Moving from the US

Visas for Americans

Americans can visit Italy visa-free for 90 days in any 180, but living here needs a long-stay (type D) national visa from the Italian consulate that covers your US state, then the permesso di soggiorno within 8 working days of arrival. Since October 2025 the EU Entry/Exit System records your fingerprints and photo at the border.

US taxes while living in Italy

US taxes don't stop when you move. The US taxes by citizenship, so you keep filing every year on top of Italian taxes.

• Form 1040 every year. Living abroad gives an automatic extension to 15 June (interest still runs from 15 April); you can extend further to October.
• FBAR (FinCEN 114) if your non-US accounts together top $10,000 at any moment of the year. Your Italian current account, savings and pension pots all count. Penalties for missing it are severe.
• FATCA Form 8938 for larger foreign assets. Thresholds for people living abroad are higher (for a single filer, $200,000 at year end or $300,000 at any time).
• Avoid double tax with the Foreign Tax Credit (Form 1116) or the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (Form 2555, about $130,000 and indexed yearly). With Italian tax rates, the credit often works better. The US–Italy treaty doesn't remove the duty to file.
• Don't buy Italian or EU funds and ETFs. The IRS treats them as PFICs with punitive tax and paperwork. Keep investing through a US broker that accepts a foreign address (some close accounts when you move abroad, so check before you go).
• State taxes: some states (for example California, Virginia, New Mexico and South Carolina) can keep treating you as a resident. Break your domicile cleanly: driver's licence, voter registration, home.
• On the Italian side, report US accounts and brokerage in the Quadro RW and expect IVAFE wealth tax; 401(k), IRA and Roth withdrawals are treated differently in Italy than in the US. The regime impatriati (see Tax & money) is open to Americans too. Use an adviser who knows both systems.

Social Security and Medicare

• The US–Italy totalization agreement means you pay into only one social security system at a time; seconded employees ask for a certificate of coverage. Work credits in both countries can be combined toward a pension.
• US Social Security can be paid straight into an account in Italy.
• Medicare does not cover care abroad. Think through Part B enrolment before you move; late enrolment brings lifelong penalties if you return. US domestic insurance usually doesn't work here; employees get the free SSN, others need private international cover or SSN voluntary enrolment.

Day-to-day admin

• Driving: no US state licence can be converted. You can drive with your US licence plus an International Driving Permit (from AAA) during your first year of residency, then you need the full Italian exams.
• Banking: Italian banks ask Americans for a W-9 (FATCA) and some refuse US persons. Keep a US account and a US credit card with no foreign transaction fees; use Wise for transfers.
• Keep a US phone number (port it to a cheap or VoIP plan) so bank and IRS two-factor codes keep reaching you, and use a US mail-forwarding service for statements.
• Voting: register each year with the Federal Post Card Application at FVAP.gov. Enrol in STEP to get consulate alerts.
• Passports: renew well ahead through the consulate; a US passport issued abroad still works for travel back.
• Moving your things: personal goods can come in duty-free if they arrive within 12 months of taking up residence (customs want your residency papers). Italy runs on 230V/50Hz with type L and F plugs; most US appliances need transformers, so sell rather than ship. Importing a US car is rarely worth it.
• Pets: ISO microchip first, rabies shot at least 21 days before travel, then a USDA-endorsed EU health certificate within 10 days of arrival.
• Culture shock Americans mention most: smaller flats, no clothes dryer, little air conditioning, shops closed on Sundays, slower service, cash still used in small places, and paperwork that needs paper copies and stamps. Order a Thanksgiving turkey from a butcher weeks ahead.

US Consulate and American community