Beautiful Italy. Many Dutch people fly there for a city trip in one of the trendy cities such as Rome, Milan or Florence. But traditionally it is also a real car holiday country for us Dutch people. Who doesn't know someone who has left for Tuscany or Lake Garda in a camper or car during the summer holidays? Maybe you are one of those people and that is why you have fallen in love with the country and want to live there. Are you going emigrate to Italy? If you are moving to Italy, you should definitely read this article with useful tips so that you can make your Italian dream come true.

Destination Italy

Many people have been dreaming about emigrating for years and once you have taken that step you will feel how liberating it is. The great thing about moving to Italy is that it is a country in the European Union. It is the case that no matter how we look at it: moving to one of the European countries is the easiest.

Where are you going to live in Italy?

Italy is a very large country. This means that the regions can differ greatly from each other. That is why it is wise to visit the region beforehand to know what it is like to live there. Of course, a holiday is different from actually emigrating, but not every region has the same atmosphere. That is why it is wise to visit multiple regions so that you can get a taste of the atmosphere everywhere and make a choice for yourself. Before moving to Italy, you should find this out for yourself in advance.

Preparing for emigration to Italy

For a move to another country, you need to arrange everything properly. Think of your rent, bills and the tax authorities. It is best to find out all of this before you leave the Netherlands. In this article, we will discuss everything related to Italy so that you will not have too much trouble. You can also consult the moving checklist on our website to tackle everything properly step by step.

Moving companies

You are moving abroad and want to take all your belongings with you. For this you need to find a suitable removal company. Because of your international move you need a removal company that specializes in international moving. The removal company then employs movers who can help you as best as possible so that you can live abroad relaxed without any minor problems on your way. The average costs for such a move are difficult to say, because it is very personal and the price therefore depends on your wishes. It is best to request quotes without obligation via MOOVA. You indicate your wishes and they ensure that you receive free quotes from various removal companies. How convenient is this? Then you no longer have to contact each company separately and you can focus on moving to Italy.

Documents

If you are going to emigrate, it is wise to check certain documents carefully in the Netherlands. Think of your passport/ID card or driver's license. If these are no longer valid for much longer, it is wise to renew them in the Netherlands, because you want to be able to use them in Italy. Of course you can also renew them in Italy, but you will not have much time for that in the beginning, because you have to arrange so many other things. Also make copies of these documents in case of theft, loss or damage.

Other important matters that you need to arrange when you are going to emigrate to Italy are to request any Dutch diplomas from DUO to then contact NUFFIC. You may now think that you are going to work in Italy and not study, so you do not need a diploma to show to the educational institution. However, it is often the case that employers in Italy ask for your diploma. It is therefore useful to have this at hand. You should contact NUFFIC because you need a NUFFIC diploma description for your Dutch diplomas abroad.

Unsubscribe in the Netherlands

When you move to Italy you must deregister with the municipality where you live. You are obliged to do this when you want to emigrate. You can deregister with the municipality up to 5 days before your departure. Some municipalities want you to go to the town hall to arrange things and with some municipalities you can simply do it online. It is best to contact your municipality to ask how you can best do this.

Insurances

After deregistering with the municipality, you must also cancel your health insurance in the Netherlands. In Italy, you are automatically insured with the public health care system through your employer.

You can cancel your health insurance in the Netherlands by means of a special cancellation form due to emigration. Therefore, before you leave abroad, contact your health insurance to ask where you can find this form.

Taxes

Also, don't forget to arrange your affairs with the Dutch tax authorities before you emigrate to Italy. For this, it is best to contact the tax authorities so that they can help you as best as possible, because we do not know your personal situation of course. If all goes well, they will send you a form in which you must fill in the required fields. If there are more things that you need to arrange after that, you will also receive additional information about this.

Pension and benefits

Do you receive a pension from the Netherlands? Then it is wise to contact your own pension fund to ask about receiving your pension abroad. It is also wise to contact the Social Insurance Bank to be sure. When you emigrate, different rules also apply to your benefit. Contact the UWV or the relevant municipality about this. Arrange this properly, because you do not want to end up without income abroad and social security is arranged differently in Italy than in the Netherlands.

Tax Code

One of the most important things you need to have in Italy is your 'codice fiscaal'. It is best to arrange this in advance via the Italian embassy or immediately upon arrival in Italy. The 'codice fiscaal' is your Italian fiscal number that you will literally need for everything. You will need this number for important matters, such as with government agencies or for example when you want to open a bank account. But you will also need it when taking out a telephone subscription or switching off gas, water and electricity. As you can see, it is used literally everywhere. If you do not have this number, you will not be able to switch off/arrange these matters in Italy.

How do you apply for a codice fiscaal?

The codice fiscaal is ultimately a green card on which your fiscal number is stated. The application for your 'codice fiscaal' can be arranged either in the Netherlands or at your new address in Italy.

Apply in the Netherlands

You can go to the Italian embassy or consulate in the Netherlands. Because the Netherlands is a country from the European Union, you only need your passport or identity card for this application. People from other countries outside the European Union need many more documents for this application. You fill in the application form and then the passport is sent to your home address and you will have it before your departure to Italy.

Apply in Italy

Another way to apply for the pass is upon arrival in Italy. You only need your passport for this. You then need to report to a tax office in Italy or 'l'Agenzia delle Entracte'. You fill in a form here and receive the pass later at your new address in Italy.

Registering with the municipality in Italy

If you are staying in Italy for more than three months, you need to register with the municipality. This is the moment you need the documents that you will hopefully have arranged before your arrival in Italy.

Types of registration

In Italy you can register in two different ways. The first way is called the 'residenza'. In this case you have an official residence address in Italy. The second way is the 'domicilio'. In this case you are still registered with a Dutch municipality and have for example a second home in Italy.

What do you need to register with the Italian municipality?

It is best to consult the website of the municipality where you are going to live in Italy when you are still figuring everything out in the Netherlands. They often have a 'richiedere residenza UE' page. This is the page for 'residence applications for EU residents'. However, this varies greatly per municipality. A golden tip is to join Facebook groups of people who have already emigrated to Italy. There are many people who share their experiences and who you can also ask questions to when you are stuck.

What do you need when registering? As previously indicated, this varies per municipality, but in general, the following documents are required:

You need a valid passport or identity card
The official application form that you can find online and it must be filled in completely. This form is called 'Modello di dichiarazione di residenza'.
Proof of health insurance valid for at least one year or proof of registration with the Italian health insurance fund. The 'tesserasanitaria'.
An employer's statement or a recent bank statement. This is necessary to prove that you have sufficient liquid assets to live in Italy.
Proof that you live in Italy. This can be a rental or purchase contract, for example.
An extract from the Dutch Population Register. Please note that this must be international. This means that the document must be legalised.
A proof of deregistration from the Dutch municipality. Please note, this must also be international, so this document must also be legalized. If you do not legalize these documents, they are not valid in Italy.
Your 'codice fiscaal'. This is your Italian fiscal number.

How do you get these documents?

The necessary registration forms can be found on the websites of the municipalities in Italy. The 'tessera sanitaria' is a somewhat more difficult part of this procedure. You are only entitled to this insurance if you already live or work in Italy. This is probably not yet the case, because you are now busy with your registration. That is why the larger companies in Italy offer temporary health insurance for a maximum of one year. In this case, you must take into account the fact that such insurance really only reimburses the minimum. Think of emergencies where you have to go to the emergency room. Do you want to go to the doctor or dentist? Then these costs are for your own account. Such a policy alone will also cost you around €400. You can of course take this out, but the best thing to do is to apply for the 'tessera sanitaria' as soon as you are on track in Italy. As you have read before, you can apply for the 'codice fiscaal' at the Italian embassy in the Netherlands or in Italy itself.

When you have handed everything in, you will later be visited by the Italian police. This is nothing serious, but they will just come to see if you actually live at the address indicated. Are you not at home? Then you will have to go to the police station later.

Italian bureaucracy

Italians are known for their quiet lives. This is part of their culture. They will not put too much effort into something if it is not necessary. So if there is no hard work to be done, they simply will not do it. We must say that in the larger cities things go a bit faster these days, but unfortunately not in the smaller villages. In Italy, it is therefore better to make sure that you take too many documents with you to government agencies than too few. Every time you miss a document at an appointment, the longer the procedure will take. In Italy, it is better to go to the 'anagrafe' or the civil registry to arrange your affairs than to try to do this online. Experience has shown that arranging your affairs online in Italy is not very wise. Italians are still quite old-fashioned in this. So make an appointment at the 'anagrafe' and take all your documents with you. To make a long story short: if all your documents have been approved and stamped, you will be registered with the municipality within 40 days. It is after this that the police will come by to check whether you actually live at the given address. After 5 years you can apply for a permanent residence permit.

Study in Italy

You will need proof of enrolment from the university you are going to study at in Italy. You will also need to be insured, but in this case it does not have to be through an Italian health insurance. You can European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) use. You must also have proof of the European education programme and you must be able to demonstrate that you will have sufficient income during your studies in Italy.

Finally

As you have read, there are many things that you need to arrange properly. When you do this properly, you can move to Italy with peace of mind. We hope that this article has been of help to you and for questions you can always email us.