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Moving to Italy

Moving to Italy

Moving to Italy from Dubai in 2021 takes careful planning and attention to details and documentation. We provide everything you need to know before moving from Dubai to Italy. Start your move today by obtaining up to 6 competitive moving to Italy quotations FREE.

Moving to Italy conjures up rolling hills with spectacular vineyards, a rich and ancient culture including fantastic foods and age-old traditions. But what are the key challenges people face when relocating to Italy?

The key when relocating to Italy is research and preparation. Bureaucracy and red-tape can cause frustration, certain cities are incredibly expensive to live in, and taxes are relatively high. Employment, healthcare and finances are all special considerations ahead of your move to this wonderful country. 

Fortunately, we cover all this and much more in our ultimate moving to Italy guide.

Overview

Expats moving to Italy never regretted their decision because the country opened new horizons for them. Aside from learning to relate to people who have different cultures than you, Italy is the best place for you to learn more about farm-to-table as a way of life. Here, food is no joke. While there may always be an unpleasant french fry and pizza combo, the country’s food scene is such a revelation.

Italy is also a haven for people who love to travel. Rome is in a perfect location because you can easily hop all over Europe and skip to Africa from here. You can kick start your exploration of the different parts of Italy from here, too. Moving to this part of the globe will surely make you an eager traveller.

But the benefits of moving to Italy does not stop here. In the next few parts of the article, you will find more reasons to start a new life in this country. We will share relevant details like housing, banking, taxation, healthcare, and education systems in Italy.

We will also show you can handle complicated registration processes and slow bureaucracies in the country. If you can bear with these, you can easily find the Italian way of life worth it.So, if you’re ready to discover more about the metropole of the Roman empire and the Roman homeland, read on.

Moving to Ireland - Requirements

Because the country has an advantageous location, you have various options when shipping your personal belongings and household items. You can do it by sea freight, air, or road. Among these three, air freight is the quickest but also the costliest. 

Bringing your items over via cargo ship might take over a month or two. If you can move your things by land, this is most likely your best option since it's speedy but costs just as affordable as sea freight.

The only issue here is the fact that the country’s customs processes can be inconsistent at times. Some ex-pats find it seamless to import their household goods; others experienced major setbacks linked to unreliable communication on the shipping status and missing documents.

You can bring your belongings to Italy free of tax, import duties, and tariffs if you can provide evidence that you have acquired the same within the past 12 months and used them purely for domestic purposes. If you have to transport cash, make sure that it’s 10,000 EUR or less. Otherwise, you might be frisked by the authorities.

To know more about the country’s documentation process, you can always consult with the International Association of Movers.

What moving documents are required when moving to Italy?

When moving to Italy from Dubai, importation of Household Goods and Personal Effects requires the following documents;

  • Copy of passport
  • Detailed Packing list (stamped and signed by the Italian embassy/consulate at origin).
  • Copy of tax code number
  • Permit to stay released by the Questura Police Office
  • Copy of residence cert. / receipt from Italian City Hall stating the owner of the goods has requested residence registration
  • Bill of lading / AWB
  • Customs Dichiarazione Sostitutiva di Certificazione, completed and signed by the owner of the goods

For more information on documentation requirements, especially the Dichiarazione Sostitutiva di Certificazione click HERE

For a more in-depth look at documentation please check the International Association of Movers.

Visas / Legal

Italy is one of the 26 European countries that signed the Schengen Agreement. This means that citizens of the other 25 European countries can travel freely in the country without the need for a visa. Aside from this, numerous non-Schengen states can also enter Italy and stay there visa-free for 90 days or less. The rules are different for those who wish to remain in the country for more than 90 days. In this case, they need to apply for a Long-Stay Visa.

The Italian Long-Stay Visa is more popularly known as the National Visa or D-Visa. This is the kind of visa you need to get when you intend to stay for more than 90 days in the country. For those who intend to live in the country, this is not the only permission you need to secure, though.

With the D-Visa, you can enter the country legally. After that, you have to secure an Italian residence permit. This permit will give you the authority to stay in the country for more than 90 days. If you are on a Schengen or short-stay visa, you cannot apply for an Italian residence permit.

What are the different long-stay visas expats can apply for?

There are numerous types of long-stay visas you can choose from depending on your purpose of stay. These are the most common ones:

  • Family Visa: This type of visa is for foreign nationals who intend to be reunited with a family member who has an Italian permanent residence permit or Italian citizenship.
  • Retirement Visa: This is the visa foreign nationals who are capable of supporting themselves without having to work in Italy. 
  • Self-employed Visa: This visa is for entrepreneurs who intend to start a new business or to work independently in the country. 
  • Study Visa: This is for students who are over 18 years who are enrolled in any educational institution in the country. 
  • Working Holiday Visa: This is for foreign nationals within the 18 to 30 age bracket who wish to work in the country through its working holiday program. 
  • Work Visa: This is open for foreign nationals who wish to move to the country and work there. To apply for this visa, you need to have a job in the country before your application.

Climate

Italy has wet, cold winters and dry, hot summers, and because of these, the country enjoys a Mediterranean climate. In the northern and mountainous parts of the country, winters are humid and cool. There are times that north Europe’s cold air spreads into the southern part of the country, bringing snow to most of its mountains. The coasts remained warm due to the higher temperatures of the sea. Mistral and other storms can cause gales and bring snow that will run to Italy’s southern districts. 

spring

mar - may
12

80%

5

Rainy
Days Per
Month
Relative
Humidity
hours of
sunshine
per day
High

15oC/59oF

Low

4oC/39oF

Summer

june - aug

11

75%

6
Rainy
Days Per
Month
Relative
Humidity

hours of
sunshine
per day
High

22oC/72oF

Low
10oC/50oF

AUTUMN

sep - nov
13
81%
4
Rainy
Days Per
 Month
Relative
Humidity

hours of
sunshine
per day
High
18oC/64oF
Low
7oC/45oF

winter

dec - feb
16
84%
2
Rainy
Days Per
Month
Relative
Humidity

hours of
sunshine
per day
High

9oC/48oF

Low

3oC/37oF

Healthcare in Italy

Because of their balanced-diet and high-quality and free healthcare, Italians are known as one of the healthiest people in the whole world. The set-up is also pretty straightforward. If you are a non-resident, you will find that your healthcare benefits are not that extensive. 

Then again, if you have a residence permit, you can take advantage of the kind of healthcare the Italian nationals enjoy. If you want additional coverage, you can also subscribe to private health insurance.

While the country’s healthcare system is free and accessible, the same system sometimes falls short on efficiency and quality. Though the state ranked high in healthcare system performance, the said ranking is solely based on life expectancy and total health expenditures.

This means that the said ranking has nothing to do with the efficiency and quality of medical facilities and medical services. The truth of the matter is, some Italian public hospitals lack funding and are overcrowded. 

On a positive note, medical facilities and hospitals in bigger cities and northern ones are more than capable of handling medical emergencies. They cater to the medical needs of their patients. The same cannot be said for southern facilities.

How does the healthcare system in the country work?

First things first - the country has accessible and public healthcare. Aside from this, they also provide a hybrid private-public healthcare system. This means you can choose between these two as long as you are a holder of a permanent residence permit and is eligible. 

Both foreigners and Italian nationals have the right to access the country’s public healthcare. The services you can take advantage of under this system are either subject to a symbolic fee or for free and are administered by the Servizio Sanitario Nazionale (SSN).

Private Healthcare in Italy?

If you’re wondering whether you need to subscribe to private health insurance, the answer would be no since the same can be accessed through the government’s public healthcare system. But no one’s stopping you if you want to subscribe to private health insurance in the country. This decision would largely depend on whether you have the patience to wait for doctor’s appointments, procedures, diagnosis, and tests. Aside from that, the said decision will also be based on whether or not you want more attentive and personalized care.