Moving to Italy from the UK: A Complete Guide

Italy draws UK families for reasons that are difficult to articulate and almost impossible to resist. The climate, the culture, the pace of life, the food, the landscape. For many people who contact us, the decision to move to Italy has been forming quietly for years before it becomes a plan.

This guide is for those at the serious planning stage: people who are moving from the UK to Italy and want to understand what is actually involved. It covers the main planning topics in enough depth to help you think clearly, with links to dedicated guides where more detail is needed.

There is no single version of life in Italy. A hilltop farmhouse in Umbria, an apartment overlooking a Milanese piazza, a villa on Lake Como, a townhouse in a Sicilian hill village: these are different countries in almost every respect other than the passport you will carry. What they share is a quality of life that, for many UK families, represents something the UK has quietly stopped offering.

The pace is one part of it. Italian life tends to be organised around enjoyment in a way that feels deliberate rather than accidental. Meals are long. Schools close for the afternoon in some regions. The seasons are marked and observed. For families with children, this can feel like a revelation, particularly when set against the pressures of London or the larger English cities.

Climate is another consideration, though it varies more than people expect. Northern Italy shares some of the UK’s grey winters. Central and southern Italy offer long, warm summers and mild winters, with the south and Sicily remaining warm well into autumn. Families who want reliable warmth tend to look south or to the islands. Those who want proximity to the Alps and easy access to the rest of Europe tend to look north.

International schooling is available in Florence, Rome, Milan, and other cities, which matters for families whose children are mid-education or whose careers require a degree of international mobility. Safety is generally high by European standards, though it varies by city and neighbourhood. Healthcare, once you are properly registered, is well regarded, particularly for chronic and specialist care.

The question most families are really asking is not whether Italy is the right country, but whether the version of Italy they have in mind is the right version for their life. That is worth thinking through carefully before any planning begins.

Since the end of free movement on 1 January 2021, UK citizens are treated as third-country nationals by Italy. You can visit Italy visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, but to live there, you will need to apply for a long-stay visa before you leave the UK.

The main routes for HNW individuals and families are as follows. The Elective Residence Visa is designed for those who can support themselves without working in Italy. It requires demonstrable passive income from pensions, investments, rental income, or similar sources.

The income threshold is not fixed in Italian law, but specialist commentary and consular guidance commonly reference approximately €32,000 per year for a single applicant, with higher expectations for couples and families.

The Digital Nomad Visa is available to those working remotely for non-Italian employers or clients, with a minimum income requirement of approximately €28,000 to €30,000 per year. The Self-Employment Visa covers freelancers and those establishing a business in Italy, though requirements are specific and legal advice is strongly recommended.

For those with Italian ancestry, citizenship by descent (jure sanguinis) is a separate route entirely: it confers Italian citizenship based on documented lineage rather than residence, and bypasses the visa process altogether.

Once you arrive in Italy on a long-stay visa, you must apply for a permesso di soggiorno (residence permit) within 8 days of arrival, at your local questura (police headquarters) or posta italiana. You will also need to register with the anagrafe, the local municipality registry, if you are staying for more than three months.

The codice fiscale, Italy’s equivalent of a National Insurance number, is an alphanumeric tax code you will need for almost every administrative process, from opening a bank account to signing a lease. It can be obtained from Italian consulates in the UK before you depart, or from the Agenzia delle Entrate after arrival.

The process involves more documentation and more interdependencies than many people expect. Your dedicated coordinator can help you sequence the administrative steps around your moving timeline, so that nothing is delayed by a document that should have been obtained in the right order.

Italy’s cost of living is broadly lower than the UK’s, but the range between regions is wide enough that any single comparison is almost meaningless. Property prices in central Florence or the more established areas of Lake Como can approach London levels. In rural Tuscany, Umbria, or Sicily, the same budget buys something quite different. For HNW households, Italy tends to offer strong value in terms of what lifestyle quality costs per pound or euro spent, particularly outside the major cities.

Property is the area where the variation is most dramatic. The Italian market includes everything from habitable farmhouses in need of attention to fully restored villas with staff quarters and private land. For those buying in popular areas such as Chiantishire, the Amalfi Coast, or Lake Como, prices have risen steadily in recent years, driven partly by international demand. For those willing to look further, the value proposition remains compelling.

Schooling is a practical consideration for families. International schools operate in Rome, Milan, Florence, and a handful of other cities, with fees that are broadly comparable to UK independent schools. State schools are free, well regarded in many areas, and an effective route for children to integrate, though the language transition requires planning. Healthcare, once you are registered with Italy’s national health service (SSN), is free at the point of use for most treatments and well regarded for specialist care.

Everyday living costs, including food, restaurants, and local transport, tend to be meaningfully lower than in London or the south-east of England, particularly in smaller towns and rural areas. For families making the move from expensive parts of the UK, the shift in what daily life costs can be substantial.

Italy is a long, varied country, and the choice of where to live shapes almost everything else about the move. The regions below are the ones that come up most often among the families we work with, though this is far from an exhaustive picture.

Tuscany

Tuscany remains the most established destination for UK families moving to Italy. Florence offers city life with excellent international schools and strong transport links. The Chiantishire belt, the rolling hills between Florence and Siena, has an established British expat community, beautiful landscape, and a quality of life that many regard as difficult to improve upon. Lucca is a well-preserved walled city with a calmer pace and a growing international community. Property in Tuscany spans the full range, from restored farmhouses to working estates.

Rome and Lazio

Rome and Lazio suit those who want a world-class city with direct international connections. Rome has several strong international schools, a large diplomatic and corporate community, and a cultural life that is simply without parallel. Traffic, bureaucracy, and the pace of the city are the trade-offs. Lazio beyond Rome offers quieter alternatives within an easy commute.

Milan and the north

Milan and the north draw those with business interests in Europe or who want strong transport connectivity. Milan is Italy’s financial and design capital, with excellent international schools, a dense expat community, and direct flights to most European cities. The surrounding Lombardy and Piedmont regions offer good value relative to the city itself.

Lake Como and the lakes

Lake Como and the lakes attract those looking for privacy, scenery, and a well-established international community. Properties on the western shore of Como command significant prices, but the lake region also includes more accessible options around Lake Maggiore and Lake Garda.

Liguria

Liguria, the Italian Riviera, offers a Mediterranean coastline, a mild climate, and close proximity to the French border. Portofino, Santa Margherita, and the Cinque Terre region draw buyers looking for coastal living within reach of Genoa’s airport.

Sicily

Sicily has grown steadily in popularity among international buyers, particularly those drawn by warmth, value, and a quality of life that feels unhurried. Palermo, Taormina, and the Val di Noto in the south-east all have established international communities.

For HNW individuals and families considering a move to Italy, the tax position warrants serious attention before any other planning begins. Italy operates a Regime dei Nuovi Residenti, a flat-tax scheme for new residents, that was originally introduced in 2017. Under the rules set out by the Agenzia delle Entrate, qualifying individuals pay a flat annual substitute tax on all their foreign-sourced income, in place of ordinary Italian income tax rates on those earnings.

The rate for new opt-ins from 1 January 2026 is €300,000 per year, regardless of how much is earned abroad. Family members can be included for an additional €50,000 per person per year. The scheme lasts for up to 15 years. To qualify, you must not have been an Italian tax resident in at least 9 of the 10 tax years immediately before transferring your residency to Italy. Italian-sourced income is taxed separately under ordinary Italian rates and is not covered by the flat tax.

For those who transferred their residency and opted into the scheme before the 2026 rate change, existing participants remain on their entry rate for the duration of their 15-year period. The rate history is worth noting: the scheme launched at €100,000 per year, was raised to €200,000 from August 2023, and was raised again to €300,000 for new opt-ins from 1 January 2026.

This scheme is a significant consideration for those with substantial foreign investment income, pension income, or overseas business interests. However, it is not the right structure for everyone, and the interaction with the UK-Italy double taxation treaty, UK exit charges, and the timing of residency transfer all require specialist advice before any decisions are made.

A well-executed move to Italy involves a sequence of decisions and actions that need to happen in the right order. The visa application comes first, because you cannot live in Italy without one, and processing typically takes up to 90 days for an Elective Residence Visa. Once you have a visa and an arrival date, the administrative sequence begins: permesso di soggiorno within 8 days, anagrafe registration, codice fiscale, healthcare registration, and, where relevant, the tax residency process if you are opting into the Regime dei Nuovi Residenti.

Alongside the administrative sequence, the physical move needs to be planned. For a household with furniture, personal effects, vehicles, and collections, this involves considerably more coordination than a domestic move. Customs documentation for household goods, careful management of CITES-regulated items, specialist packing for fragile or high-value pieces, and coordination with Italian customs authorities all need to happen in parallel with the administrative work.

Your dedicated coordinator manages the logistics thread from the initial survey of your household through to delivery and placement in your Italian home. That includes the inventory and customs paperwork for your household goods, the specialist handling and documentation for any high-value collections, and the sequencing of delivery around your arrival date and the availability of your new property. Having a single point of contact for the physical move means that the logistical complexity sits with someone who has managed this route many times, while you focus on the administrative and legal steps that require your personal attention.
For those moving with vehicles, pets, or fine art, your coordinator can also advise on the additional documentation and timing involved in each.

Italy has some of the most comprehensive cultural property legislation in the world, and it applies not only to items already in Italy but, in some circumstances, to items being brought in. Anyone moving a significant art collection, antique furniture, or heritage objects from the UK to Italy should understand the documentation landscape before the move begins.

For items leaving the UK, Arts Council England administers export licences for cultural goods. Items of significance may require a UK export licence before they leave the country. Items made from or incorporating materials derived from protected species, including ivory, tortoiseshell, certain tropical timbers, and exotic leathers, will require CITES documentation. This applies to antique furniture, musical instruments, decorative objects, and jewellery, as well as more obviously regulated items. Since the UK is now a third country for EU customs purposes, these requirements apply fully to moves between the UK and Italy.

Within Italy, the Codice dei Beni Culturali e del Paesaggio governs the movement and export of cultural property. From 2026, the threshold for an Attestato di Libera Circolazione, the certificate required to move qualifying artworks, has been raised to €50,000 for items created more than 70 years ago. However, Italian cultural property law is complex, and the specific rules for items being imported as part of a household move can differ from those governing commercial art transactions. Legal advice is strongly recommended for anyone moving a collection of significance.

Specialist handling matters here beyond the documentation. Oil paintings, antique furniture, marble sculptures, ceramics, and textiles all require packing methods and environmental controls that standard removals cannot provide. Our in-house crating workshop builds to specification for each piece, and our team manages the documentation alongside the physical move, so that nothing is delayed at customs or at the Italian border.

Do UK Citizens Need a Visa to Live in Italy?

Yes. Since 1 January 2021, UK citizens are no longer EU nationals and must apply for an Italian long-stay visa if they wish to live in Italy for more than 90 days in any 180-day period. The most common routes for those relocating from the UK are the Elective Residence Visa, the Digital Nomad Visa, and the Self-Employment Visa. You apply through the Italian consulate in the UK before departure. Your specific route will depend on your income, employment situation, and personal circumstances, and specialist immigration advice is worth taking before you apply.

Can I Bring My Household Goods to Italy Without Paying Customs Duties?

In most cases, yes, provided you qualify for Transfer of Residence relief. Personal effects and household goods can be imported into Italy duty-free, as long as the items have been owned and used for at least six months prior to the move and you are making a genuine transfer of your primary residence. New items purchased for the move do not qualify and will be subject to Italian import duty and VAT. Full documentation is required, including a detailed inventory of all goods. Your coordinator can help ensure the inventory and customs paperwork are prepared correctly ahead of your move date.

How Long Does an International Removal to Italy Typically Take?

Transit times vary depending on the volume of your consignment, the origin and destination addresses, and whether you are moving as a full-load or as part of a groupage service. Your coordinator will advise on a realistic timeline for your specific move once the initial survey of your household has been completed.

Do I Need an Italian Tax Number Before Moving?

You will need a codice fiscale, Italy’s alphanumeric tax identification code, for a wide range of administrative steps, including opening a bank account, signing a lease, and registering with the healthcare system. You can apply for one through the Italian consulate in the UK before you depart, which is often the most practical approach. Your coordinator can flag the timing of this step in the context of your wider moving plan.

What Happens with My NHS Coverage When I Move to Italy?

Your NHS entitlement ends when you move abroad permanently. If you are receiving a UK State Pension, you may be eligible for an S1 form, which allows you to register with Italy’s national health service (SSN) with healthcare costs reimbursed by the UK. If you are not yet of pension age or do not qualify for an S1, you will need private health insurance when you first arrive, until you meet the residency and registration requirements to enrol in the SSN. Your coordinator can flag this in the planning sequence so that appropriate cover is arranged ahead of your arrival date.