What rules apply to non-EU citizens who start or buy a business in Italy?
If you don’t have the right of abode in the EU and you want to start or buy a business in Italy, you need a visa. To get the visa, it may be necessary to obtain documentation from the local Camera di Commercio (Chamber of Commerce) in Italy – for which you might have to prove that you are qualified to run the business. Such qualification may simply be having the funds to buy the business, or it may be more than that. To initiate the process, it is wise to begin at your local Italian Embassy. In practice, people who bring capital into Italy, and who are not a drain on the resources of the Italian state, are generally welcome. In many cases, not being a “drain on the resources of the state” may simply be a matter of taking out private health insurance and having adequate financial resources. However, it is possible to run a business in Italy while being formally resident in another country. There are a couple of things to bear in mind if you want to do this, though: if you are not formal
