Moving to Italy: Work visa changes and transferring your Italian pension abroad

Here at The Local we're an international team living in Italy - which means we've either grown up navigating Italian bureaucracy or been through the simultaneously exciting and nerve-wracking process of moving countries.

Our newsletter is aimed at people who are in the process of moving, have recently moved and are still grappling with the paperwork or perhaps are just thinking about it - and we'll share a regular selection of practical tips. Our team is also available to answer questions from subscribers to The Local.

What Italy's planned work visa reform means for you

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced earlier this month that Italy's quota-based work visa system would be reformed following revelations it was being exploited by organised crime groups to facilitate illegal immigration.

The government was "already working on a set of regulations to stop this phenomenon" that would be presented in an upcoming cabinet meeting, she said.

Some readers have been in touch to ask if this will affect the recently-announced digital nomad visa, or DNV.

While Meloni's announcement might make it sound like a major shake up is on the cards, in reality any future changes are unlikely to have much impact on The Local's readers, and won't affect DNV applications.

The decreto flussi quota system that the government plans to overhaul is massively oversubscribed, with one immigration lawyer telling us that applying for one of the few visas not allocated to the agricultural, care or construction sectors is a complete "lottery".

The work visas that most foreigners stand a better chance of obtaining, such as the digital nomad visa, the EU Blue Card, or the investor visa, aren't subject to decreto flussi quotas, and so would be unaffected by any changes to this system.

You can learn more about the different permits available to foreigners by browsing The Local's visas section.

Can you transfer your Italian pension if you move abroad?

What happens if you've worked in Italy and contributed to an Italian pension, then move abroad? Can you take it with you?

According to Emilio Martinotti, tax and business consultant at international advisory firm Ecovis, the answer is yes - usually.

All 30 EU and EEA states plus many others, including the US, Canada and Australia, have bilateral agreements with Italy to ensure that individuals can receive their pensions abroad.

However, Martinotti says, some countries may not allow pensions from other states, or there may be limitations or restrictions on how pensions are transferred.

If your plan is to work from Italy for several years and then return home or move elsewhere, then, it's worth checking what agreements Italy has in place with the country where you plan to retire.

Meanwhile, if you're considering moving to Italy on a foreign pension, you might be eligible for Italy's seven percent flat tax rate for pensioners who move to certain parts of the country.

Questions

The Local's Reader Questions section covers questions our members have asked us and is a treasure trove of useful info on all kinds of practical matters. If you can't find the answer you're looking for, head here to leave us your questions.