In Italy, the La Dolce Visa by investment program has been around for some time, but it has not yet gained a strong foothold in the market. Now that the Montenegrin citizenship program for investment has ceased to work (new applications were accepted until December 31, 2023), Portugal announced the completion of the program for issuing a residence permit to investors in its current form, a whole market niche has been vacated, which can be occupied by La Dolce Visa. If it increases its competitiveness. Compared to, for example, a residence permit in Greece for the purchase of real estate.
One of the country’s senators, Gabriele Lanzi, took the initiative to ease the requirements for obtaining La Dolce Visa (residence permit for investors) a year ago, but the bill is still under consideration and only at the end of February 2023 there was progress in the implementation of such a decision. The politician believes that the current rules for issuing Dolce Visa are not so attractive to investors. Meanwhile, the program is one of the most effective methods of attracting investments in the short term.
If the changes proposed by the senator for La Dolce Visa come into force, then
- The minimum investment requirements will be halved. €250,000 will need to be invested in an innovative startup, and €500,000 in government bonds. According to the 2022 statistics, applicants choose the Greater Milan area (includes Novara, Varese, Como) to invest in startups.
- It will be possible to include family members in the application.
- Residence permit can be obtained for the purchase of real estate in the amount of €750,000 (depending on the selected municipality). 750,000 euros when choosing a location in an area with no more than 25,000 inhabitants.
- The residence permit will be issued for a period of 5 years (now it can be issued for 2 years and extended if the investment is maintained for another 3 years).
