In the works · Not for sale yet
Our guide to retiring in southern Italy
We are writing a step-by-step guide for Americans who plan to retire to southern Italy on the elective residence visa. It is not finished, and it is not for sale yet.
We don't take orders or payments in advance. When the guide is ready, this page will describe it in full, with its price, and our email list will hear about it first.
What the guide will cover
The plan is one PDF that puts the official steps of the move in order, from your U.S. consulate's checklist to your residence permit and your first year in Italy. For each step it names the office, the deadline and the official source, with the date we checked it.
- Your office and what its own page asks for. Ten Italian offices in the U.S. handle this visa, and their pages don't all ask for the same things. The guide sets them side by side.
- The order of the steps. The Italian tax code number (codice fiscale), a registered lease, the visa file and the appointment, in the order the offices need them.
- The U.S. side. Social Security payments abroad, mail and voting from abroad, each from the agency's own pages.
- Your first weeks and your first year in Italy. The residence permit (the document that makes your stay in Italy legal), registering at the town hall and the health service.
- Worksheets for your own dates. Write the month you want to arrive, and count back to the date of each step.
What it will not do
- Advise on your own case: it is information from official sources, not legal, immigration or tax advice.
- Pick a town for you.
- Cover other routes: it is about the elective residence visa only, not work visas or citizenship by descent.
Only the consulate decides on your visa.
Free now
The Italy Visa Checklist
While the guide is in the works, the free checklist covers the first step: find the Italian office in the U.S. that serves your state, then tick off what that office's own page asks for. It takes about 10 minutes.
The checklist comes by email. If you sign up, our emails will also tell you when the guide is ready.
Please note
General information from official sources, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules and fees change, and they can differ by consulate. Please confirm on the official page and with your consulate before you decide anything.