Loumac

Hi, we are moving permanently from Sydney Australia to Umbria in Italy. We are Australian citizens but we both have British Passports. Does anyone know if, once we have finalised the purchase of our property, which we're doing at the moment, can we apply for residency from Australia or do we have to actually be in Italy. Just concerned that we may not get there before 31 December.
Thank you.

modicasa

Whether your are British or Australian, you need to be physically in Italy to apply for residency, unless you are applying for residenza elettiva in which case you need to get to an Italian consulate before you leave Australia and get your visa as Australians and do the Permesso di Soggiorno when you arrive. If you want to come as Brits, then you need to be here by 31 December with all your paperwork ready.

Geordieborn

For elective residency this will show what you need for documentation.

C.2s

Presumably you have dual citizenship, and the idea is to use the British part of your citizenship to claim the right to live in Italy under the EU rules (which have been extended until 31st December under the terms of the EU Withdrawal Agreement)? If so, then the answers would all be on this basis. There are numerous discussions about the process of gaining temporary residency on various other threads. But the main points to note are:
1. you need to be here (as said above),
not least because
2. each commune applies the rules differently, some are much more agreeable, some are downright difficult, some don't understand the process, but though they be deliberately obstructive or just perhaps unhelpful you do have the right of free movement until 31st December
and
3. after 31st December nobody really knows what the process will be for British citizens moving here, but it's likely that Italy will still allow it because it's generally to Italy's advantage to have this sort of investment from abroad ( and people from many non-EU countries do move here).

If you were to apply as Australian citizens then a different set of rules would apply, and you would need to be looking in other places for advice, and the 31st December deadline would be irrelevant.

Either way, I think that if you can't make it here before the end of December, it won't be the end of the world - just difficult.

Whereabouts in Umbria?

Loumac

Thank you all for your responses. It is a bit daunting moving from Australia to Italy but we do love the country so much we can't wait to be there.
We're in negotiation at the moment to buy a property in Citta della Pieve in Umbria - beautiful little town. We did view the property when we were there last year so we do know what we are getting.

philat98

A good location just on the border with Tuscany. Colin Firth and Mario Draghi for neighbours.

Listen Very Carefully

An excellent choice with a fantastic corteo storico in the summer covid permitting Also you are handy for the trains at Chiusi direct service to Florence Venice Siena etc
And you are handy for Lago Trasimeno Castiglione del Lago and Perugia