Italy
Digital Nomad and Remote Worker Visa: health insurance requirements
Yes: health insurance is required
Yes, with a confirmed €30,000 floor. Italy's Digital Nomad and Remote Worker Visa (live since the implementing decree took effect in April 2024) requires health insurance valid in Italy for the whole stay, with a minimum of €30,000 in cover, and inadequate cover is the single most common reason applications are refused. It is for 'highly skilled' remote workers with at least six months' experience, earning from outside Italy at least about €24,800 a year. One year, renewable.
The requirements at a glance
| Minimum coverage | €30,000 |
|---|---|
| Repatriation required | Yes |
| Minimum policy duration | Full duration of stay |
| Local-licensed insurer required | No: compliant international IPMI is accepted |
| Accepted proof | Health insurance valid in Italy for the entire stay, with at least €30,000 of cover for medical treatment and hospitalisation (many consulates also require medical repatriation). An international policy meeting these terms is accepted; check your consulate's exact checklist. |
For 'highly skilled' workers (a relevant degree or professional qualification) with at least six months of prior remote-work experience, earning from outside Italy. Income basis: three times the healthcare-exemption threshold, about €24,800/year (the popular '€28,000' is an inconsistent round-up). Requires suitable accommodation and a clean criminal record. One year, renewable; apply at the Italian consulate for your area.
Who qualifies for the Italy nomad visa
The income bar is what decides most applications, and it is the number people look for first. Here is the current one, with the conditions that come attached to it.
- Income required
- €2,333/mo (≈ $2,660)
- Length of permit
- 12 monthsrenewable
- Who can apply
- Employed remotely, Freelancer
Consulates publish different figures (€24,789–€28,000/yr); the binding rule is a multiplier. Passive income is not accepted.
What the income bar really means
Two things get people rejected on income even when they earn enough. The first is proving it: consulates want a documented, repeating history, usually bank statements and contracts covering several months, not a screenshot of a good quarter. Irregular freelance income clears the bar on average and fails on paper. The second is dependants, who almost always raise the threshold, and by a percentage of the base figure rather than a flat amount.
Treat the number above as the floor for the paperwork, not as a comfortable income for living there. It is set by the country’s own cost of living or minimum wage, which means it moves, and in several countries it is re-set every year.
Italy's Digital Nomad and Remote Worker Visa requires health insurance valid in Italy with a minimum of €30,000 in cover, and inadequate coverage is the single most common reason applications are rejected; income must be about €24,800/year (3× the healthcare-exemption threshold).
Our take
Italy is the clearest case for not skimping: the €30,000 minimum is real and consulates reject thin policies first.
Buy a plan that states at least €30,000 valid in Italy with hospitalisation, and include repatriation, since many consulates ask for it.
What happens if you get it wrong
Cover under €30,000, or a policy that does not clearly state validity in Italy, is the single most common rejection reason.
A policy without repatriation can fail at the consulates that require it, so add it rather than risk a refusal.
Interactive
Verified pricesWhat would it cost in Italy without insurance?
Gravel on a bend outside town. Road rash, a broken forearm, and a night or two before they discharge you.
| Ambulance | $91–$114 |
| Emergency room, on arrival | $140–$345 |
| X-ray on the forearm | $28 |
| Two nights on the ward | $1,366 |
| You pay, out of pocket | $1,625–$1,853 |
Priced as one lump instead of itemised, a serious admission in Italy runs $3,500 to $11,500.
That is the bill you carry alone. Insurance exists for exactly this.
See what cover costsTypical private-care estimates for illustration, not a quote. Actual bills vary by hospital, city and severity.
FAQ
Health insurance valid in Italy for the whole stay, with a minimum of €30,000 in cover. Inadequate cover is the most common reason applications are rejected.
Income from outside Italy of about €24,800 a year (three times the healthcare-exemption threshold). The '€28,000' figure you see is an inconsistent round-up.
Many consulates require medical repatriation as well as treatment and hospitalisation, so include it and check your consulate's checklist.
'Highly skilled' remote workers with a relevant degree or qualification and at least six months of prior remote-work experience.
One year, renewable in Italy if the conditions still hold.
How to apply
- Processing time
- Commonly 30 to 90 days at the consulate. Apply at least 90 days before you plan to travel.
- Government fee
- EUR 116 national visa fee (adjusted quarterly to the exchange rate at each consulate), plus roughly EUR 100 to 150 in permesso di soggiorno costs in Italy (postal kit, revenue stamp, and electronic permit).
- Where to apply
- An Italian consulate in your country of residence, booked via Prenot@mi. Unlike Spain, you cannot apply from inside Italy after a tourist entry; the national visa must be issued abroad first. After arrival you convert the visa to a permesso di soggiorno at the Questura.
- 1
Book a consulate appointment through the Prenot@mi portal well ahead (2 to 3 months), and apply at least 90 days before your intended travel date.
- 2
Prepare three sets of documents, because you need copies for the Questura later: proof of annual income around EUR 28,000 to 30,000, a remote-work contract or client proof, health insurance with at least EUR 30,000 medical coverage, accommodation in Italy, and a criminal-record check.
- 3
Attend the consulate in person, submit the file and pay the EUR 116 national visa fee.
- 4
After the visa is issued, enter Italy, then within 8 working days of arrival pick up the 'kit' at a Poste Italiane office and mail the permesso di soggiorno application.
- 5
Attend your Questura appointment for fingerprints, then return later to collect the permesso di soggiorno card, which replaces the visa and is valid one year, renewable.
Fees and processing times move, sometimes without announcement, and a consulate can add a document the published checklist does not mention. Treat the above as the shape of the process rather than a guarantee, and check the current requirement with the mission handling your application before you book anything.
What policy actually satisfies this visa
Italy publishes a figure, which makes this simpler than most: your certificate has to show at least €30,000 of medical cover. Clear that and the paperwork is satisfied.
A compliant international policy is accepted, so you are not forced into a local insurer. That matters more than it sounds: it means one policy can follow you when you leave, instead of expiring at the border.
Repatriation of remains has to be covered explicitly. It is a line item, and either your certificate names it or it does not, and plenty of otherwise strong policies leave it out. Ask your insurer to state it.
The dates are the other thing that gets applications rejected: full duration of stay
Ask your insurer for a certificate of cover that states your full name as it appears on your passport, the exact policy period, the territory covered, and the benefit amounts. That is a normal request and any decent insurer issues it without fuss. The insurance being real and the paperwork still failing is a more common way to lose an application than being uninsured.
The visa tells you the minimum. It does not tell you what to actually carry. Those are different questions, and the paperwork minimum is nearly always the smaller of the two answers.
Get a policy that satisfies this visa
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