Removals to Italy offer a weekly service
for people moving to Italy on a permanent
basis or setting up a holiday/2nd home.
We at removals-to-Italy.org are
recognised specialists at moving furniture
to Italy with minimum fuss.
Our Italy removals service offers unrivalled coordination
services with excellent communication keeping you informed
at every stage of your removal. After 20 yrs hands on
experience in removals to Italy we can rightly boast of local
knowledge throughout Italy and it’s this expertise that will
ensure your Italy removal becomes a stress free and enjoyable
experience.
When you enquire about the removals to
Italy service your call is handled by a
co-ordinator who is highly experienced in
removals to Italy and will assist you in deciding
the most favourable method for your removals
to Italy in terms of ease of service, price, and
any requirements you may have for temporary
storage.
Your personal co-ordinator will make sure that the removals to
Italy of your personal effects, is as smooth,simple and as cost
effective as possible. By contacting removals to Italy,
your co-ordinator can take responsibility for every aspect of your
removals to Italy from your front door in the UK to your front
door in Italy. Your co-ordinator will remain in contact so that
you are always up to date with the progress of your removals to
Italy making the whole relocation process as simple as possible.
Documents Required To Stay (and Work) in Italy
EU nationals don’t require visas for visits to Italy but require a permit
to stay if they plan to remain longer than 90 days.
Non-EU nationals need a ‘residence visa’ ( visto per ragioni di dimora)
to enter Italy with a view to staying more than 90 days and may
need one for a visit of a shorter duration. Applications should be made
at an Italian consulate abroad well in advance of your planned departure
date. Visas may be valid for a single entry only or for multiple entries
within a limited period. A visa is in the form of an adhesive sticker (not
a stamp) inserted in your passport, which must be valid until at least
three months after the visa expires.
Visas are issued for many reasons, each of which has its own
abbreviation (sigla). These include tourism (A), business (B), religion (C),
diplomatic service (D), domicile (DM), joining family (F), dependent
work (L-1), self-employment (L-2), artistic work (L-3), medical care (M),
mission (MS), study (S), sporting activity (SP), re-entry (R), transit (T),
airport transit (TA) and visiting family (V).
The type of visa issued depends on the purpose of your visit and the
length of your stay, and determines the type of permit to stay that’s
issued after you arrive in Italy. If you plan to stay in Italy for longer
than six months, you must ensure that you obtain a visa that’s valid
for at least a year; otherwise you will be able to obtain a permit to
stay for only six months and won’t be able to renew it.
Some of the documentation you may need to apply for a visa,
mainly concerning permission to work, must be obtained in Italy.
Although your prospective employer normally handles this on your
behalf, your presence in Italy can help to speed up the process.
If you plan to start a business or work freelance, you must also
register at the local tax office ( intendenza di finanza) and chamber
of commerce ( camera di commercio) or professional registrar
( albo dei professionisti), and present the documents from these
agencies together with your visa application.
Having obtained the necessary paperwork, an application for a visa
must be made to your local Italian consulate with jurisdiction over
your place of residence. It may be possible to make an application
by post, but in other cases you’re required to attend in person.
All applicants require:
- A passport valid for at least three months beyond the validity of
the requested visa with a blank page to affix the visa sticker.
- A number of black and white, passport-size photographs on a
white background. Depending on the urpose of your visit, you
may require some of the following (note that some consulates may
require both originals and photocopies).
- Proof of residence in the country from which you’re applying.
- Proof or travel arrangements showing your name and exact dates
of entry into and exit from Italy (if applicable).
- Proof of financial resources.
- A health insurance certificate if you aren’t eligible for health treatment
under Italian social security or through your employer.
- Employees require an authorisation to work in Italy issued by the Italian
Department of Labour.
- Students require proof of admission from an approved educational
establishment.
- A non-EU national married to an Italian citizen or to a foreigner
who’s resident in Italy, requires a marriage certificate.
Applicants under 18 need written authorisation from a parent or guardian.
Many of the above documents must be translated into Italian.
All translations must be done by a translator approved by your local
consulate, a list of whom ( elenco di traduttori) is provided by Italian
consulates on request.
Many documents need tax stamps ( marche da bollo) affixed to
them, and in many cases requests for official documents must be
made on special lined paper ( carta da bollo), to which a tax stamp
must be attached. The standard stamp ( bollo) for administrative
documents ( atti civili) costs €10.33 and can be purchased from a
tobacconist ( tabacchi).
Driving in Italy
Italy is one of Mediterranean Europe’s best holiday destinations.
The varied and vast landscape of Italy is so captivating, it’s valleys,
plains, lakes and rivers are great sights that will leave you in awe.
The sophisticated culture of Italy and its stylish people are two
factors why this country is one of the most popular places to visit for
both business and leisure. With car hire 3000 you can organise your
car hire in Italy before you leave the UK, giving you complete
peace of mind.
Whenever in Italy, drive on the right. A driving licence is required
and should be with you whenever you hit the road. If your
licence does not have your photo on, you should bring along your
passport for identification purposes. If you rent a car, you should
take the documentation given to you by the car hire company
whenever you are driving.
The speed limit is set at 130 km/h on motorways, 110 km/h on dual
carriageways, 90 km/h on open roads and 50 km/h in towns. Speed
limit on three lane motorways that have emergency lines is 150 kph,
however you should always check to ensure that you are following
the correct speed limit for that particular road.
Italy implements no drinking and driving policy. For your own safety,
buckle up with a seatbelt at all times. It is required by law to do so.
Children should be seated with appropriate restraint system if they
are less than four years old. Children 4-12 years old should never sit
in the front seat without proper restraint system.
Carry with you a first-aid kit for emergency purposes if possible,
however it is not compulsory.
Unleaded petrol, diesel, LPG and lead substitutive additive are
available at petrol stations. Major debit and credit cards are
generally accepted. Right hand drive vehicles should use
headlight converters these are compulsory. Dipped headlights
should be used if there is low visibility during daytime. They should
be on whenever you are in tunnels, on motorways, carriageways
and on town roads.
Summary:
- Seatbelts should always be worn
- Children should sit in the back
- Children under 4 should use a child seat
Taxation in Italy
General
Everybody, whether Italian or foreign, who takes part in financial
transactions in the country needs a tax identification number or
codice fiscale. You’ll become taxable as residents once you do 183
days work (more than half the year) in Italy.
Let’s not deny, it’s a
complex system. Tax evasion is traditionally much more common
than in the UK or US. At the top levels of ‘supertax’, rates have been
historically very high and evasion rife. 83% of the population declare
an income of less than 4000Euros pa. And many of us will be confused
by the Italian system of tax amnesties and the reporting requirements
for foreign investments.
Another complication is that your possessions
are taxable, not just your income, so don’t move
your yacht and Jaguar to Italy, as they may become tax liabilities!
Taxes for businesses in Italy
IRAP is an issue if you are planning to set up a business or work on a
self-employed basis in Italy. The smallest companies will pay this,
though how much depends on region, and the basic rate is 4.25%.
Businesses also need to become familiar with IVA (roughly equating
to UK VAT or US sales taxes) and the codice fiscale. IVA (Imposta sul
valore aggiunto) rises in stages from 4% to 10% to 20%. Standard rate
is 20% for clothes, food is 10%.
Other taxes in Italy attached to property
Once you own real estate in Italy, you’ll become liable for another
new tax, ICI (Imposta Comunale sugli Immobili). This is a property tax
levied by the comune (the equivalent of your local council in the
UK or US) and based on the rateable value (valore catastale) of
your house, rather like the Council Tax in the UK. Annoyingly, you
can’t set up Direct Debits or put a cheque in the post, paying your
ICI involves queueing up to pay at the post office twice a year.
There is tax payable on completion of your purchase of real estate,
such as L’imposta del registro, you can read more about that in our
section on completing the sale. There is also VAT or sales tax to pay
if you buy real estate from a builder or a housing association or co-op.
This ranges from 4% - 10% depending on whether it’s to be your
main domicile, whether you already live in the municipality or if it’s
to be a second home.
Inheritance and capital gains tax in Italy
While property values are periodically taxed via IRPEF, there is now
no capital gains tax on property (the former INVIM) and there is no
wealth tax. Inheritance and gifting of property are sheltered too,
with gifts under €80,760 or to close family members shielded from
tax. The position on inheritance, with numerous exemptions and a
sliding scale of marginal taxation is complex and you should seek
expert advice. And again, it’s not quite as rosy as it sounds.
Though Berlusconi’s government conceived the plan as a way of
attracting capital back into Italy, your real estate owned in Italy is
regarded as being subject to the tax laws of your home country.
This is a juncture for consulting the commercialista or your
home tax advisor.
Moving to Italy and taxation
Countries such as the UK and US have double taxation treaties with
Italy, to avoid the unfairness of your getting taxed in two countries
on the same assets.
UK residents should tell the Inspector of Taxes; they will send you a
form P85 to fill in. They will require proof that you are leaving UK
jurisdiction before they remove your UK tax liabilities — evidence of
having both sold a UK house and bought or rented Italian real estate
should do it. If you are planning to work in Italy, then the P45 from
your last employer in the UK, plus a proof of employment from an
Italian employer should be sufficient to convince them you are no
longer their concern. For more details on living and working abroad
go to the Inland Revenue website.
Other taxes issues in Italy
It’s vital to get your tax and other financial affairs in order before
you move. You may find that going offshore with your bank
accounts or mortgages yields huge benefits, and moving to a
foreign country and assuming expat status could be the perfect
time to do this. Planning is all. A good audit of your affairs, with a
competent professional who can advise you how to best shield
your assets from the taxman, could save you thousands of euros
and lots of sleepless nights.
Retirement in Italy
The first thing you need to know is that if you’re a citizen of the
European Union you are free to retire to Italy without the need for a
visa for entry. Having said that, once you do arrive in Italy you have
to register your presence with the local authorities by going along to
the nearest police headquarters (questura) and applying for a
residency permit (permesso di soggiorno).
If you herald from any other nation you will need permission to retire
to Italy and you will need to demonstrate sufficient proof of income
so that the authorities see that you can support yourself fiscally
speaking in retirement. Contact your nearest Italian consulate and
find out about the paperwork you will have to complete and the
proof of income that you will have to provide. Note: this proof of i
ncome has to be passive income – i.e., you should not need to
keep working when living in Italy in order to support yourself if you’re
asking to move there to retire. What this means is that your proof of
income should be in the form of pension payments for example.
If you are in receipt of pension income no matter where you’re
moving from, find out from your pension provider whether they will
pay your income into an Italian bank account. If they won’t then
you will need to keep your old account going and ensure you have
access to it via the Internet or through telephone banking so that
you can have easy access to your funds.
Once you have residency in Italy sorted out you can apply to join
the national health scheme. There is a reciprocal agreement
between the UK and Italy so that UK retirees can have access to
free basic healthcare in Italy in retirement assuming they have paid
into the UK state healthcare scheme through taxes and National
Insurance contributions during their working life.
To apply to join you register with the local health authority
(unita sanitaria locale) and get your health number. With this
number you can register with a local doctor. Because the Italian
public health care system is underfunded and overstretched,
many who retire to Italy choose to take out some form of private
health insurance to ensure they will be well looked after if they
need to be. Premiums need not be expensive – but shop around,
look at the small print, consider getting critical care cover so that if
you are taken ill for a long period you will have someone to take
care of you and also make sure the excess you will have to pay if
you make a claim is affordable to you.
We can assist with difficult access
in Italy by utilising our network of
Italian removals companies who
can offer manpower and small
vehicles for trans-shipment if required.
