Getting started: enter and remain in Italy

Entry and residence

What is required to enter and remain in Italy for work purposes?

Depending on whether or not you’re an EU citizen, different rules apply to entering and staying in Italy for work purposes.

Bolzano/Bozen is the northernmost province of Italy. Together with the province of Trento, it constitutes the autonomous region of Trentino-South Tyrol. In the north and east, South Tyrol borders on Austria: North Tyrol and East Tyrol, to be precise. It also shares a border with the Veneto region to the east, Trentino in its south and the Lombardy region as well as Switzerland in the west.

EU citizens

Italy is a member of the European Union. With the creation of a single market, four fundamental freedoms were introduced for EU citizens. One of them is the free movement of workers, which allows EU citizens to travel to any other EU country to look for a job, work there (without having to apply for a work permit) and live there for work purposes.

Since 2007, citizens of EU member states no longer need a residence permit (carta di soggiorno/Aufenthaltsgenehmigung) to remain in Italy. Furthermore, EU citizens do not need a visa or residence permit to enter Italy – only a valid ID card or passport. In line with the principle of freedom of movement, they are entitled to stay in Italy for longer than three months provided that they work (either for an employer or self-employed), are looking for work or have sufficient means of subsistence.

All EU citizens entering and remaining in Italy are subject to a general obligation to register and must therefore notify the local registration authorities (ufficio anagrafe/Meldeamt) of their new place of residence.

Those who have legally resided on Italian territory for an uninterrupted minimum of five years are awarded a permanent right of residence (diritto di soggiorno permanente/Erlaubnis zum Daueraufenthalt-EU), which they can have certified by their local registration authorities (ufficio anagrafe/Meldeamt).
For more information please visit:
Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen – South Tyrol

Non-EU citizens

What do non-EU citizens require to enter and remain in Italy for work purposes?

Citizens from non-EU countries may need a visa to enter Italy, i.e. an entry permit issued by the Italian embassy or a consulate in their country of origin.

To get an idea of whether you will need a visa, visit the website of the
Directorate General for Italian Citizens Abroad and Migration Policies (DGIT) at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

Who needs a residence permit and who issues them?

While visas are only for entering Italy, non-EU citizens will need a residence permit (permesso di soggiorno/Aufenthaltsgenehmigung) to legally remain in Italy.
There are different types of residence permits depending on your reason for staying in Italy. They can be applied for either directly at a questura/Quästur (provincial headquarters of the Polizia di Stato national police force) or through an authorised post office. Residence permits for work reasons can be applied for at authorised post offices.

For more information please visit:

How can non-EU citizens obtain a permanent residence permit?

Non-EU citizens who have been living in Italy for a minimum of five years on a valid residence permit and can provide proof of a minimum income as well as sufficient Italian language skills (level A2 of the European Reference Framework) can apply for an EU long-term residence permit (permesso di soggiorno UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo /Erlaubnis zum Daueraufenthalt-EU). You can obtain proof of your language skills in an official test at your local prefettura/Präfektur (Commissariato del Governo/Regierungskommissariat or government commissioner’s office).

For more information please visit:
Italian Ministry of the Interior

Registration

When and where to register your new residence

If you’re moving to South Tyrol from abroad or from another Italian region, you must register your place of residence with your new local authorities (ufficio anagrafe/Meldeamt) within 20 days of moving in. The municipal police may then check that you are in fact residing there.

You can submit your declaration of residence in person at your ufficio anagrafe/Meldeamt or send it by post (raccomandata/Einschreiben) or e-mail.
In Italy, identity cards (carta d’identità /Personalausweis) are mandatory. You can apply for one at your ufficio anagrafe/Meldeamt.

Italians living abroad: what to bear in mind when returning to Italy

Upon your return to Italy, you must register your new place of residence at the ufficio anagrafe/Meldeamt of your new municipality. You will then be entered into the APR resident population register (Anagrafe della Popolazione Residente/Register der ansässigen Bevölkerung) and removed from the AIRE register of Italians living abroad (Anagrafe Italiani Residenti all’Estero/Register der Auslandsitaliener:innen).

Accommodation

How to find a place to stay

Finding the right place to stay straight away is not always easy in South Tyrol. Temporary accommodation for the first few weeks or months can help you take the time needed to find a new home.

Here’s a non-exhaustive list of addresses that may be of help getting started:

Hotel Kolping Bolzano/Bozen
Low Cost Room Bolzano
IPES workers’ hostels
student housing (for students and other persons aged 18 to 35)
hotels, holiday flats etc.,
Information on vacancies is also available from local tourist offices (for Bolzano/Bozen: Tourist Board)
Airbnb

Health system

Access to public health services

South Tyrol’s system of public health services is financed through tax revenue. In order to access public health services, you need to be registered with the province’s health care provider.

Once registered, you’ll receive a health care insurance card (tessera sanitaria/Gesundheitskarte) issued by the Italian national health care provider, the Sistema Sanitario Nazionale (SSN), and can choose a general practitioner (medico di base/Hausärztin or Hausarzt) from a list of registered doctors.

For registered residents, access to health services is generally free of charge, except in some cases where a cost-sharing fee (“ticket”) is charged
Anyone not registered in the public health care system must pay for their medical care with the exception of urgent medical attention. Prices are based on the official rates established by the regions or autonomous provinces.

Who is eligible to register with provincial health care providers

Italian citizens from other provinces or regions who move to South Tyrol for work and have a contract for a minimum of three months’ employment in South Tyrol must register with the provincial health care provider (simultaneously waiving their registration with their previous health care provider) in order to obtain a free health care insurance card.

EU citizens who are regularly employed or self-employed are also entitled to register with the provincial health care provider for free.

Non-EU citizens legally residing in Italy who are regularly employed, self-employed or registered as unemployed are also entitled to register with the provincial health care provider for free.
Anyone who is legally residing in Italy or South Tyrol but not working and not legally required to register with a health care provider can voluntarily register and pay for health care services.
You may only register with the health care provider competent for the district of your official residence.

For more information please visit: Health care department at the Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen – South Tyrol

Tax ID

Italian tax ID (codice fiscale/Steuernummer)

A so-called tax identification number (codice fiscale/Steuernummer) is required for a multitude of everyday transactions and official acts in Italy, such as signing an employment contract, registering your residence at the ufficio anagrafe/Meldeamt, signing a phone contract, opening a bank account, taking out insurance or any other contract (electricity, rent, buying a property etc.).

Tax ID codes are issued by the Italian Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate/Agentur der Einnahmen) and serve to unequivocally identify each individual taxpayer: They consist of an unique combination of letters and numbers derived from the person’s name, gender and date of birth alongside their place or country of birth.

Foreign nationals can apply for an Italian tax ID at the Italian Revenue Agency using the form provided.

For more information please visit: Italian Revenue Agency

Driving

Driving with a foreign licence

In Italy, driving with a foreign licence is permitted only for a limited period, then it must be exchanged for an Italian one at a competent driving licence office (Ufficio della Motorizzazione Civile/Führerscheinamt):

From the date on which your new residence is registered, you have two years timeto convert your driving licence if issued by other EU member states or one year time if issued by non-EU countries.

Once the above mentioned deadline expores, your driving license must be exchanged in order to still be valid and have the right to circulate within the Italian territory.
However, different rules for the exchange apply depending on whether you’re an EU citizen or come from a non-EU country.

To find out more, please contact the office in charge of driving licences (Ufficio della Motorizzazione Civile/Führerscheinamt) of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen – South Tyrol:

Exchanging driving licences issued by EU member states
Exchanging driving licences NOT issued by EU member states

Do I need new number plates?

If you move to Italy and bring your own car, you must change the registration and get Italian number plates within three months of registering your new residence. This can be done through an appropriate agency.

Here’s an overview of service providers in the Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen – South Tyrol

Digital identity (SPID)

What is SPID?

SPID (Sistema Pubblico di Identità Digitale or public digital identity system) is a free digital identification system that allows citizens to safely access the online services of Italian public administrations on their computer, tablet or smartphone.

This is done by creating a personalised SPID account complete with user name and password at the highest security level and in strict compliance with the applicable data protection rules.

What is SPID used for?

In Italy, a number of public administration services can only be accessed online using digital identification (SPID), for example signing a child up for kindergarten, school or school cafeterias, applying for financial support, accessing your INPS/NISF social security status (Istituto Nazionale della Previdenza Sociale/Nationales Institut für Soziale Fürsorge) and many more.

Where can I get one?

If you meet the requirements and provide the necessary documents, you can apply for your SPID at the Bolzano/Bozen Chamber of Commerce, any post office or through the website spid.gov.

For more information please visit:

Bank account

Why open a bank account?

In Italy, wages and salaries are not paid in cash: They are usually paid into a bank account. Before opening an account, we recommend thoroughly checking the conditions of the respective bank, as handling charges or fees for transfers abroad etc. may vary significantly.

South Tyrol has a number of smaller and larger banks, some of which are cooperative banking institutions. The largest ones in terms of balance sheet are Banca Popolare dell’Alto Adige/Südtiroler Volksbank, Cassa di Risparmio di Bolzano/Südtiroler Sparkasse and Cassa Centrale Raiffeisen dell’Alto Adige/Raiffeisen Landesbank Südtirol.

Arrive in South Tyrol

What is required to enter and remain in Italy for work purposes?

What do non-EU citizens require to enter and remain in Italy for work purposes?

Who needs a residence permit and who issues them?

How can non-EU citizens obtain a permanent residence permit?

When and where to register your new residence

How to find a place to stay

Access to public health services

Who is eligible to register with provincial health care providers

Italian tax ID (codice fiscale/Steuernummer)

Driving with a foreign licence

Do I need new number plates?

What is SPID?

What is SPID used for?

Where can I get one?

Why open a bank account?