- Brandon Le Clerk
What I really love about InterNations? Making new business contacts and friends in real life. This is a unique plattform.
If you are looking for a hands-on guide on how to move to Italy, you are in the right place. We show you how hard or easy it is to move to Italy on all aspects that concern your relocation, from housing to healthcare, education, banks and taxes, and more. Overall, if you are willing to handle slow bureaucracies and complicated processes of registrations and applications, you will find the Italian way of living worth it. That is if you like the country’s relaxed and outgoing nature, as these are by far the major benefits of moving to Italy.
Each section of this guide covers all things to know when moving to Italy, and what you will need to move there—patience comes first, especially if you are used to methodic and timely processes for public services. However, if the Italian tranquility and work-life balance appeal to you, you will find Italy to be the perfect destination.
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A Comprehensive Guide on Relocating to Italy
All You Need to Know About Relocating Your Household Goods and Pets
This section covers all you need to know about the process of moving to Italy. When it comes to moving your goods with you, you should be well-covered in terms of options. Depending on where you are moving from, you can have your belongings shipped by road, air, or sea. The option you go for depends only on how fast you would like your items to arrive and your budget. However, if you can have them shipped by road, this is likely going to be your best option, as it is relatively affordable and fast.
This relocation guide covers all the customs allowances and forbidden or restricted items, which you should keep in mind before you start packing for the land of the Romans.
On the other hand, if you need storage once you are there, you may run into some trouble. Options for storage in Italy are scarcer than in most European countries, but you will still find options throughout the country. If you want to book online or know the prices in advance, it might be better to search in Italian.
As for required vaccinations to move to Italy, you should have nothing to worry about if you have all your routine vaccines up to date—these are the ones you should have gotten as a child in most countries.
If your four-legged friend is coming with you, you should get acquainted with the requirements for moving to Italy with pets. As long as your pet has the necessary vaccination, pet passport, and microchip, you should have no trouble crossing Italian borders with your furry one.
Once you know what to bring and what to leave behind, it’s time for packing.
Andiamo!
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The Guide to Visa Types and Work Permit Requirements
To know how to get an Italian visa and work permit, you will want to do some reading ahead of time. That is because Italy has a quota on how many foreigners can work in the country, and this will depend on the kind of work you are looking to do. This is, of course, if you are a non-EU national. Citizens of the European Union can enjoy the rights to free movement and live, work, and study in Italy without the need for visas and permits.
We cover visa application processes for each of the most popular visas, along with their requirements, so you are all set to apply at the Italian embassy.
You shouldn’t have to worry about the cost of the visa, as most are only 116 EUR (127 USD) for most of them. To this, you must add the resident permit fees, which can go up to 200 EUR (220 USD).
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Discover our welcoming community of expats! You’ll find many ways to network, socialize, and make new friends. Attend online and in-person events that bring global minds together.
Everything You Need to Know About Finding a New Home
Finding accommodation in Italy shouldn’t be too hard—that said, you will have better luck finding housing in Italy quicker in the countryside than in bigger cities, where demand for housing is much higher.
In this section, you can get to know all types of houses you can find in Italy, from the common city apartment to the more typical casale or villa.
We give you all the information on how to rent a house or apartment in Italy, and the average rent—800 EUR (880 USD) a month—although this number can be as high as 1,500 EUR (1,650 USD) a month in some of the most expensive cities. We help you set up your utilities in Italy by guiding you through the process, documents, and requirements.
If, on the other hand, you want to know how to buy a house in Italy as a foreigner, you should know the first thing is to look for a lawyer or a real estate agent. This avoids confusion regarding taxes, leases, or any possible hiccup that could be associated with your future property. Average house prices in Italy are somewhere between 1,800 and 1,900 EUR (1,980 and 2,090 USD) per square meter.
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Discover our welcoming community of expats! You’ll find many ways to network, socialize, and make new friends. Attend online and in-person events that bring global minds together.
Health Insurance and the Healthcare System of Italy Explained
Make sure to check out our healthcare section to learn everything you need about the healthcare system and health insurance in Italy.
The Italian healthcare system is advanced, with trained, qualified professionals. You can rely on their public healthcare services to cover any serious or minor medical needs, for little to no cost.
However, it is not uncommon for residents to take out private health insurance in Italy. These are mostly supplemental to public services, which can come with inconvenient waiting times and slow diagnostics. However, private health insurance in Italy does not come cheap and may cost you between 1,000 and 3,000 EUR (1,100 and 3,300 USD) annually, depending on the extension of your cover.
You can also find practical information on how to find a doctor. Public doctors are listed with your local health agencies, the ASL, which is also where you will be carrying out all the procedures to register with the public healthcare system.
If you plan on giving birth in Italy in public hospitals, you should be prepared. The state covers all costs associated with medical procedures and care. However, you should know that some mothers’ experiences in public hospitals are not very encouraging, with many parents alerting to the fact that you will have to bring to the hospital everything you might need—this includes basic necessities such as towels, toiletries, diapers, and so on.
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Discover our welcoming community of expats! You’ll find many ways to network, socialize, and make new friends. Attend online and in-person events that bring global minds together.
See all upcoming events for expats in Italy
Our Global Partners
- Brandon Le Clerk
What I really love about InterNations? Making new business contacts and friends in real life. This is a unique plattform.
- Li Wang
At my first InterNations Rome Get-Together I met more expats then expected. InterNations made is so easy to settle in.
