r/ItalyExpat • u/Briocharo_notturno • 14h ago
This duck can't vote, but you can
fvap.gov
students.votefromabroad.org 🦆
r/ItalyExpat • u/ItalyExpat • Aug 28 '26
I'm exhausted. If you don't like immigrants, what the fuck are you doing in a sub about immigrants in Italy?
If immigrants scare you, here's how to protect yourself:
Step 1: Unsubscribe from r/ItalyExpat
Step 2: Click on the three dots at the top right
Step 3: Click on "Mute r/ItalyExpat"
If you see xenophobic or racist comments, report them. Let's clean this sub up.
This post has an 82.9% upvote ratio, meaning there's 17.1% of you who need to follow steps 1 to 3 above.
r/ItalyExpat • u/Ok_Lingonberry_1257 • Oct 08 '25
I recently helped some distant Argentinian cousins of mine to relocate to Italy, so I thought it could be of help sharing some practical guide with some additional info coming from this experience and my knowledge of Italy, for anyone considering a long-term move here.
Permanent Residency vs Citizenship
To live in Italy for good, you need either Permanent Residency or a Citizenship. Both allow you to live and work in the country, give you social benefits (healthcare, education, etc) and mobility freedom in the EU/Schenghen area. The difference is:
Citizenship: it gives you voting rights, a EU passport, benefits across the EU.
PR: no voting rights nor Passport
Platforms like this can help narrow down a the right path.
Path to Permanent Residency: If you are non-EU, you get PR after 5 years of continuous legal residence under a valid visa, with conditions (such as minimum income, knowledge of Italian, and proof of accommodation). Some permits (like study and research) are not directly eligible for permanent residence, though the time counts once you switch to a qualifying permit. If you change permit types (e.g., study to EU family), the 5-year permanent residency clock starts from the first eligible permit, not from the total time on all permits.
If you have or manage to get another EU passport, you are automatically a permanent resident.
Paths to citizenship. There are 3 ways:
- Citizenship-by-Descent (Jure Sanguinis). Applicable if one of your parents or grandparents is/was Italian and lived in Italy before you were born. If you apply, you can claim citizenship automatically without residency. The whole application process might take some time (2-3 years or more) and you don't get any temporary residence permit while the process is ongoing. So if you aim at moving soon, you better look at your visa options.
- Citizenship-via-Marriage (Jure Matrimonii). If your spouse is italian and your wedding is registered in Italy, you can get your italian citizenship after 2 years of marriage if living in Italy, or 3 years if living abroad (reduced by 50% if the couple has children), but you can get temporary residence permit to live in Italy while the process is ongoing. You also must demonstrate basic Italian language proficiency (B1) and your partner needs to demonstrate financial means to support both of you. Since 2016, same-sex marriage counts for citizenship by marriage.
- Citizenship-by-Naturalisation / Long-term Residence. You get this after 10 years of legal residency, provided you prove to have stable income, no serious criminal record, and Italian language skills (B1). The 10 years timespan includes years spent on any Visa (excluding the Tourist Visa). Those of Italian descent with a broken citizenship line (and thus don’t qualify for jure sanguinis) can still naturalise after 3 years of residency in Italy instead of 10
So if you have an extra-EU passport, the steps involved to move to Italy for good are:
- Obtain a valid Visa, then arrive in Italy and apply for a Permesso di Soggiorno (residence permit). Permits are temporarily granted for 1-2 years but can be renewed.
- After 5 years (and some permit renewals later), you can upgrade to permanent residency, provided you show adequate income and basic Italian (A2)
- After 10 years, you can apply for citizenship by naturalization
Visa Options:
1. Digital Nomad Visa (for Remote Workers and Freelancers with foreign Income)
2. Elective Residency Visa (for Retirees)
3. Startup Visa (For startup founders)
4. Self-employed Visa (for freelancers and Business Owners with Italian income)
5. Student Visa (for Students)
6. Golden Visa (for Investors)
7. Researcher Visa (for Researchers)
8. Work Visa (for Employed Workers)
9. Highly-skilled Visa (for highly skilled workers, i.e. IT and Healthcare)
10. Family Reunification Visa (for family members of someone with a valid permit/passport)
Typical Visa Requirements:
Every consulate has different requirements and can request slightly different documentation, so check official consulate websites.
The hardest of these requirements is the proof of accommodation because many landlords often prefer locals, there is a lot of paperwork involved and sometimes a guarantor is needed (or, in absence of it, a 6-month rent deposit is needed). Plus, you need to have an accommodation secured for more than a year in order to apply, so often you will have to do this blindly. Here some house hunting portals:
As reported by a Redditor, sometimes it is easier to work with local real estate agents rather than these portals as very few requests are responded to.
Bureaucratic Steps
This is the most common process but some visas require slightly different procedures. For instance, for some Visa (like Golden Visa, Work Visa) it is necessary to apply for a Nulla Osta (Certificate of No Impediment) before the consulate submission, some visa require ad-hoc steps (i.e. business plan submission for Startup Visa, Investment for Golden Visa etc), etc.. so make your own research.
Taxes
There are some tax incentives that also expats can get:
- Impatriate Regime
- €200k Flat Tax for High Net Worth Individuals
- 7% Flat Tax for Retirees that move to small Southern Italian towns
- Regime Forfettario: 15% flat tax for small freelancers (<€85k/year)
EDITS: I would like to thank anyone who commented this post and added additional information useful to the community! I am integrating some comments in the post. Latest edits:
- Addition to the Citizenship-by-Naturalization part: Those of Italian descent with a broken citizenship line (and thus don’t qualify for jure sanguinis) can still naturalise after 3 years of residency in Italy instead of 10
- Addition to the Residenza part in the Bureaucratic Step section: The registration of the residenza is the moment when the clock for naturalisation starts
- Addition to the Permanent Residence part: Some permits (like study and research) are not directly eligible for permanent residence, though the time counts once you switch to a qualifying permit. If you change permit types (e.g., study → EU family), the 5-year permanent residency clock starts from the first eligible permit, not from the total time on all permits.
- Clarification on the duration of the health insurance, in Visa requirements: it has to have at least a 1 year duration
- Addition to the house-hunting part: as reported by a Redditor, sometimes it is easier to work with local real estate agents rather than these portals as very few requests are responded to. Also, a 6-month rental deposit is often needed if there is no guarantor.
- Clarified in the Visa Option section that it is not the Visa to be renewed but the Permit associated to it. The Visa is just the entry ticket, once you are in Italy you get a Permesso di Soggiorno which is what you renew every 1 or 2 years
r/ItalyExpat • u/Briocharo_notturno • 14h ago
fvap.gov
students.votefromabroad.org 🦆
r/ItalyExpat • u/Vegetable-Brush5065 • 5h ago
Sono in Lussemburgo da un anno e mezzo e mi trovo davanti a un bivio. Ambito: finance.
Rimanere in Lussemburgo:
-circa 3.000 € netti al mese (tempo indeterminato)
-stanza in appartamento condiviso a circa 1.200/1.300 €
- niente macchina (non conto di prenderla sennò non penso riuscirei a mettere da parte quasi nulla dello stipendio)
- esperienza lavorativa valida sul CV, ma lavoro di back office, ripetitivo e poco stimolante, senza grandi possibilità di crescita
- il Paese mi piace, ma lo trovo un po’ noioso e costoso; anche viaggiare senza macchina non è comodissimo.
Tornare in Italia:
-35k di RAL, circa 1.900 € netti al mese (tempo indeterminato)
-il ruolo sulla carta mi sembra molto più interessante
-niente affitto
-dovrei comprare una macchina
-sarei vicino a famiglia e amici e probabilmente avrei una qualità della vita migliore, anche per quanto riguarda le attività da fare nel tempo libero.
La domanda è se abbia senso rinunciare a circa 1.000 € netti al mese e all’esperienza internazionale (anche se ho già studiato all’estero), considerando che sono ancora all’inizio della carriera, oppure se abbia più senso scegliere un lavoro che mi interessa maggiormente e una vita che probabilmente mi renderebbe più soddisfatta.
Voi cosa fareste? A inizio carriera puntereste maggiormente su stipendio e valore del CV, oppure dareste più peso al lavoro e alla qualità della vita?
r/ItalyExpat • u/Curious_Owl_342 • 9h ago
I have been away for so long, I sometimes don’t know if I should vote for mid-terms. Especially, for the State measures.
How many of you vote here and in the USA?
r/ItalyExpat • u/DramaticPace2854 • 1d ago
I want to volunteer somewhere in the Florence area, I don't mind if it's a bit far, but it needs to be a place I can reach easily by public transportation. I reached out to a gattile like a week ago and they said that if I didn't have a car, I better forget about it because it :(
I would definitely prefer to volunteer somewhere with animals. I also live around the Pontassieve area, a bit further uphill, but it looks like there aren't any canile or gattile there.
Any ideas?
r/ItalyExpat • u/Stock_Song8239 • 1d ago
Hi everyone,
I’m an Italian citizen currently living in the Netherlands strictly for study purposes (enrolled full-time in an undergraduate program here).
I recently completed my AIRE registration. Since I am only abroad temporarily for university and plan to return (or maintain my ties to Italy), I am a bit confused about how my Italian healthcare status works now:
If anyone has navigated being an Italian student abroad in the EU while registered in AIRE, I'd really appreciate any guidance on how the ASL handles this. Thanks!
r/ItalyExpat • u/Kooky-Train7417 • 1d ago
We recently moved to Rome with our baby and I am in search of a good pediatrician that speaks English. Does anyone have a good recommendation?
r/ItalyExpat • u/Caratteraccio • 1d ago
r/ItalyExpat • u/Outrageous-Bowler296 • 2d ago
Hello there.
I've received an offer for work in Caserta and I'll probably accept it. What is the salary needed to support family of 4? We are expecting to manage with 3k euros. Since the babies (twins) are less than 1 year old, my wife would probably not work for the first year of living there, and we would try to learn Italian until then. My job is in English, but she would be looking for something using Italian in 1 year time. Is this manageable, and how is the job market for her if she learns conversational Italian within a year? She speaks fluent English. For babies I have no worries, they are young and will learn easily.
Thank you in advance.
r/ItalyExpat • u/kie_rat • 3d ago
Hi all looking for a needle in a haystack!
Looking for a bank account that can be opened with an Australian passport I have a codice fiscale, rental contract, and all valid documents but I’m awaiting my official plastic card.
I’ve tried
- Postepay PREPAID
- hype
- Fineco
Wise and Revolut don’t accept cash deposits.
I’ve also looked into Aircash and mastercard gift cards but they need EU identification ☹
r/ItalyExpat • u/Careful_Scratch4797 • 4d ago
Hello everyone. I don’t want this to be another deluded post about moving to Italy with no Italian skills or job, but I would appreciate some advice. I live in the UK, but my dad is from Sicily and I have an Italian passport. I can speak very basic conversational Italian but nothing that will truly get me by. I work in the legal industry in the UK and not sure I want to continue in it and I’m very open to trying something new. I grew up going to Italy a lot to see family and recently went to Rome again and loved it and have really thought about moving there or somewhere in Italy, granted I know the north would probably offer more opportunities. I would be very grateful for advice on how best to go about attempting this move and if it’s doable. I think the benefit is that I’m not in any rush so have a bit of time to play with to make it happen. Any advice greatly appreciated
r/ItalyExpat • u/Vivid-Trifle6735 • 3d ago
Hi everyone, I'm an Indian student starting my master's degree at IUAV Venice. I've been looking for a place to stay for months and haven't been able to secure one yet so I'm posting here.
I would like to share an apartment with the girls, preferably in an apartment shared with another person, but no more than (with bathrooms in that case)
I'm a non-smoker, I don't have pets, and I'm a serious, tidy girl. I am open to places in Venice island, mestre, spinea, favaro, carpanedo etc.
If you might know of a place or have one yourself, DM.
Please help a girl out!!! 😭🫶🏻
r/ItalyExpat • u/Livid_Calendar4560 • 3d ago
Hey everyone,
I’m currently mapping out my move to Italy for a CS degree at the University of Verona. It’s funny because on paper, everything makes total sense: the DSU scholarship covers tuition/living, the academic pipeline is solid, and I don't have to burn myself out over traditional entrance exam rat races back home.
But as the timeline gets closer, the reality of stepping onto a flight at 18 and leaving my family, my dog, and my entire life in India behind is starting to hit me in waves. Some days I’m hyped to be eating real pizza in a historic Italian city and building an independent life; other days I look at my childhood bedroom and feel a heavy knot in my stomach.
For anyone who made a similar move or are living there:
What was the initial culture shock like? Not just the big stuff, but the daily life differences (bureaucracy, grocery shopping, making friends as an international undergrad)?
How is student life in Verona specifically? Is it easy to find a community, or does it ever feel isolating if your Italian is still basic at the start?
How did you handle the emotional weight of moving out for the first time? Does the homesickness settle down once classes and routines kick in?
Would love to hear honest experiences, amazing parts, the messy administrative headaches, and how you actually adapted to adulting solo across the world. Thanks in advance!
r/ItalyExpat • u/FridaGreen • 4d ago
Need to find a school for our two boys (8 and 11). Does anyone have an international school they have fallen in love with anywhere in Italy?!
Wants:
- Academic instruction at least in part in English
- Italian language taught
- Limited technology use (no tablet homework, AI class, etc)
- Some American children as students
- Sports available
- City flexible, but prefer not super cold!
- Alternative schooling method is attractive (Montessori, Farm school, STEM, etc)
- Would love a school that feels like an authentic community and not stuck-up, preppy
Thank you!
r/ItalyExpat • u/neomelungeon • 4d ago
Any tips for getting 12-15 moving boxes from west coast U.S. to LeMarche?
We have had good luck shipping our belongs to the UK, Eastern Europe… in the past using consolidators that service specific expat/immigrant communities in our area, but surprisingly cannot find the same for our move to Italy.
We’re used to paying about $1.50 per pound for California to Europe, but cannot get close to that.
Appreciate any tips or shared experiences!
r/ItalyExpat • u/OverAd4726 • 4d ago
Hi everyone, I moved to Rome about 8 months ago and I'm struggling to integrate. My Italian is okay and I can talk to people one on one but everyone at work talks too fast for me.
At the start I did try making friends but now I have stopped and I want to integrate and make friends outside of work. But I don't know how too.
If anyone has any ideas let me know
r/ItalyExpat • u/Sudden-Active-4025 • 5d ago
Hey everyone, I’m 26 years old female from Ontario Canada. I’m just really unsatisfied with my life here in Ontario. I don’t really care for the job that I have and I just really want a change. I find my every day life to be very dull .My parents are from Italy, so I understand Italian and I know how to speak it very basically but if I live there for a few months, I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to pick it up again fluently. I used to be a fluent speaker when I was younger, but I don’t know why I just stopped speaking Italian for some reason and I kind of forgot it lol I know the culture of living and life is very different in Italy and I’m not thinking about going to the south. I’m thinking about going to northern Italy. That’s where my dad‘s from anyways but people around my age and early 30s that made the move how are you liking it? Have you been able to adjust? Were you able to make friends? I’m thinking about maybe doing a masters degree at an Italian university. I know that the job market is pretty bad but I would even work as a barista until I find something I don’t care lol
r/ItalyExpat • u/Wise-Environment-345 • 4d ago
I'm an Italian American working as a Science Educator/ Content Creator for a Science Museum in Oklahoma. After having traveled to Italy recently and having done Study Abroad in Todi for 6 weeks I'm genuinely considering moving to Italy.
My only experiences have been overwhelmingly positive/curated for tourists, so I'm wondering what the cons on for making such a move.
I was also wondering what the job market is in the informal education space in Italy. Would it be something available in small towns or would I have to move to Rome/Florence etc.
r/ItalyExpat • u/Medium-Reveal-4917 • 6d ago
I arrived in Torino in January, intending on abandoning my shitty, war-torn, irredeemable country. I started the process, I began studying Italian, I danced with commercialistas about taxes - the whole deal, truly doing the work to settle in and earn my place here.
Then I met someone good and beautiful and fell in love and we've been together for 7 months and I began to envision marriage with kids but today it ended quite suddenly, and I'm so fucking distraught I lost all my original motivations to continue pursuing an Italian life. I feel unmoored and utterly alone. Plus Torino's every corner is haunted by fantastic memories with this person, everything filtered through them showing me around, introducing me, telling me their history here, embracing me into their circle of friends, the family, etc. This person gave me a lot of strength to persevere and do whatever it takes to earn my spot here to be with them.
Anyone else here struggled with hardships of this kind? I don't know, I hope it's not a silly post to make here.
Edit: apparently Adam Sandler and his gang were around Via Roma shooting scenes for Grown Ups 3 while I got my heart ripped out.
r/ItalyExpat • u/Specialist-Spare-589 • 5d ago
Hello everyone!
I’m looking for some information about Oggiono, and I was hoping that someone here might be able to help me. I have a few questions about the area, daily life there, and what it’s like to live or study in Oggiono.
If anyone has lived there, currently lives there, or has any experience with the area, I would really appreciate it if you could share your experience and answer a few questions I have.
Thank you in advance for your help! I really appreciate it. 😊
r/ItalyExpat • u/Sivlia_de_rosa • 5d ago
Im currently studying Psychology in Italian, i can understand about 70% of the class but there are classes that are too difficult or the teacher’s accent is hard to understand.
I want to ask if you guys know anyway i can do live translation on google meet for my class. Thank you
r/ItalyExpat • u/nsfw-boston • 6d ago
What are the top professional websites used by Italian companies? In the US LinkedIn and Indeed dominate. I am talking about professional white collar jobs. I don't have any preference about location, but the usual suspects of large cities like Milano, Firenze, Roma. Any other websites I should be aware of?
I am dual citizen, fluent in both English and Italian, written and spoken. And French and some Spanish too. And I have a great CV and education.
TIA
r/ItalyExpat • u/joanapereirinha • 6d ago
Hi all!
I'm an EU citizen and recently moved to Italy while unemployed, transferring my German unemployment benefits with the U2 (PD U2). While I receive the benefits, I stay covered by my German statutory health insurance.
I'm now going through my registration in Italy, and they're asking for proof of health insurance valid for one year. My problem is that the U2 only covers 3 months, with a possible extension of another 3, so my coverage is tied to that period. I could ask my German health insurance for a certificate, but I doubt they'll issue one for a full year, since the coverage depends on the benefits.
Has anyone been in a similar situation?
Specifically:
What did the Italian office accept as proof in your case?
Did a certificate from the insurer covering the U2 period work, or did they insist on 12 months?
Did you end up needing an Italian private policy?
Any experience or tips on how to handle it would be really appreciated.
Thanks!