Italy

Average household spending is highest in the North-east and Centre and lowest in the South and the islands. Rent and energy weigh most in the big cities; food and transport everywhere. ISTAT and OMI are the official sources for comparison.

4+4 free-rent, 3+2 agreed-rent, transitional and student contracts; mandatory registration with the Agenzia delle Entrate, deposit capped at three months, flat 'cedolare secca' tax for the landlord. Foreigners can buy, non-EU nationals subject to reciprocity.

The codice fiscale opens everything: work, rent, bank, healthcare. Then residence at the municipality, SPID or CIE, a SIM with ID, a bank account, utilities on the free market and waste sorting by municipal rules. The restaurant 'coperto' is not a tip.

Municipal nurseries on ISEE-based fees with limited places, almost free pre-school from age 3; online school enrolment in January-February. Free paediatrician up to 14, INPS universal child allowance, maternity, paternity and parental leave.

To enter with a dog, cat or ferret you need a microchip, an EU pet passport or health certificate and a valid rabies vaccination. Mandatory registration in the regional pet register, lead at all times and a muzzle to hand. Pets allowed on trains under Trenitalia rules and in apartment buildings by law.

Historic centres and transport only partly accessible; law 104 and INPS civil invalidity for disability services. Civil unions since 2016, UNAR against discrimination. Public offices almost only in Italian, with exceptions in bilingual regions.

112 is the single emergency number; 113, 115 and 118 remain active. Low violent crime, frequent pickpocketing and tourist scams in big cities. Civil Protection weather and seismic alerts and IT-alert messages on mobile phones.

Rules depend on who is arriving: EU/EEA/Swiss citizens (no visa, registration with the Comune after three months), non-EU citizens for stays up to 90 days (Schengen rule, type C visa where required) and for long stays (national type D visa and a residence permit within eight working days of arrival).

Before: documents, housing, school. First week: codice fiscale, SIM, bank account. First month: residence permit if non-EU, residence, SSN registration, then the driving licence within a year. Household goods duty-free for arrivals from outside the EU, car to be re-registered.

Trenitalia and Italo high-speed trains between the big cities, dense but slow regional trains, regional buses where rail is missing. EU licences valid, non-EU ones to be converted within a year of residence; ZTL zones in historic centres. Main airports at Rome Fiumicino and Milan Malpensa.

Euro, cards accepted almost everywhere, a legal cash limit. Anyone living in Italy for most of the year is tax resident and taxed on worldwide income under three IRPEF brackets; specific regimes exist for the self-employed (forfettario), inbound workers, foreign pensioners and new residents. Contributions go to INPS; annual return with the 730 or Redditi form.

The national health service is public, run by the Regions through local health authorities (ASL) and based on the family doctor. Registration is compulsory for workers and holders of work or family permits, voluntary or replaced by insurance for others; EU citizens use the European Health Insurance Card for short stays. Urgent care is guaranteed to everyone.

Non-EU pensioners enter with the elective residence visa, EU pensioners through free movement; public healthcare is accessible by compulsory or voluntary registration. Optional 7% regime on foreign income for those moving to small southern municipalities. Cheap houses in villages, services concentrated in cities.

A labour market split between a manufacturing and service-based North with employment close to the EU average and a South with much lower rates. No statutory minimum wage: pay and hours are set by collective agreements (CCNL). A thirteenth monthly salary almost everywhere, a fourteenth in some sectors.

Remote work ('lavoro agile') is governed by law 81/2017 and requires a written individual agreement. Coworking is widespread in large cities; FTTH fibre is growing but does not yet cover the whole country. SPID or CIE are indispensable for online bureaucracy.

A VAT number (partita IVA) from the Agenzia delle Entrate for freelancers; for businesses the Comunicazione Unica to the Registro delle Imprese, which also notifies the Agenzia, INPS, INAIL and SUAP. Main forms: sole proprietorship, SNC/SAS, SRL and SRLS, SPA. Compulsory PEC, annual chamber fee, e-invoicing. Invitalia incentives; non-EU citizens need a self-employment permit or the investor visa.

Free public school from pre-school to upper secondary, compulsory from 6 to 16. Public universities with fees linked to ISEE and a no-tax area; international students pre-enrol on Universitaly, qualifications assessed with CIMEA. Academic year starts in October.

Twenty regions (five with a special statute), provinces and metropolitan cities, municipalities. Italian is the official language and twelve minority languages are protected. CET/CEST time zone, twelve national holidays.

From Alpine climate to the Mediterranean coast: foggy, damp winters in the Po valley, long dry summers in the South, heat waves with Ministry of Health bulletins. Widespread seismic risk and recurring floods managed by the Civil Protection; worst air in the Po basin.

A country of strong local identities: dialects still spoken at home, cuisines and festivals that differ from region to region. Formality with 'Lei', rigid meal times, slow paper-based bureaucracy. Non-EU citizens with a long-stay permit sign an integration agreement with credits.

The country with the most UNESCO sites in the world: art cities, villages, coasts, Alps and volcanoes. State museums free on the first Sunday of the month, tourist tax set by municipalities, high season July-August on the coasts and April-October in the art cities.

Distinct regional cuisines, a 'coperto' charge in restaurants and course-based menus; neighbourhood markets everywhere. Football, cycling, skiing and CAI trails; free beaches next to paid 'stabilimenti'; evenings that start late.

Carnival in February, Holy Week, Salone del Mobile in April, Palio di Siena in July and August, Umbria Jazz in July, Notte della Taranta in August, Venice Biennale from May to November, truffle fairs in autumn. Official calendars come from municipalities and regions.

The GoNest directory lists relocation agencies, lawyers and accountants, language schools and coworking spaces. Lawyers and accountants are listed in public registers that can be checked; CAF and patronati offer free assistance. Beware of intermediaries who promise permits or residence for a fee.

First published October 2026. Every page has sources with retrieval date and a review date; figures show period and status. Corrections are reported through 'Report an error'.