Meridian · Freshness tracker

What's changed.

Dated updates to visa, tax, residency, citizenship, housing, and labour policy across every country tracked. Every entry cites its primary source and the date we last verified it.

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Category All categoriesVisa & immigrationResidencyCitizenshipTaxationLabourHousingHealthcareOther
In force 1 Jan 2026
Announced Labour

Decreto Flussi 2026–2028 announced — continuing at current volumes

The government announced the next three-year flows decree covering 2026–2028 with overall quota levels broadly similar to the 2023–2025 cycle. Implementing decree for 2026 is expected to retain the sector prioritisation and the controversial click-day allocation mechanism. Ongoing political discussion about replacing click-day with a merit- or date-based allocation.

Who it affects: Non-EU workers and Italian employers planning 2026-onwards hiring cycles.

Governo Italiano ↗ · Ministero dell'Interno ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

Announced 22 Oct 2025
Announced Taxation

Proposed further increase of HNWI Flat Tax to €300,000 for 2026

The 2026 draft Budget Law published in October 2025 proposed raising the HNWI Flat Tax to €300,000 per year (from €200,000) and increasing the family-member add-on to €50,000 (from €25,000). As of April 2026 the proposal remains under parliamentary debate; not yet enacted. Movers planning to establish Italian residency before year-end should watch the final Budget Law text.

Who it affects: High-net-worth applicants planning Italian residency transitions in 2026.

Ministero dell'Economia e delle Finanze ↗ · Governo Italiano ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 28 May 2025
In force Citizenship

Citizenship by descent (jure sanguinis) restricted to two generations

Law Decree 36/2025 restricted the pathway to Italian citizenship by descent: applicants must now prove Italian ancestry within two generations (parent or grandparent born in Italy), closing the previously unlimited-generations route that had produced an estimated 60,000 annual citizenship grants. A contested reform: constitutional challenges are pending; existing applications filed before 28 May 2025 are processed under the prior rules.

Who it affects: Descendants of Italian emigrants (particularly in Argentina, Brazil, the US) seeking Italian citizenship.

Gazzetta Ufficiale (Italian Official Gazette) ↗ · Ministero dell'Interno ↗ · Governo Italiano ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Jan 2025
In force Housing

Superbonus 110% construction tax credit wound down

The generous 110% Superbonus tax credit for energy-efficient home renovations — a major driver of Italian construction activity 2020–2023 and a material fiscal cost — was progressively reduced through Law Decree 39/2024. From 1 January 2025, the credit rate drops to 65% for qualifying works in most cases, with earlier rates retained only for narrow categories (villages hit by 2016 earthquakes, some condominium works pre-existing at 17 February 2023).

Who it affects: Property owners planning renovations; construction-sector employment and cost of renovation services.

Gazzetta Ufficiale (Italian Official Gazette) ↗ · Agenzia delle Entrate ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Sept 2024
In force Residency

Questura permesso di soggiorno digitalisation pilot launched

The Ministry of the Interior launched a pilot digitalisation of the permesso di soggiorno (residence-permit) application process in selected major Questure from September 2024. Online pre-submission of documents, reduced in-person appointments, and digital status tracking. Processing times remain variable (4–18 months depending on Questura); the pilot does not yet extend nationally.

Who it affects: All non-EU residents renewing or applying for permesso di soggiorno.

Ministero dell'Interno ↗ · Governo Italiano ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 10 Aug 2024
In force Taxation

HNWI Flat Tax doubled from €100,000 to €200,000 per year

Law Decree 113/2024 ("Decreto Omnibus"), in force 10 August 2024, doubled the annual flat tax on foreign-source income for new applicants to the HNWI regime from €100,000 to €200,000. Existing beneficiaries retain the €100,000 rate for the remainder of their 15-year maximum benefit period. Applies only to individuals establishing Italian tax residency after 10 August 2024. Family-member add-on remains €25,000/year per spouse or child.

Who it affects: New high-net-worth applicants establishing Italian tax residency after 10 August 2024.

Gazzetta Ufficiale (Italian Official Gazette) ↗ · Agenzia delle Entrate ↗ · Ministero dell'Economia e delle Finanze ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 4 Apr 2024
In force Visa & immigration

Digital Nomad Visa launched — April 2024

Italy's Digital Nomad / Remote Worker Visa came into force on 4 April 2024 following the inter-ministerial implementing decree of 29 February 2024. Created under Article 27-quater of Legislative Decree 286/1998 — outside the annual Decreto Flussi quota, removing the most significant bottleneck of the traditional self-employment route. Minimum income €28,000/year; restricted to "highly qualified" workers (post-secondary degree or 3+ years specialist experience).

Who it affects: Non-EU remote workers and qualified self-employed professionals considering Italy.

Gazzetta Ufficiale (Italian Official Gazette) ↗ · Governo Italiano ↗ · Esteri.it — Ministero degli Affari Esteri ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Jan 2024
In force Housing

One-euro-house programmes extended in southern and inland municipalities

The long-running municipal "case a 1 euro" schemes — selling abandoned village properties for token amounts in exchange for renovation commitments — continue to expand in southern and inland Italy. 2024 saw new participating municipalities in Sicily, Sardinia, and Abruzzo. Note: the nominal €1 price is almost always misleading — buyers must commit to renovation budgets typically €20,000–€60,000 within set timeframes and post bonds. Tax-deductibility of renovation work via the (now-ending) Superbonus continues to distort the market.

Who it affects: Lifestyle movers and second-home buyers considering rural southern-Italy property.

Governo Italiano ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Jan 2024
In force Taxation

Impatriates Tax Regime restructured — 50% exemption replaces 70–90%

Legislative Decree 209/2023 (promulgated 28 December 2023) restructured the Regime per Lavoratori Impatriati from 1 January 2024. The pre-reform 70% or 90% (regional variant) exemption on Italian-source employment income for five years was replaced by a 50% exemption, capped at €600,000 of qualifying income per year. The 60% variant applies when the applicant relocates with — or has during the benefit period — a dependent child under 18. Requires non-residency in Italy for the previous three tax years and "high professional qualification" or specialisation.

Who it affects: Non-EU and returning-Italian professionals relocating to Italy for employment from 2024 onwards.

Gazzetta Ufficiale (Italian Official Gazette) ↗ · Agenzia delle Entrate ↗ · Ministero dell'Economia e delle Finanze ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 2 Dec 2023
In force Labour

Three-year Decreto Flussi 2023–2025 enacted — 452,000 permits

The Meloni government adopted a multi-year Decreto Flussi for 2023–2025 (Law 176/2023) allocating 452,000 non-EU work permits over three years — roughly triple the previous three-year total. Sectors prioritised: agriculture, construction, tourism, care, and specific industrial roles. The practical effect has been mixed: click-day allocation is instantly oversubscribed, and Questura processing backlogs partly blunt the quota increase.

Who it affects: Non-EU workers applying through the annual quota-based work-permit system.

Gazzetta Ufficiale (Italian Official Gazette) ↗ · Ministero dell'Interno ↗ · Ministero del Lavoro e delle Politiche Sociali ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 5 Aug 2023
In force Visa & immigration

Revised EU Blue Card transposed into Italian law

Legislative Decree 152/2023 transposed the revised EU Blue Card Directive 2021/1883 into Italian law with effect from 5 August 2023. Key changes: minimum contract duration reduced from 12 to 6 months, lower salary threshold (1.5× national average, previously 1.2× depending on region), easier intra-EU mobility, and broader eligibility for qualified workers without a formal degree (via recognised 5-year professional experience).

Who it affects: Non-EU professionals with higher-education qualifications or equivalent experience.

Gazzetta Ufficiale (Italian Official Gazette) ↗ · Ministero dell'Interno ↗ · Ministero del Lavoro e delle Politiche Sociali ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 6 May 2023
In force Residency

Cutro Decree (D.L. 20/2023) — asylum and irregular-entry tightening

Law Decree 20/2023, converted into Law 50/2023, introduced several asylum tightening measures: restricted "special protection" residence permits, criminal penalties for smugglers up to 30 years, expanded detention pre-return. Enacted after the Cutro (Calabria) shipwreck in February 2023 in which 94 people drowned. Contested in Italian and European courts; key provisions remain in force.

Who it affects: Asylum seekers and those in irregular status; migration-policy context for mover research.

Gazzetta Ufficiale (Italian Official Gazette) ↗ · Ministero dell'Interno ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Jan 2023
In force Taxation

Regime Forfettario threshold raised from €65,000 to €85,000 for freelancers

The Budget Law 2023 raised the Regime Forfettario (simplified flat-tax regime for self-employed Italians and registered residents) turnover threshold from €65,000 to €85,000 per year. Flat tax rate of 15% (5% for the first five years of new activity) on notional taxable income calculated by applying a sector-specific profitability coefficient. Immediate exclusion if the €85,000 threshold is breached in a given year.

Who it affects: Self-employed residents including digital-nomad visa and long-term residence holders operating as autonomi.

Agenzia delle Entrate ↗ · Ministero dell'Economia e delle Finanze ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Jan 2019
In force Taxation

Pensioners 7% flat-tax regime in southern Italy (continues)

The 7% flat tax on foreign pension income for retirees relocating to qualifying southern municipalities (Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise, Puglia, Sardinia, Sicily with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants) was introduced by Law 145/2018 and continues in force — confirmed by the 2024 Budget Law. Maximum benefit period is 10 years; applies only to foreign-source pension and other passive income.

Who it affects: Non-Italian-resident pensioners (typically British, German, or American retirees) considering south-Italy relocation.

Agenzia delle Entrate ↗ · Ministero dell'Economia e delle Finanze ↗ · verified 2026-04-19