Italy’s golden visa offers candidates low investment requirements at €250,000, but with an important distinction from rivals such as Greece: The Italian program’s cheapest option is open only to those ready to invest in start-ups.
Golden visa investors have the reputation of preferring low-risk asset classes with real estate investments being their riskiest choice.
However, such a generalization is not true, with steady demand for programs like the US EB-5, Australia’s SIV, and the Italian golden visa program.
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Italy’s Golden Visa Program
The cost of qualifying for fast-track permanent residence in Italy is inversely proportional to the risk tolerance of the investor.
The safest option – investment in Italian government bonds – is also the most expensive, where the investor has to put up at least €2 million to qualify for permanent residence.
To put this in perspective, EU citizenship in 12 months through Malta’s Exceptional Investor Naturalization program costs less.
If recovering the investment is not an important factor, then a €1 million donation to a public interest project will help the investor qualify for permanent residence.
A €500,000 investment in an Italian company is the third option while the least-expensive option is to invest €250,000 in an existing local start-up.
Application Process
The first step to qualify for the Italian golden visa is to get a no-objection certificate from the Investors Committee for Italy. This will be issued after submitting all documents related to proof of identify, criminal checks and police certificates, and proof of lawful ownership of funds. This process takes around 30 days.
This certificate is enough to obtain the investor visa. Once the visa is in hand, you can enter Italy and deploy your investment after you get the residence permit for a period of two years.
Start-Up Capital Welcome
The way the Italian golden visa program is structured clearly shows the government’s preference for venture capitalists, angel investors, and other wealthy individuals ready to bet capital on disruptive start-up ideas.
Since there’s no bar on the applicant investing in their own start-up, this program also serves as a Start-Up Visa. Setup a start-up in Italy and invest €250,000 or more and you will automatically qualify for EU permanent residence.
Advantages Galore
All the benefits and advantages of permanent residence in the EU acquire greater significance when viewed through the lens of a good start-up investment opportunity.
Advantages like EU market access, a liberal tax regime, easy mobility for self and family members, and the option of hiring talent across the EU can make a huge difference to the long-term prospects of an ambitious start-up idea.
The investment needs to be retained as long as the applicant and his/her dependent family members with to live in Italy. If the investor lives in Italy long enough to qualify for naturalization and fulfills all other requirements, then even a citizenship application is possible.
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