How to Move to Italy from the UK

Here are a few understatements to consider - planning a new life abroad is exciting, moving abroad is stressful, managing a move overseas is complicated!  Planning a new life abroad is of course one of the most thrilling rides you’ll ever embark upon but the excitement will be overshadowed by feelings of fear and downright dread when you contemplate how you’re actually going to physically move yourself, your family, your car, your pets and your worldly goods from point A to point B…

But never fear, as always we’re on hand to give you some top tips, practical advice and insider secrets!  In this article we’ll be examining how to move to Italy from the UK and we’ll cover your pets, your car, yourself and of course your furniture and personal possessions.

The magic of Italy seduces an increasing number of Brits annually and some of those who fall head over heels with this fabulous country actually decide that they are going to sell up, pack up and move out to live a brand new life under the Italian sun.  If you’re contemplating a similar move I don’t blame you…Italy offers expatriates an exceptionally good quality of life, and especially for retirees the pace of Italian life is perfect.

So, here’s how to move to Italy from the UK…

First things first – are you allowed to just up sticks and move to Italy?  As a resident of another EU member state you are allowed to go and live in Italy unrestricted.  However, if your intention is to become resident in the nation you need to apply for an official residence permit within eight days of relocation.  The permit is called permesso di soggiomo in Italian and to get one you need to go to the nearest police headquarters as early as you can in the morning and be prepared to wait all day until you get your hands on it!  It’s valid for 5 years though so just endure the wait and get it done.  Take your passport with you as well as a handful of black and white passport sized photographs (at least 3), some bank statements showing you have a bit of money and can therefore support yourself financially in Italy and the birth certificates for any of your children who are under 18.  If you have a job in Italy you should take your employment contract as well.

The next important form to get is a certificate of residence or certificate di residenza - this one can be obtained once you’ve moved into your new property in Italy and you go to the town hall to get it.  Please note – if you’re renting ensure there is no clause within the contract that stops you using your rental address for this certificate…otherwise you cannot obtain it and your landlord can evict you on a whim should he decide he no longer wants to rent to you!

Go to the town hall with your residence permit, passport and an official form that you can get from the British embassy in Italy that confirms you are who you say you are.  You will again wait around all day so take some sandwiches and a good book to read and know that this certificate is worth having as it gives you pretty much the same day to day rights as Italian citizens.

Okay – so that’s you covered - now for your pets.  Assuming you have ‘normal’ pets like cats and dogs (sorry to be pet prejudiced!) and you have obtained for them a pet passport and they are fully up to date with all injections and treatments, (dogs also have to be immunized against kennel cough, rabies, hepatitis and distemper and cats against rabies, typhus and feline gastroenteritis), you go to the nearest DEFRA registered vet in the UK a maximum of 30 days before you head off to Italy and you get a certificate of good health.  You can then fly or drive your pets to Italy.  Be aware though that these rules can sometimes change and the rules for other types of pet differ - so check out DEFRA’s website for full details or speak to your vet.

Taking your car to Italy is actually easy – you need to make sure you’ve got its MOT and servicing all up to date, take all your documents with you when you drive it, ask the DVLA whether you need to fill in any import documentation and make sure your insurance covers you to drive in Italy.  Once you’re in Italy you’ll eventually need to get local plates.  If you’re having a removal company import your car then you’ll get a customs pass called a bolletta doganale from them.

Finally – importing your worldly goods into Italy – to do this you will need an Italian national insurance number which you get from the Italian consulate in the UK.  You then need to write out an inventory of everything you’re taking with any receipts you have or approximations of value in Euros.  Give the national insurance number which is called a codice fiscale in Italian, your inventory and a copy of your passport to your removal company and they can import your possessions into Italy tax and duty free.

So there you have it – how to move to Italy from the UK – it’s relatively straightforward and if you just work through the process a day at a time you’ll soon be living in Italy and wondering why you got so hot and bothered about the actual move in the first place!