Italy is planning to roll out one-year, renewable visas available to remote workers outside the European Union.
The details of the new visa program are still being worked out.
The bill says that visas will be offered to people “who carry out highly qualified work activities through the use of technological tools that allow them to work remotely, autonomously or for a company that is not resident in the territory of the Italian state,” according to The Local.
Applicants will be required to demonstrate that they meet a minimum income threshold (which has not yet been set) and that they have health insurance.
Luca Carabetta, an Italian MP who helped create the new law, told The Times that applicants will be able to bring their families, and both freelancers and people who work for companies not based in Italy will be eligible.
Fellow EU members Germany and Portugal also have visas for longer-term stays available to remote workers, and countries including Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Georgia, and Malta have also introduced similar visas or permits.
Opening borders to remote workers can be an attractive plan for countries looking to increase consumer spending and, more recently, to compensate for lost tourist income during the pandemic.
