Making Money in Italy - International Living Countries

Subordinate employment visa: This visa is issued for bona fide employees working for an Italian employer. There are numerous categories, including the following: domestic workers, home-care givers, seasonal laborers, highly skilled laborers, managers, university lecturers and professors, researchers, translators, interpreters, nurses, maritime workers, sports personnel and athletes, entertainment industry personnel.

Self-employment visa: This allows entry, for a short visit (up to 90 days) or fixed-term long visit (up to a maximum of 365 days), or open long-term visit to aliens who intend to exercise a professional activity (including activities of an artistic nature) on an independent basis.

Setting up your own business

If you are thinking of setting up your own business in Italy, there are all kinds of hoops to jump through. Firstly you would need to obtain a Self-Employment or Business Visa from the appropriate Italian Consulate in the U.S.

Foreigners are free to invest in Italy. Except for certain restrictions and prohibitions in the defense sector, such as aircraft manufacturing, there are no local industries closed to private enterprise.

For the most part, foreign investors are treated the same as nationals. You can avail of grants and subsidies, though unfortunately one of the exceptions to this is the film industry.As a general rule, incentives offered by the Italian government vary depending on the industry sector, the size of the company, and the location in which the investment is to be located.

Two government programs encourage development in specific directions. The first, Industry 2015, promotes innovation in Italian industry, including in the IT sector and in the development of green and renewable energy.

The second program, Piano Casa, is a stimulus plan aimed at revitalizing the construction sector. One of its main objectives is to improve the energy efficiency of buildings—including residential homes—and encourage the adoption of green and renewable energy such as solar heating, photovoltaic, and bioenergy.