Living in Italy

When do Italians drink a cappucino? Let’ make one thing clear. We know it’s good, we all love it, but we don’t drink it after lunch. We only drink it for breakfast. So, when we see someone drinking a cappuccino right after lunch or at 5...

Should you tip in Italian restaurants? Are you wondering about the etiquette of tipping in Italian restaurants? In Italy, leaving a tip (in Italian “mancia” so you can say “lasciare la mancia“) is not customary like it is in the US. However, it’s considered a nice...

Do US citizens need a visa to travel to Italy? If you are a US citizen planning to travel to Italy, it’s important to know whether or not you’ll need a visa. According to the Italian government, U.S. citizens need a visa to travel to Italy...

What does a foreign document need to be used in Italy? If you need to register your marriage, divorce, or child’s birth with your Italian Comune, or if you are applying for Italian citizenship and need ​an official transla​tion​ ​of your foreign documents​ in Italian, please...

How to register your second or third marriage in Italy If you need to register your first, second or third marriage certificate, divorce, or children’s birth certificates with your Italian Comune, we can do it for you. You do not need to go through your local...

Limits to the use of cash in Italy in 2023 ​In Italy, cash transactions are subject to various limits, which are intended to combat money laundering and tax evasion. As of January 1, 2023, thanks to the 2023 Budget Maneuver, the threshold for all payments in...

Do UK citizens need a visa to travel to Italy? UK citizens do not need a visa to travel to Italy for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period for tourism or to attend business meetings. Visits to other countries which are part...

How can I register my marriage in Italy withouth going through the Italian Consulate? If you are asking yourself how you can register your marriage in Italy withouth going through the Italian Consulate, you are in the right place. If you need to register your marriage...

The Final Brexit Agreement: EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement Citizens on both sides of the channel were relieved that the Christmas Eve agreement avoided the feared no-deal exit which could have led to dire economic consequences.  The worst case scenario was avoided but much will change...

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Italian citizenship application: the “new” 48-month term Please send an email to citizenship@vademecumitalia.com and we will send you a quote for the assistance with your Italian citizenship application from day one to the day you will obtain your Italian passport. Many of our readers have asked...

Italian citizenship application: the B1 language requirement Many of our readers have asked us if the B1 level knowledge of the Italian language is a requirement for all applications by marriage. Here’s what you need to know. If you applied before the new Law no. 132/2018...

How can I know if my birth or marriage has been registered with the Comune di Roma? If you need assistance to verify if your birth or marriage has actually been transcribed into the registers of the Comune di Roma, please send an email to assistance@vademecumitalia.com...

Coronavirus in Italy: urgent measures to deal with the epidemiological emergency. The new Decree-Law no. 33 of 16 May 2020 In order to responsibly deal with Phase -2 of the COVID-19 epidemic (i.e., a period of ‘co-habitation ‘ with the virus), the Council of Ministers, upon...

The New Property Tax on your Italian Real Estate is due on June 16th IMU. We can calculate the amount you have to pay for the year 2020 within the June deadline. Please send an email to assistance@vademecumitalia.com and we will send you a quote for...

We can collect the birth certificate you need from any Italian Comune (Municipality). We will send you a scanned copy of the certificate as soon as we have it and also the paper copy via courier, if you want it. It usually takes us from 2...

There is a specific certificate called certificato penale del casellario giudiziale (criminal record certificate) that you can request from the competent Italian authority (Procura della Repubblica), which can prove that while you were staying in Italy you were not convicted of any crime....

Coronavirus in Italy: the Decree of April 26 loosens up the restrictions Dear Readers, First of all, we hope that all of you are well and happy and–wherever you are in the world–are all able to deal with the coronavirus pandemic without overwhelming difficulties. Everyone in...

Do you have an Italian ancestor? Discover immediately if you are eligible for Italian citizenship If you have an Italian ancestor (e.g. great grandfather/mother or grandfather/mother) who was born in Italy and emigrated to your country (USA, UK, Argentina etc.), you might be eligible for Italian...

Italian citizenship application: don’t make mistakes. Our expert Italian lawyers can review your documents You discover that you have an Italian ancestor who was born in Italy and emigrated to your country. You do some research and realize that you qualify for Italian citizenship. This is...

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Criminal record certificate (police clearance certificate) during the Coronavirus pandemic. We can still collect it for you. We can obtain your Criminal record certificate/Police Clearance Certificate (Certificato del Casellario Giudiziale) within 24 hours from the request. We will send you a scanned copy of the certificate...

Coronavirus in Italy: the Decree of April 1 extends the lockdown until April 13, 2020 Here you can dowload the latest version of the “autodichiarazione” President Conte has announced that he has signed the DPCM which extends until April 13, 2020 the measures taken so far...

Do you have an apartment in Italy? You should partecipate in your condominium meetings. You proudly bought a house in Italy, or you inherited one from your parents or grandparents, and now you are just waiting for the first chance you have to come to Italy...

Coronavirus in Italy: the Decree March 25 no. 19 sets up to five years in jail and € 3000 in fines for violating rules The Italian Government has published a new Decree-Law as the number of Coronavirus-related deaths in Italy reached 6820 on March 24, 2020,...

Coronavirus. DPCM March 22, 2020 defining the essential activities that can continue to remain open The Italian Prime Minister, Mr. Giuseppe Conte, following all the previous decrees regarding the Coronavirus, has signed a DPCM (“Decreto del Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri”), introducing at national level further...

UPDATE: Please note that on March 22 the President Mr. Conte signed a decree that establishes more restrictive measures defining the essential activities that can continue to remain open . Please click here to read our new post. The Italian Government has issued a Decree-law yesterday...

Coronavirus: Vademecum based on the recent Decrees of 9th/11th March 2020 NB. Please note that Decree March 11, 2020 has established new rules and, therefore, some of the provisions established by Decree March 9, 2020 stop producing their effects starting from March 12, 2020 (date of...

Italy has been the country hardest hit by the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) epidemic in the Western world. Whether this is due to the particular genetic make-up or social character of the population is hard to tell. It is suspected, however, that at the end of the flu...

On January 31st at 11pm GMT, the UK will officially leave the European Union. The divorce is final (though alimony discussions are not!) and the only way to undo this historical decision would be to reapply for EU member status, which though at the moment seems...

Christmas in Italy!! Italy may be a small country but it’s big on traditions. Although the country has only been united since 1861 and customs vary from North to South, two common threads tie the traditions together throughout the country: family and the Catholic church. (0ver...

You have an Italian ancestor who was born in Italy, maybe more than a hundred years ago, and emigrated to your country of residence (USA, UK, Brazil etc.). So, you wonder if you can apply for Italian citizenship in light of your Italian bloodline and what...

EU elections are coming up very soon! They will be held in the United Kingdom on May 23rd. If you’re a citizen of an EU country (other than the UK, Ireland, Malta and Cyprus) resident in the UK, you can either vote in the UK or...

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Brexit update: April 12, 2019 In late-night deliberations on April 11th, the 27 EU members agreed to grant an extension to Brexit until October 31st. The decision was made in order to give the British Parliament a little more time to sort out the Brexit mess...

Brexit update We at Vademecum Italia have been waiting to write something significant about Brexit for some time now. But as there has been no ‘meaningful ‘ vote yet (meaning PM May gets Westminster to approve the deal she negotiated with the EU), it is difficult...

Are you sure your marriage has actually been regsitered in the registers of your Italian municipality? Option 1: you are an Italian citizen that has married a foreign wife/husband and you would like her/him to become an Italian citizen. Option 2: you are the foreign wife/husband that...

Brexit update: ‘Much Ado About Nothing ‘ Two important rounds of voting in the British Parliament this past week turned the old adage ‘No news is good news’ on its head: in fact, there was a lot of news which brought about nothing new and whether...

Short-term home rentals: the tenant’s personal information must be sent to the police authorities within 24 hours Decree-law October 4, 2018, no. 113 (published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale no. 231 on October 4, 2018, a.k.a. ‘Decreto Sicurezza’, converted into law on December 1, 2018, no. 132...

Our email info@vademecumitalia.com is working again! If you have not been able to contact us, or if we did not answer your email, we kindly ask you to forward us your email and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Our email addresses...

Italian citizenship by marriage. Save a lot of time by submitting your application with us!  1) How to submit an Italian citizenship application with Vademecum Italia, thus avoiding the slowness of Italian consulates  According to art. 5, Law February 5, 1992, n. 91, the spouse (a foreigner or stateless...

HOW TO RECOVER A CREDIT FROM YOUR ITALIAN DEBTOR  You provided a service, or you sold goods to an Italian company or privite citizen, but you have not been paid although the payment term has expired. Or maybe you just received a down payment and now...

Do you have a house in Italy? Don’t forget to pay the annual tax on real estate (IMU) You bought a house in Italy because you would like to move to Italy in the future, or as an investment, or just to feel at home when...

Italian citizenship application. How to speed up the process. Two years or more have passed since you filed your Italian citizenship application through your Italian consulate online. Since you are not getting any answers from the Italian authority, and you want to know if you or...

In Rome, Milan, Turin, and Naples the transcription of your act of marriage can go on a fast-track thanks to VI. Marriages between Italians and foreigners contracted abroad have immediate validity and relevance in the Italian juridical system. According to national laws, they must be transcribed in the...

Do you pay taxes on Bitcoin in Italy? There is no Italian law that requires an owner of Bitcoins or other cryptos to declare that he/she owns cryptos, nor does he/she have to pay taxes just because he/she is holding cryptocurrencies. At present, there is no...

Documents issued by foreign authorities must be legalized and translated to be enforceable in Italy. Here’s how to do it. To be enforceable in Italy, acts and documents issued by foreign authorities (act of marriage/civil union, birth/death/citizenship certificate, etc.) must be “legalized” by the Italian diplomatic-consular authorities...

It is very important to register your trademark (word/figurative/complex) because it identifies you, your company, your products/services, and it tells customers who you are and what you do/offer. It allows you to be officially recognized in Italy and, at the same time, protected from others who...

For some time we have been wanting to write an update on Brexit negotiations. When the UK will indeed exit the EU, there may well be some changes for both UK (non-EU) citizens and vice-versa for Italian citizens in the UK (e.g. visa, permit of stay, etc.). Despite growing impatience...

The Italian Government has signed several conventions with other foreign governments aimed at avoiding double taxation. These conventions are international treaties with which the contracting states regulate the exercise of their taxing powers in order to eliminate double taxation on the income and/or the assets of...

It is very important to register your trademark (word/figurative/3D/colour/sound marks) because it identifies you, your company, your products/services, and it tells customers who you are and what you do/offer. It allows you to be officially recognized in the territory of your interest and, at the same...

Under Italian law all those who are interested – therefore including foreigners (individuals and legal entities) residing or even not residing in Italy – have the right to open a bank account with an Italian bank. Foreigners residing in Italy can open a bank account just...

The deed of purchase relative to a property in Italy is kept by the Notary Public before whom the parties have signed it. This act is public and, therefore, accessible to everyone by law. The copy of the deed may be useful to verify the ownership...

When the UK will indeed exit the EU (commonly known as “Brexit”), there may well be some changes for both UK (non-EU) citizens living, studying, working, and conducting business in Italy and vice-versa for Italian citizens in the UK (e.g. visa, permit of stay, etc.). Vademecum Italia is closely following...

Marriages between Italians and foreigners contracted abroad have immediate validity and relevance in the Italian juridical system. According to national laws, they must be transcribed in the Registers of Civil Status of the Italian Municipality of interest (Office of transcription of weddings celebrated abroad). At least one of the...

Foreigners who for any reason should be part of a trial before an Italian civil or criminal court have the right to fully understand every single act, document or what is happening at a hearing, and thus they have the right to an interpreter. In case...

In order to buy a house in Italy there are some important steps to follow. Although there is no need to turn to a real estate agent, it is advisable for the parties to sign a preliminary contract with which they mutually agree to sell and purchase a property by...

Those who are under eighteen years of age cannot buy cigarettes but they cannot be sanctioned for smoking at home or outdoors. These rules apply also to foreigners visiting the Italian peninsula for any reason. However, violations are rarely sanctioned by the authorities. During night hours...

TS, TEAM and TS/CNS cards, issued by the Inland Revenue Agency to whomever has a right to health care by the National Health Service (“Servizio Sanitario Nazionale – SSN”), allow holders to receive health care (medical attention from a doctor, buy drugs at the pharmacy, book...

The Italian tax code (“codice fiscale”) is the document of identification of individuals (newborns, foreigners, residents abroad) and entities other than individuals in all their relationships with the Italian public authorities and administrations. This document is required in order to obtain the Italian Health Card (Tessera Sanitaria), the “Residence permit” (Permesso di...

In general it is lawful to sell (under license)/buy or drink alcohol, even outdoors. However, it is forbidden to sell alcohol to minors and (in some specific cases) during night hours. Minors do not incur in any administrative penalty or criminal charges for drinking alcoholic beverages...

In Italy, there are many common payment instruments (cash, bank/postal check, cashier’s check, bank/wire transfer, credit/debit/rechargeable cards, postal or bank order). It is possible to pay in cash sums not exceeding € 2,999.99 with reference to “transfers” made for any reason between different individuals or legal...

The bank account contract is a real “atypical contract” stipulated under Italian law between the customer and the bank. It is governed by the specific provisions contained in the contract, by the Italian Civil Code, and by Legislative Decree 385/1993. The bank agrees to perform direct/indirect...