A Start-up Visa allows the holder to enter Italy as a self-employed worker to incorporate an innovative startup company in Italy as defined (the meaning of innovative startup) in Law no. 221 of 17 December 2012. 

It is issued for workers who enter in the quotas of work permits Italy issues every year according to the Decreto Flussi and have obtained a Nulla Osta (work authorization). However, the procedure to obtain this visa is faster and simpler than the other self-employment work visa.

This means that the company must be compliant with the criteria set in the aforementioned law, and that you must have a self-employment relationship with the company.

As the granting of entry visas represents an essential step to make the circulation of talent and skills possible, slow and cumbersome administrative procedures constitute a significant obstacle to the mobility of innovative entrepreneurs. 

The Italia Startup Visa programme addresses this issue by introducing a brand new procedure that is:

• entirely completed online: the applicant can submit their documentation only by email, to the following address: [email protected];
• it can be made entirely in English: application forms, information materials and a “customer care” service, as well as the website of the programme itself, are all offered in this language, so as to facilitate the applicants who are not proficient in Italian; 
• it is fully centralized: a single administration handles all communications with the other administrations involved (central police offices, consular representation abroad), and acts as a single contact point for the applicants;
• it can be completed expeditiously: the Certificate of No Impediment to the granting of the visa is normally released within 30 days from application submission;

Be aware that the Italia Startup Visa is still a self-employment visa, and is therefore subject to the general provisions that regulates them.

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