How Much Passive Income Do You Really Need for Italy’s Elective Residency Visa?
- Caesar Sedek
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
The Truth Behind the €31,000 Rule, the Consulate Gap, and What Couples Must Know
Disclaimer
This article is based on publicly available consulate information, government sources, and professional publications at the time of writing. It reflects my own research and interpretation of those materials.
I am not a lawyer, commercialista, immigration consultant, or accredited visa professional. I’m simply a detail-obsessed researcher who digs through consulate sites, legal references, and policy documents so others don’t have to.
This post should not be treated as legal advice, official guidance, or a guarantee of visa outcomes. Requirements can change, consulates can interpret rules differently, and individual officers have discretion in assessing applications. One person’s experience—or even one consulate’s practice—does not establish a universal rule.
Anyone preparing for an Elective Residency Visa should verify requirements directly with the appropriate consulate and, when necessary, seek qualified legal or immigration advice. Use this information as a framework for understanding the landscape—not as gospel.
Anyone researching Italy’s Elective Residency Visa (ERV) eventually hits the same wall. Different numbers. Different interpretations. Different stories from people online. And almost no consistency across consulates.
This post is based on a comprehensive review of every Italian consulate in the United States and Canada, their current published guidance, and supporting references from immigration law practices specializing in the ERV. The goal is simple: establish what is documented, what is implied, what varies by office, and what applicants should realistically plan for.
This is not a theoretical summary or a social media anecdote. It is grounded in the actual language used by consulates, published requirements, and professional guidance from firms that work with ERV applications.
The Legal Foundation: Table A and the “Three Times” Rule
The ERV derives its financial threshold from the Italian Ministry of the Interior Directive of March 1, 2000 (Table A). The requirement is that the applicant demonstrate financial resources equal to three times the annual assegno sociale (social allowance). The result is a baseline of approximately €31,000 per year for one adult.
This is the legal minimum—not a lifestyle benchmark, not a comfort budget, simply the financial floor.
The ERV accepts only passive income, meaning:
Pensions
Annuities
Rental income
Dividends and interest
Royalties
Trust distributions
Income derived from work—remote employment, consulting, freelancing, self-employment, hourly or salaried work—does not qualify.
Where Numbers Are Actually Published
Out of all consulates in the US and Canada, only three currently publish specific figures on their websites.
Boston – Consulate General (United States)
Boston is the only US consulate that explicitly states a number:
“Stable passive income totaling more than 31,000 euros yearly per applicant.”
(Source: Consulate General of Italy in Boston, Elective Residency Visa Requirements)
It repeats “per applicant” when referencing spouses and children, and notes that each applicant must submit their own application packet.
Interpretation:
€31,000 per person per year
Household income can support multiple applicants, but each application is evaluated against that standard
Toronto – Consulate General (Canada)
Toronto ties its requirement directly to the Ministry directive:
“Economic resources… cannot be less than three times the annual amount provided for by Table A… approximately 32,000 euros per each applicant.”
(Source: Consulate General of Italy in Toronto, ERV Guidelines)
Interpretation:
~€32,000 per person
Worded as “per applicant,” indicating each application is assessed individually
Vancouver – Consulate General (Canada)
Vancouver provides the most detailed structure:
“Minimum threshold… €31,000 per person per year after tax.”
“In case of a spouse, the amount must be increased by 20%. For each child, +5%.”
(Source: Consulate General of Italy in Vancouver, ERV Checklist)
Interpretation:
Single applicant: €31,000
Couple: €37,200
Couple + 1 child: €38,750
Couple + 2 children: €40,300
This is the only consulate that clearly outlines a family formula rather than simply repeating “per applicant.”
Where Numbers Are Not Published
All other US and Canadian consulates—including Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Detroit, Miami, Houston, Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Montreal—use language such as:
“Substantial passive income”
“Stable and adequate means”
“High self-sustaining income”
None publish a numeric threshold.
Despite the silence, these offices are applying the same Table A baseline behind the scenes. The absence of a number is not evidence of a lower requirement—it simply reflects consular discretion.
The Confusion Point: Per Applicant vs Household
Applicants commonly ask whether couples must show €31,000 each. The answer is not uniform because the wording varies:
Boston and Toronto: “per applicant”
Vancouver: “per person” with an explicit household formula
None of the consulates state that each spouse must have their own independent income stream. The requirement is that the total passive income is sufficient to support everyone, but the amount is still calculated per person.
In practical terms:
One person’s passive income can cover the entire family
The total income must meet the per-person benchmark
Professional Legal Interpretation
Specialized immigration firms, including Studio Legale Metta and other ERV-focused practices, consistently reference the same threshold:
A minimum of €31,000 per year for a single applicant
Additional amounts for spouses and dependents, often aligned with the +20% / +5% structure seen in Vancouver’s published guidance
These firms also emphasize that consulates retain wide discretion and may require higher documented income depending on the applicant’s circumstances, location in Italy, or perceived financial stability.
The €38,000 Figure for Married Couples
So where does €38,000 enter the conversation?
When you apply Vancouver’s +20% spousal calculation to €31,000, you get €37,200. Rounded—and echoed across multiple sources—that becomes €38,000.
Several legal and informational sites reference this number, including:
The Italian Lawyer
Why Wait Italy
Mazzeschi Law Firm
The Local (Italy)
Get Golden Visa
These sources consistently describe:
€31,000 for a single applicant
≈ €38,000 combined income for a married couple
+5% per dependent child
These references are useful, but they are not primary sources, and I am not presenting them as gospel. I cannot personally vouch for the accuracy, editorial standards, or legal authority of any of these platforms. Just because something is published online—even by a law firm—does not automatically make it binding, current, or universally applied.
Consider them informational, not determinative.
Anecdotes Aren’t Policy
There are countless stories online:
“We got approved with less than €38K.”
“We were told €62K because they counted us separately.”
“We were rejected even though we met the minimum.”
“Someone said there’s a new €40K rule.”
These stories may be true for those individuals—but they do not create a rule.
Individual outcomes depend on:
The consulate
The officer
The documentation
The credibility of the income stream
The applicant’s overall profile
And that brings us to the punchline:
Even the Experts Are Confused
As I’m writing this, something telling is happening behind the scenes. Moderators of one of the largest and longest-running Facebook communities for this topic—Italian Elective Residence Visa EXPERTS—have reached to me behind the scenes asking the same question about whether there is a new €38,000 threshold for couples. I’m not mentioning this to claim authority or status, but to illustrate just how unsettled and murky this topic can be.
When people who have spent ten years answering ERV questions online start second-guessing the numbers, it’s a sign that even the most seasoned voices can be thrown off when new claims or unverified figures start circulating. The ERV income requirement is one of the most misunderstood parts of the process, and every few months someone insists there’s a brand-new number, a secret rule, or a hidden update.
The takeaway is simple:
Longevity in a Facebook group—even a very knowledgeable one—does not equal official policy. Individual experiences do not set standards. And popularity is not proof. The only stable footing in this conversation comes from hard sources—government directives, consulate statements, and established legal practitioners.
That’s why this post leans heavily on documented references rather than anecdotes or hearsay. Not because community experience is useless, but because community experience is inconsistent, and consular officers—not Facebook commenters—make the decisions.
The Practical Minimum Is Not the Safe Minimum
Legally, the minimum for one person is around €31,000. But applicants must account for:
Exchange rate fluctuation
Documentation clarity
Length of stay
Living costs
Insurance requirements
Bureaucratic delays
Family size
Consular discretion
An application that barely meets the minimum with no financial margin is inherently vulnerable.
Recommended Income Targets
For applicants who want practical approval confidence rather than bare-minimum compliance, the following ranges are advisable:
Single Applicant
€35,000–€40,000 per year in passive income
Couple
Two realistic models:
Strict per applicant: €62,000 (€31k × 2)
OR
Household model (Vancouver logic): €40,000–€50,000
A practical target for couples is €45,000–€55,000 total passive income. But I would skew conservative on this one and aim higher.
Children
Add approximately 5% of €31,000 (€1,550) per child. And that too may vary based on the age of the child and the need to support them through schooling or otherwise.
The Bottom Line
The legal baseline is approximately €31,000 per person per year.
Only three consulates publish specific numbers: Boston, Toronto, Vancouver.
All other US and Canadian consulates rely on discretion and do not list a figure.
One spouse can support the family, but the total income must meet the threshold.
Social media should be treated as anecdotal, not authoritative.
Higher income provides a stronger, safer application.
Applicants should approach the process with clarity, margin, and documented proof rather than aiming for the lowest acceptable figure. Nobody is rejected for having too much passive income. Many are rejected for being too close to the line.