No, You Can’t Just Buy a House and Get a Visa. But...

The 2025 Guide to Italian Residency Through Real Investment (Without Falling for the €1 House Fantasy)

Jul 30, 2025

Let’s start with a reality check.
You’ve seen the headlines:

“Dream house in Italy for €1!”
“Move to the countryside and live la Dolce Vita!”
“Buy a ruin, get a passport!”

Well... no. That’s not how Italy works.
Italy is not a scratch-card country. And the Investor Visa is not a backdoor to citizenship for romantics with a flair for stone walls.

But — and this is a big ma — there is a smart, legal, and fast track to Italian residency if you know how to invest in the right way.

❌ First, what doesn’t work (sorry, Instagram)

Buying a €1 house
Charming? Yes. Visa-eligible? No. These symbolic sales are fascinating regeneration stories — which we occasionally support — but they won’t get you a residence permit.
Buying any house, for any amount
Italian property law doesn’t automatically link ownership to immigration rights. You can own a villa in Tuscany and still be a tourist on a 90-day clock.
Entering on a tourist visa and applying later
Technically possible, practically maddening. Expect months of permesso di soggiorno limbo, consulate queues, and existential crises over Italian bureaucracy.

✅ What actually works: the Italian Investor Visa

Launched in 2017 and still fully active in 2025, Italy’s Investor Visa is one of the most stable, structured, and surprisingly underused residency programs in Europe.

To qualify, you must invest in one of the following:

€500,000 in an Italian company
€250,000 in a qualifying innovative startup
€2 million in government bonds
€1 million in a philanthropic project

This gives you:

A 2-year residency permit (renewable)
EU long-term residency after 5 years
Potential citizenship after 10
Full access to public healthcare, schools, and a work permit for you and your family

Unlike other countries, Italy doesn’t ask you to buy overpriced condos or fund vague development zones. It asks you to invest in the real economy.

🧩 So where do we come in?

At ITS ITALY, we’ve spent the past few years turning regeneration of ancient small villages into reality. We’re not an agency. We’re not flippers.

We are an Italian-English company (yes, registered in both) that designs, structures, and manages investment operations tied to the rebirth of small towns across the country.

We work with everyone from digital nomads to long-term investors, retirees to remote workers. But we all share one thing: we don’t come here to consume Italy — we come to contribute.

Here’s how we help you qualify:

1. Real estate (the smart way)

We help you choose from a portfolio of homes and buildings that:

Are income-generating or ready to renovate
Can be your residence or part of a rental strategy
Are structured through our companies to legally qualify for the visa
That’s right: the property you invest in can be your new home — if done right.

2. Operational companies

We have active regeneration businesses on the ground. Investing in these companies (in hospitality, real estate services, cultural tourism, food-based economy, etc.) is fully compliant.

Bonus: in some cases, thanks to Italy’s startup provisions, you may only need to invest €250,000.

3. Use your existing LLP or LLC

We work with tax advisors who structure everything, even using UK or US entities when needed. This helps with tax planning, ownership, and legal protection.

💰 And what about taxes? (Here comes the fun part)

If you think moving to Italy means 50% income tax, think again.
Italy offers two key regimes for new residents:

📍 1. New Resident Flat Tax Regime

Perfect for high-net-worth individuals with foreign income.

Pay a flat €200,000 per year on all non-Italian income
€25,000 per additional family member
Valid for up to 15 years
No inheritance or wealth tax on foreign assets

📍 2. The “Rientro dei Cervelli” (Repatriate Regime)

Ideal for entrepreneurs, freelancers, remote workers or anyone who works in Italy.

50% income tax exemption for 5 years
Goes up to 60% if you have underage children
Extendable for another 5 years if you buy property or have a child
Capped at €600,000/year in eligible income

So yes, depending on how you set it up — Italy can become a low-tax, high-quality-of-life base for the long haul.
A sort of tax haven… but with great pasta.

🌍 Why not just go to Portugal, Spain or Greece?

We get that question a lot. Short answer:

Portugal: real estate route is closed. Rules keep shifting.
Spain: open to property buyers (well… kind of), but path to citizenship is less clear, and tax residency is less flexible.
Greece: low thresholds, but also low long-term rights and services.

Italy?

Rock-solid legal base
Real community engagement
Tax advantages
Cultural depth
And above all: a regeneration vision — not just real estate for real estate’s sake.

🛠 And what makes ITS ITALY different?

We’ve completed over 140 operations in 20+ towns
We live and breathe regeneration, not speculation
We build with, not just for, local communities
We document it all, day by day, on www.itsjournal.com

You’re not buying into a resort or a gated community. You’re investing in real places, alongside real people, creating long-term value for yourself and others.

We offer:

Property search and filtering (we also got properties ready to invest in, some also move-in ready)
Tax/Legal and visa structuring
Architectural and renovation planning
Fiscal assistance and tax residency support
Management (touristic or residential)
A seat at the table of Italy’s quiet revolution in small-town rebirth

⏳ How long does it take?

If your paperwork’s in order, the whole process takes 4 to 6 months.

We’ve helped clients from:
🇬🇧 UK
🇺🇸 US
🇨🇦 Canada
…
🇮🇹 Italians returning home

…and no, you don’t need to speak fluent Italian. (But we recommend learning how to say buongiorno and aperitivo at minimum.)

📩 Ready to talk?

We’re not here to convince you with a sales pitch. We’re here to help you evaluate if this life — your new Italian chapter — is a good match.

Because we don’t just regenerate buildings.
We help regenerate lives, careers, communities — and Italy itself.

Visit us at www.itsfor.it
See our daily progress at www.itsjournal.com
Or write to us at info@itsfor.it

And remember:
No, the €1 house won’t get you a visa. But if you’re ready to do things properly, Italy might just give you more than you ever expected.

Let’s make it real. Together.

Thanks for reading ITS Journal! This post is public so feel free to share it.

ITS Journal