Moving to Italy requires more than a plane ticket and good intentions. Your nationality, income source, and intended length of stay determine which legal pathway exists for you, and many of the routes people assume are available simply are not. These guides explain what is actually possible, what each status means in practice, and what happens when you get it wrong.
The First Question
Are you an EU citizen? This single fact determines almost everything about your immigration path. EU citizens have freedom of movement and can register as residents in any Italian comune. Everyone else needs a visa before arrival, and the options are more limited than most people realise. There is no general "I want to live in Italy" visa. Each route has specific requirements around income, employment, or family ties.
Essential Reading
Visa Options Explained
Elective residency, self-employment, digital nomad, family reunion, study. What each route requires, who actually qualifies, and the income thresholds involved.
Read guideResidency vs Domicile
Italy distinguishes between residenza and domicilio. They affect your tax status, healthcare eligibility, and legal obligations in different ways. Getting this wrong has consequences.
Read guideAll Residency Guides
Visa Options
Main visa routes into Italy, who qualifies, and what's actually involved. No hype, no "one weird trick."
Read guideElective Residency
Italy's option for non-EU citizens who can support themselves without working. Requirements and application realities.
Read guideEU Citizens
Freedom of movement means you can live in Italy. It doesn't mean Italy knows you exist.
Read guideResidency vs Domicile
Each status has different implications for tax, healthcare, and legal obligations. Here's what each actually means.
Read guideResidency Application
What to expect, what documents to bring, and how to handle the inevitable "we need something else" moment.
Read guideKey Concepts
Visa vs Residency
A visa grants permission to enter and stay in Italy for a specific purpose. Residency is registration with your local comune after you arrive. Non-EU citizens need both: a visa obtained at an Italian consulate before travel, then residency registration and a permesso di soggiorno within 8 days of arrival. EU citizens skip the visa but still must register as residents if staying longer than 90 days.
Residency vs Domicile
Residenza is your registered address: where the anagrafe (registry office) records you as living. Domicilio is where your main life interests are centred: work, family, finances. They can be in different places. The distinction matters because Italian tax authorities use domicile (among other factors) to determine tax residency, which can make you liable for Italian tax on worldwide income even if you split your time between countries.
Permesso vs Carta di Soggiorno
The permesso di soggiorno is a temporary stay permit, typically valid for one or two years and tied to the purpose of your visa (work, elective residency, family). It must be renewed. After five years of continuous legal residence, you can apply for a permesso di soggiorno UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo (long-term residence permit), which gives indefinite stay rights and removes most restrictions. The path from one to the other requires consistent legal presence, tax compliance, and adequate income throughout.
Related Topics
Your residency status directly determines your healthcare access, tax obligations, and what you need to do in the first weeks after arrival.