Updating Your Italian Residency

When you move into a new home in Italy, you must inform the local authorities that you have changed addresses and consequently update your Italian residency. Here is an overview of how to do this:

Italian law says that any foreigner who wants to stay permanently in Italy must register as a resident within three months of moving there.

Your municipality will need to be informed of your official address in Italy and any changes made to it.

Fortunately, it is not too difficult to change your official address in Italy, and you might even be able to do it all online.

Why Is Registering a Change of Location Required?

How and where you can access different services in Italy depends on where you’re registered as a resident. For example, if you enroll in the Italian national healthcare system, you will be assigned a GP in the same area and registered with the local health authority that is closest to where you live.

In addition to this, you’ll normally have to deal with whichever civil registry office, tax office, department of motor vehicles, etc. is closest to your official address.

Therefore, it’s very important to register your new address, even if you’re also moving within the same city.

If you aren’t a registered resident of the area where you live, you might not be able to park your vehicle for free or drive in some parts of the city.

Additionally, you’ll want to make sure that all of your paperwork is in order and that official correspondence gets to the right address, particularly if you’re a foreign national in Italy dealing with immigration procedures.

How Can You Change Your Residency in Italy?

The good news is that things get much easier from this point on if you have already transferred your residency to Italy from abroad. You won’t have to prove again that you can support yourself or that you have health insurance.

Instead, all you need to do is provide proof that you reside at your new location.

This entails registering with the anagrafe (civil registration office) where you will be moving.

Which Documents Are Required?

You’ll need to complete a declaration of residency, or “dichiarazione di residenza,” which you can probably find on the website of your comune (municipality).

Even though the form may be the same as the one you completed when you first registered your residency in Italy, this time you will check the box for “Dichiarazione di residenza con provenienza da altro comune” (“change of address from another municipality”) or “Dichiarazione di cambiamento di abitazione nell’ambito dello stesso comune.” (“change of address within the same municipality”).

You will need to show one of the following as proof of living at the new address:

• A property deed in your name proving ownership.
• A lease agreement showing you as the tenant of the property.
• A signed letter from the owner saying that you have their permission to live there, along with a copy of their ID (to see an example, search for “dichiarazione di consenso del proprietario dell’immobile”).

Additionally, you must provide the following documents to establish your identity:

• Passport or Italian ID card for EU citizens.
• Passport and Permit of Stay are required for non-EU citizens.
• Italian tax code for both EU and non-EU.

If you own a vehicle, you should also include your driver’s license and vehicle registration document details, especially if they were issued in Italy.

If you’re relocating with relatives, you can change everyone’s address at once. Fill out a single application for the entire family, listing all members and including copies of their ID documents and Italian tax code.

You’ll also need written consent if you’re moving in with someone who is already registered at your new location (look up “atto di assenso al trasferimento di residenza” to see an example). Additionally, you must provide a copy of their ID document.

Where Should the Application Be Sent?

It needs to be sent to the anagrafe in your new comune along with all the necessary paperwork that is required.

Many municipalities allow you to do this via email with scanned copies of your supporting documents. Look on the webpage of your comune for the correct email address. (Look for the one that specifically deals with residency requests.)

You can even finish the entire procedure online with some municipalities’ web portals. To enter, you might need a digital ID (SPID) or an electronic Italian ID card (CIE).

You might also be able to send your change of residency via registered mail.

If you really can’t avoid going in person, call ahead or use an online booking service like TuPassi to make an appointment. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some public offices may still have limited access to the public or may receive visitors only by appointment.

What Happens After You Submit Your Application?

As soon as the anagrafe receives the request, your change of residency should be registered and updated. This should happen within two working days, but very often it does not. Once this step has been completed, you should be able to ask for a new residency certificate that shows your new address.

However, the change is not finalized until the municipal police have visited your new address to verify that you are living there and have checked your documents (be sure to put your name on the buzzer, doorbell, and/or mailbox).

The verification must take place within 45 days. After that, you can presume that your change of residency has been approved if you haven’t heard anything from the municipal police.

Please note that you may encounter delays. Due to pandemic-related closures, municipal offices may have shortened hours and sizable backlogs, so expect bureaucratic processes to take longer than normal.

NB: This is a general overview, so before submitting a change of residency, it is always a good idea to check with the specific town hall to confirm their process and the list of documents they require to change your residency.

If you require any case-specific assistance, please feel free to contact me www.damienofarrell.com

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