gedjames

Hi there Expats,

I wonder if anyone could help me on whether or not I need to go for residency.

Now from what I gather, I can't even buy a car there or even a library card without being a resident? I didn't really want resident status in Italy as I work offshore in the oil and gas industry and thus will not be seeking work in Italy. I will however be needing a car, catch 22 situation right there!

If I do go for the residency does anyone know typically how long it takes for a British Citizen to get their residency through, and do I need an Italian address before applying as i'm not quite sure yet where to base myself, (road trip in january). (Any recommendations on good coastal locations for mooring small boat/sailing).

Cheers and seasons greetings.
Gerard

modicasa

how long it takes depends on where you apply. But yes, you need an address, and have to prove that you live there, either by rental contract or act of sale etc. Then you have to be there when the police come to call. And you will need health insurance, and proof of income that you wont be a burden on the state.

Scottish Linda

Hi, To have residency you have to show that you can support yourself economically(ie a work contract),and you need to prove that you have a permanent address.The police will come to the address and check that you live there.It wasn't until I bought property here that I was able to get my residency and identity card.For years I only had" permesso di soggiorno" as landlords didn't want me to declare residency for tax and legal reasons.Good luck.

TestaRossa

Re the boating - punt ala down near Grosseto is popular in Tuscany. I also have friends with boats between there and Livorno but no names, but it does seem to be a good stretch of coast for sailing dinghys and up..Re the car - you could look into long term rental - there are companies around that deal in these things or you could get somewhere with off road parking and bring a car over and park it out of sight while you are offshore. This is isn't the best idea as it isn't legal long term but if you aren't here all the time and your car is only seen periodically you would probably be okay. If you were here full time and driving every day I wouldn't recommend doing this at all as the police can impound your car after a year if it isn't properly registered here, but I do know a lot of Brits that do this without being caught - it's whether you want to take the risk really...You would also need to take it back to the UK every year for its MOT etc to keep it legally road worthy and then you would need a UK address for the insurance but if you are keeping a residence in the UK this would be legal anyway - just check if you need to have the car in the UK for a set amount of time to avoid nullifying the insurance.