Rome

Within 8 days of arriving, apply for your permesso di soggiorno [3]. Elective residence is one of the permits handled through the yellow-striped kit at Poste Italiane offices: you pay a EUR 16 revenue stamp (about £13), EUR 30 (about £25) to the post office and a bollettino covering the electronic permit and its contribution, then get a date at the questura for fingerprints [5]. Once you have the permesso or its receipt, register your residence at your municipio's anagrafe. Our guide to codice fiscale, residenza and the permesso di soggiorno walks through it.

Then sort healthcare. If you get the UK State Pension, you may be able to register an S1 so the NHS pays for your Italian care; otherwise you'll need private insurance or voluntary registration with the SSN. Our guide to the S1 and the NHS abroad explains who qualifies.

The tax side

Becoming resident in Italy usually means Italy taxes your worldwide income, including your UK pensions, under the UK–Italy double taxation agreement [3]. You also declare foreign assets, such as UK bank accounts and ISAs, on the Quadro RW of your return, and the FCDO warns the penalties for getting it wrong are severe [3]. Some retirees look at Italy's special regimes for pensioners, which have strict conditions; see Italy's flat tax and the 7% regime. A tax adviser who knows both countries can check your case.

At the UK end, tell HMRC you're leaving, usually on form P85 [6]. Italy is in the EEA, so your UK State Pension goes up each year as it would in Bognor.

Questions about which consulate figure applies to you? Our community group for Brits in Italy has plenty of people who've just been through it.

Sources

1. Consolato Generale d'Italia Londra: Elective residence (checked 7 November 2026)
2. Consolato Generale d'Italia Houston: Elective residence requirements (PDF) (December 2025)
3. GOV.UK (FCDO): Living in Italy (last updated 28 October 2026)
4. Consolato Generale d'Italia Londra: Visas (checked 7 November 2026)
5. Poste Italiane: Rilascio e rinnovo del permesso di soggiorno
6. GOV.UK (HMRC): Tax if you leave the UK to live abroad

Keep reading

• Moving to Rome as a Brit: visa and residence routes
• Italy's flat tax and the 7% regime for pensioners
• Registering with the SSN: Italian public healthcare for Brits
• Retiring abroad: the main retirement visas for Brits