Brexit and UK-Italy moves

What actually changed for UK movers?

Brexit turned British citizens into third-country nationals in Italy. That means two things. Your household goods now cross a customs border, so they need declarations at both ends. And you no longer have an automatic right to live in Italy, so you need a visa before you go and a residence permit once you arrive.

Before Brexit, a lorry of furniture could drive from Kent to Tuscany with no customs paperwork at all. A British retiree could simply turn up, register with the local comune (town hall) and stay. Neither is true any more.

What did not change is just as important. Italy still welcomes British residents. The relief that keeps household goods free of import duty still exists. The alpine routes, the ferries and the Italian end of a move all work the same way. The difference is mostly paperwork, and the order you do it in.

• Customs declarations are now needed for household goods leaving the UK and entering Italy
• A national (Type D) visa is needed before you travel if you plan to live in Italy
• A permesso di soggiorno (residence permit) is needed after you arrive
• Short visits are limited by the Schengen short-stay rules
• Healthcare access depends on your situation, not on EU membership

Can you still move your belongings to Italy duty-free?

Yes, in most cases. When you genuinely move your home to Italy, the EU transfer-of-residence relief lets personal belongings enter without import duty or import VAT. The relief is claimed with the Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM, Italian customs). It covers goods you have owned and used yourself for the minimum period the EU rules set.

There is a common mix-up here. Many websites mention the ToR1 form. ToR1 is a UK form for people moving into the UK. It plays no part in a move from the UK to Italy. For your move, the relief is Italian and European, not British.

On the UK side, your goods still leave the country as an export. That needs an export declaration. Your remover or their customs agent normally files it. Some agents will ask you for a GB EORI number, which is a free customs reference issued by HMRC.

What Brexit added is a paper trail. Customs officers want a clear inventory, proof that you are moving your residence, and evidence that the goods are personal rather than commercial. A good remover prepares most of this for you. You supply the identity and residence documents.

Do British citizens need a visa to live in Italy now?

Yes. If you plan to stay beyond a short visit, you need a national visa, known as a Type D visa, before you travel. You apply to the Italian consulate covering your UK address. Once in Italy, you then apply for a permesso di soggiorno at the Questura (provincial police headquarters).

The visa type depends on why you are moving. Retirees and others living on pensions or investments usually look at the elective residence visa. People taking a job in Italy need their employer to start the process. Self-employed people, remote workers, students and family members each have their own route.

Visits are different. British passport holders can still visit Italy without a visa for short stays. Those stays are capped by the Schengen short-stay limit, which counts all your days across the Schengen area together. A planned EU travel authorisation, ETIAS, will add an online check for visitors once it starts.

The trap we see most often is treating the short-stay allowance as a trial run for living in Italy. It is not a residence right. You cannot register as resident, enrol in the health service or re-register a car on it.

What if you already lived in Italy before Brexit?

If you were legally living in Italy before the end of the Brexit transition period, the Withdrawal Agreement protects your rights. You keep the right to live and work there and to access healthcare on the old terms. You prove this with a residence document issued under the Agreement, not a standard permesso.

This matters for some households who think they are new arrivals but are not. A partner who registered in an Italian comune years ago may be covered. A second-home owner who never registered as resident usually is not.

If you think you may be protected, check the GOV.UK Living in Italy page and speak to your Questura before applying for anything else. Applying on the wrong basis can leave you with weaker rights than you are entitled to.

How are healthcare, pensions and tax affected?

Healthcare is no longer automatic for new arrivals. UK state pensioners can usually use an S1 form to register with the Italian health service, the Servizio Sanitario Nazionale (SSN). People working in Italy join through their contributions. Others normally need private cover or voluntary enrolment.

The S1 is the big one for retirees. It means the UK pays for your Italian state healthcare. You register it with your local ASL (Azienda Sanitaria Locale, the local health authority) once you are resident. Our healthcare guide walks through the steps.

Your UK State Pension can still be paid to you in Italy. It continues to rise each year, because Italy is one of the countries where uprating applies. Check the GOV.UK page on State Pension abroad for your own position.

Tax rules did not change much because of Brexit. A double taxation convention between the UK and Italy still decides which country taxes which income. You tell HMRC you are leaving using form P85. Once resident in Italy, you file Italian returns, including a declaration of foreign assets. A commercialista (Italian accountant and tax adviser) is worth the fee in your first year.

What about cars, driving licences and pets?

You can take your car, but once you are resident it must move onto Italian plates. You cannot keep driving on UK plates indefinitely. Pets travel on an Animal Health Certificate rather than the old EU pet passport. Driving licences can be exchanged, but check the current arrangement first.

Cars: re-registration happens at the Motorizzazione Civile (the Italian vehicle authority). It needs an Italian roadworthiness test, a certificate of conformity and customs clearance. Our car guide sets out the full list.

Licences: a valid UK licence can be exchanged for an Italian one. The terms have changed more than once since Brexit, so read the GOV.UK Living in Italy page before you rely on any deadline you have heard about.

Pets: UK-issued EU pet passports stopped working for travel into the EU. Dogs, cats and ferrets now need an Animal Health Certificate from an Official Veterinarian before each trip. The pet must be microchipped and vaccinated against rabies, with a wait after the jab before travel. After arrival, register your pet with the regional pet registry through the local ASL vet.

• Car: re-register on Italian plates once resident
• Licence: exchange is possible — confirm the current rules on GOV.UK
• Pets: Animal Health Certificate for each journey into the EU
• Pets: microchip first, then rabies vaccination, then the waiting period

Is moving to Italy harder after Brexit?

It is slower to set up, but it is not blocked. The extra work sits in two places: the visa you need before you leave, and the customs papers for your goods. Plan both early and the move itself runs much like it did before.

The visa is the part that needs the longest run-up. Consulates ask for documents that take time to gather, such as proof of income, an Italian address and health cover. You cannot fix the move date sensibly until you know when the visa will be issued.

Customs is the easier part, because a specialist remover handles it. Your job is to give us an honest inventory and the identity documents customs need. We file the export entry, present the import claim and deal with any questions at the border.

The households who struggle are the ones who book the lorry first and think about residence later. The ones who find it straightforward start with the visa, line up the address, and only then fix a date with us.

• Check whether you are covered by the Withdrawal Agreement
• Choose your visa route and gather documents early
• Secure an Italian address — consulates and customs both ask for it
• Book your survey once the visa timing is clear
• Collect the permesso kit soon after arrival