You’ve probably seen the headlines. They’re everywhere. "Italy will pay you $30,000 to move to a sunny village!" It sounds like a fever dream or a scam from 2004. But here’s the thing: it’s actually real, though the get paid to move to italy application 2025 process is significantly more annoying than a TikTok video makes it look.
Italy is shrinking. Literally.
In dozens of "borghi" (tiny historic villages), there are more cats than people. Schools are closing. The local bar is only open three days a week. To stop the bleed, regional governments like Calabria, Puglia, and Tuscany have launched "active residency" schemes. They aren't just giving away free money because they're nice. They're buying a future for their towns.
The Brutal Reality of the Calabria Active Residency Project
If you’re looking at the get paid to move to italy application 2025, you’re likely looking at Calabria. This is the "toe" of Italy's boot. They’ve been the most aggressive with these offers. Specifically, they offer up to €28,000 (roughly $30,000) over three years.
But you can’t just sit on a balcony sipping Spritz.
To qualify for the Calabrian scheme, you have to be under 40 years old. Sorry, retirees. You also have to commit to opening a small business—think a bed and breakfast, a restaurant, or a retail shop—or taking an existing job opening in a specific sector like tourism or agriculture. You have to move within 90 days of your application being approved. It’s fast. It’s chaotic. It’s very Italian.
I’ve talked to people who looked into this and backed out because they realized "remote work" wasn't always enough. In some versions of these grants, being a digital nomad is a secondary priority. They want economic activity on the ground. They want you paying local taxes and buying flour from the guy down the street.
Tuscany’s "Residenzialità in Montagna" (Mountain Living)
Tuscany joined the fray recently with a massive €2.8 million fund. They aren't paying you to sit in a villa in Florence. They want you in the mountains. Specifically, towns with fewer than 5,000 residents.
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The grant covers between €10,000 and €30,000.
The catch? You have to use that money to renovate a house. You cannot just take the cash and buy a fancy car. The get paid to move to italy application 2025 for Tuscany requires you to be an EU citizen or have a long-term residence permit. If you're an American or Brit without a visa already, this one is a much steeper climb.
How the Application Process Actually Works (Step-by-Step-ish)
First, forget the idea of a single "Italy Application." There isn't one. Italy is a collection of regions that often don't like talking to each other. Each region—Sardinia, Molise, Calabria—has its own portal.
- Find the "Bando": This is the official public notice. It’s always in Italian. It’s usually a 40-page PDF that looks like it was written by a 19th-century lawyer. If you don't speak Italian, use a deep-learning translator, not just basic Google Translate, or you'll miss the legal nuances.
- The "Marca da Bollo": You will almost certainly need a digital revenue stamp. It’s a very specific Italian bureaucratic requirement.
- SPID or CIE: To log into government portals, you usually need a "Sistema Pubblico di Identità Digitale." For foreigners, this is the first major wall. You often need a Codice Fiscale (tax code) first.
- The Business Plan: If the grant is for "active residency," you need a legitimate business plan. "I want to blog about my life" is not a business plan. "I will open a specialized cycling tour company focused on the Pollino National Park" is a business plan.
Why Most People Fail the 2025 Selection
Most people fail because they treat it like a sweepstakes. It’s not. It’s a demographic strategy.
The regions look for "permanence." If you look like a backpacker who’s going to leave after eighteen months, they’ll bin your application. They want families. They want young entrepreneurs. They want people who are going to learn the language.
Also, the infrastructure is... let’s call it "rustic."
In a village like Civita di Bagnoregio or a tiny town in the Aspromonte mountains, the internet might cut out when it rains. The nearest hospital might be forty minutes away via roads that look like they were designed by a drunk goat. You aren't just moving to Italy; you're moving to a very specific, often isolated, lifestyle.
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The Sardinia "Grant" Nuance
Sardinia offered €15,000 to people moving to towns with less than 3,000 residents.
It was a huge hit.
But the money is a "non-repayable contribution" specifically for buying or renovating a home. You have to live there full-time. You cannot use it as a summer house. You have to register your residence there within 18 months. If the government finds out you’re only there two months a year, they will claw that money back. They aren't playing.
What About the €1 Houses?
This is the "cousin" of the get-paid-to-move schemes. Towns like Sambuca or Mussomeli sell houses for €1.
Wait.
They aren't €1. After legal fees, notary costs, and the mandatory renovation bond (usually €5,000), you’re looking at a minimum of €10,000 to €15,000 before you even swing a hammer. And the renovations? You'll likely spend €50,000 to €100,000.
The "get paid to move" grants are actually a better deal for most people because they provide liquidity rather than a debt-trap stone ruins. But the competition for the grants is ten times higher.
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Financial and Tax Implications: The "Inpatriates" Regime
If you actually win the get paid to move to italy application 2025, you need to know about the tax breaks. Italy has a "Lavoratori Impatriati" scheme.
Basically, if you move your tax residency to Italy, you can get a massive discount on your income tax. In some parts of Southern Italy, up to 90% of your income is exempt from taxes for five years. This is often a much bigger financial win than the one-time €20,000 grant.
Honestly, the grant is the hook, but the tax regime is the real reason to stay.
Actionable Next Steps for 2025
If you're serious, stop reading travel blogs and start doing this:
- Get your Codice Fiscale: Go to the nearest Italian consulate and get your tax code. You can't do anything without it. It's free and relatively easy.
- Check the Regional Portals: Bookmark the "Bollettino Ufficiale" for Calabria and Tuscany. These are the official diaries where new "Bandi" (calls for applications) are published.
- Learn Italian: Seriously. You cannot navigate an Italian government application in English. Even if the website has a "translate" button, the legal documents you sign won't.
- Consult a "Commercialista": This is an Italian accountant/tax advisor. They are the gatekeepers of Italian bureaucracy. Hiring one for a few hundred euros to review your application can save you from an instant rejection.
- Visit First: Don't apply to live in a town you haven't visited in November. Italy is beautiful in July. Italy is damp, cold, and lonely in January when you're the only person under 70 on the street.
The get paid to move to italy application 2025 is a golden ticket for the right person—someone with a remote job or a solid business idea and a high tolerance for paperwork. For everyone else, it’s a beautiful daydream that usually ends at the first PDF.
Stay updated on the specific deadline for the "Toscana Montagna" and "Reddito di Residenza Attiva" (Calabria) as they often open for very short windows, sometimes only 30 to 45 days.
Actionable Insight: Start by securing your Italian tax code (Codice Fiscale) at your local consulate today. Without it, you cannot legally sign any of the contracts required for these grants, and the process can take weeks depending on your location. Once you have that, focus your search on the "Calabria Calabria" portal or the "Regione Toscana" official site to find the most recent active decrees.