The Single Most Important Thing You Need Before Applying for a Visa to Move to Italy

I was chatting with a client today and I asked what visa she planned to apply for in order to move to Italy.

She wasn't sure. She didn't have work lined up and she doesn't work online.

I realize how critical it is to have a plan for finances before applying for an Italian visa.

You've Got to Prove Your Worth

While Italy does invite foreigners to live here, they're not just welcoming everyone with open arms. There are many refugees who come here by boat to escape horrific conditions in Africa and Asia, and they sometimes need financial support (don't get me started on this political issue; as someone from SoCal, I am familiar with illegal immigrants, and I completely support providing assistance to them. It's a huge political conversation here.)

So...the government wants to be sure that immigrants have financial means to support themselves. That means they:

• Work online already (digital nomad visa)

• Are self-employed (auto lavoro visa; what I got)

• Have work lined up in Italy (employee visa)

• Are retired and have Social Security (elective residency visa)

There are other visa options, like if you have $2 million (investor visa), but for most people who are trying to escape America, that's not realistic.

So, a word of advice: know how you're going to make money while living in Italy. If you want to go the digital nomad route, you'll need to be working online and have experience in the field for at least six months. So if you've been doing one job and want to switch to something completely different, start that now rather than when you're ready to apply for a visa.

Also, a word on the elective residency visa (for retirees), because this happened to a friend. Don't assume because you get Social Security benefits that you automatically qualify. You are required to have a steady annual income of at least €31,000 for an individual or €38,000 for a couple. That breaks down to €2,583 a month, and many people don't get that from Social Security. You may be able to offset that with your private retirement savings, but you'll need to speak to a tax expert to understand if you qualify.

So do yourself a favor before you go too far down the rabbit hole to Italy: make sure you can qualify for a visa through your work!!