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Moving as an EU / EEA citizen

Building a life in Italy as an EU / EEA citizen

Beautiful life, byzantine paperwork. Here is what that means for you specifically, from the front door to the tax return to the passport, seen through your EU status rather than in the abstract.

Researched from public sources, dated below. Not legal or tax advice.

The verdict

Free movement. No visa, and no clock.

As an EU / EEA citizen you can live and work in Italy without a visa, and the 90-in-180 Schengen limit does not apply to you. There is no entry hurdle to clear. What still applies: once you spend roughly 183 days a year in Italy, it can treat you as tax resident, whatever your passport says. Your right to be there is settled; where you are taxed is the real question.

How we stand behind this

Effective
2026
Last verified
2026-07-23
Source
Taxes for Expats: Italy flat tax regime for new residents 2026
Confidence
High confidence

This block carries its source and dates above. Rules change constantly; the verification record is how you judge whether to rely on it, or take it to a professional.

The 15-second snapshot

You can visit
Yes, 90 days in Schengen 180
You can stay long term
Possibly, 4 routes
Remote-work routes
1 route
Bring dependants
With conditions
Open a local bank account
Yes, codice fiscale required
Likely tax resident after
183 days
Citizenship pathway
Moderate, 10 years

The sourced facts

Checked Jul 2026
  • Entry2026 · High confidence

    Schengen 90 days in any 180 for non-EU visitors; long-stay route is the Italy Digital Nomad Visa (launched under the 2024 decree, min income about EUR 28,000)

    Global Citizen Solutions: Italy Digital Nomad Visa 2026
  • Tax residence2026 · High confidence

    Resident if present more than 183 days in a calendar year, OR having residence (habitual abode) or domicile (centre of personal/economic interests) in Italy; AIRE registration alone does not defeat residency Special regimes: (a) new-residents flat tax on foreign income raised from EUR 200,000 to EUR 300,000/year from 1 Jan 2026; (b) impatriate regime exempts 50% (60% with a child) of Italian income up to EUR 600,000 for 5 years.

    Taxes for Expats: Italy flat tax regime for new residents 2026
  • Citizenship2026 · High confidence

    10 years lawful residence for non-EU nationals (4 years for EU citizens) to naturalise The 2025 Italian nationality reforms tightened citizenship by descent (jus sanguinis) but did not change the 10-year residence-based naturalisation track.

    Immigrant Invest: How to Get Italian Citizenship 2026
  • Income tax2026 · High confidence

    National IRPEF progressive to a 43% top rate, plus regional (about 1.2-3.3%) and municipal surcharges; new-residents flat tax substitutes EUR 300,000/year on foreign income

    PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries: Italy personal income tax

Researched from public sources on the dates shown. Rules change; this is a planning layer, not legal or tax advice, and not a substitute for a professional before you act.

  1. Enter

    Getting in

    Entry is a non-event for you. Your EU / EEA passport is free movement in Italy: no visa, no stamp, no 90/180 clock. You can arrive and stay.

    Your entry
    Free movement, no visa
    Schengen clock
    Does not apply to you

  2. Stay

    Visitor to resident

    Because you have free movement, the long-stay-visa question mostly falls away, you register as a resident rather than apply for permission. For the record, other movers here find that possibly, 4 routes.

    Long-term routes
    Possibly, 4 routes
    Bring dependants
    With conditions

  3. Earn

    Remote income & your company

    1 remote-work route make foreign or remote income relatively unremarkable in Italy. Running your own company from here is the sharper question: running your foreign company from Italy can make key decisions happen there, so Italy may treat the company as tax-resident (place of effective management) or as having a permanent establishment. That can pull corporate profit into Italy's net. This is the review that pays for itself. Your full, profile-specific company analysis is in the world designer.

    Remote-work routes
    1
    Company / PE
    Permanent-establishment / management risk

  4. Keep

    Tax residence

    Here is the line the category forgets: your visa lets you stay, it does not decide who taxes you, and that is true no matter which passport you hold. In Italy, tax residence typically turns on roughly 183 days a year. As an EU / EEA citizen you may also still have filing ties back home, worth settling before you move.

    Tax-residence threshold
    ~183 days
    As a resident
    Up to ~43%, with flat-tax regimes for new arrivals

  5. Belong

    Residence to citizenship

    For an EU / EEA citizen, citizenship in Italy is a route of patience: roughly 10 years of qualifying residence, each year usually needing about 183 days present. Whether you can keep your EU citizenship alongside it is a separate question worth checking early.

    Citizenship route
    ~10 years
    Qualifying presence
    ~183 days / year

  6. Live

    Banking, cost & family

    The practical scaffolding once the stamps are sorted. Opening a local bank account in Italy is yes, codice fiscale required. Bringing family: with conditions.

    Local banking
    Yes, codice fiscale required
    Bring dependants
    With conditions

Weighing Italy against another

Other destinations for EU / EEA citizens

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