Week 1 of the Moving to Italy Series
Moving to a new country can be an exciting but daunting experience. There's so much to think about, from packing your belongings to finding a new job and making new friends. But if you're dreaming of moving to Italy, the good news is that there are plenty of resources available to help you make the transition as smooth as possible.
This series will walk you through everything you need to know about moving to Italy, from booking your flights to finding a place to live to getting your Italian citizenship. We'll also cover some of the important things to keep in mind when adjusting to your new life in Italy, such as the culture, the language, and the cost of living. In this post we will cover your travel and arrival in Italy.
Booking Flights:
When booking your flights to Italy, we recommend two options:
Book a one-way ticket with no return flight.
Book an open round-trip ticket that will allow you to change your return date without large penalties or other financial implications.
Book your flight with the first EU/Schenghen stop in Italy. Do not transit in Spain, Germany, France… this will add an additional difficult to complete step for the Declaration of Presence
This will take the stress off of you if you have a set in stone date that you have spent thousands of dollars on.
At Immigration:
When you arrive at immigration in Italy, be honest and explain to the immigration officer that you are coming to Italy to establish residency in order to have your Italian citizenship recognized by your constitutional right of jure sanguineous. The immigration official should be satisfied with this response.
If you must transfer flights through another EU or Schengen country on your way to Italy, you may meet with an immigration officer that is not familiar with this Italian citizenship route. In this case, you may want to carry with you a print out of all your documents, proving your lineage and a print of the 1992 law which allows for your jure sanguineous for this new citizenship.
Passports:
If you are a female and you are married in the United States and you have taken the name of your spouse, your last name will no longer be the same as on your birth certificate. This could potentially be a challenge down the road in Italy, as all women keep their first name first and last throughout the entirety of their life.
When you become recognized as an Italian citizen, your last name will be your birth name, not your married name. This means that you will have an Italian passport with your birth name that matches your birth certificate and a US passport with your married name.
To avoid problems when traveling, we recommend that you request your US passport be re-issued in your birth name or ask for your US passport to have an a.k.a. added to the last page of your original birth name. You can also ask for an a.k.a. of your married name on your new Italian passport on page 4.
Cell Phones:
You will need to make sure that your phone is unlocked so that you can utilize a local Sim or eSIM in that phone. Once you arrive in Italy, we can help you set up a cellular plan through our Concierge services. These plans tend to be around €20 per month, and some will include up to 300 minutes of international calling for that cost.
Healthcare:
You are guaranteed free access for the first 90 days of emergency care, preventative care and ongoing health issues will not be covered under that free policy. We recommend that you purchase an international travel insurance policy that will be above and beyond this free emergency care.
Driving in Italy:
If you are planning to drive in Italy, it is a legal requirement to have an international translation of your driver's license. This is easy to acquire at your local AAA office. It costs around $20 and you’ll need to provide your driver's license and a passport photo.
Most rental cars in Europe are going to be manuals. If you are not familiar with driving a manual, you should know that automatics are available, but they are rare and considerably more expensive to rent.
Medication:
If you are taking prescription medication, it is best to speak with your healthcare provider and your insurance company about the extended period of time that you will be away to ensure that you have access to the medication you need before you leave the United States.
Different drugs and different formulations may be available in Italy, however, the first few months you may not have a chance to access a doctor or to research exactly the medication need so it would be best if you arrive with at least 90 days of your medication in hand when you arrive, if not 6 months.