Saturday, 31 December 2011

Legal Documents You Need When Moving to Italy

By David Sandford


Moving to Italy is easy no matter what part of the world you are originally from. However, you do have to register yourself legally in Italy. Not having the correct paperwork when you are stopped by the Police can cause you a lot of trouble and even get you thrown out of the country.

Officially all non Italian citizens who are not from the EU need a document called, in English, a Permission to Reside to live there permanently. Non-EU citizens have to wait to apply and begin the process of becoming an Italian citizen. How long that is varies depending where you come from, your financial status and what kind of visa you used to get to Italy.

EU citizens have an automatic right to residency. You have to make your application at your local registrar's office. If you plan to stay in Italy for more than 3 months you need to apply for residency to remain legally in Italy.

If you are not an Italian you will be categorised as a tourist or a resident by the authorities. They are relatively strict about non-Italians filling out the right paperwork and registering with the correct authorities. Even tourists need to register their presence in the country at the local police station and obtain a declaration of presence.

To do many things in Italy you need your Italian identity card, which you can only get if you apply for residency. You need it to buy a car, rent a home long-term or open a proper Italian bank account.

If you are resident in Italy and want to drive legally there you need to transfer you driving licence to an Italian one. You should also buy an Italian car or import one legally.

Unemployment in Italy is usually quite high, so if you want a job you need to arrive speaking fluent Italian. Officially you need to register with the central employment exchange. Many employers ask even EU nationals for a workers registration book.




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