Moving to Italy from the UK: visa, S1, licence, tax

Since Brexit UK citizens get 90 days in 180; to live in Italy you need a visa D from the London consulate, then a permesso. S1, licence, pensions, tax.

Since 1 January 2021 UK citizens are non-EU nationals in Italy. You can stay up to 90 days in any 180 in the Schengen area without a visa, but to live in Italy you need a national visa D for a specific purpose (elective residence, work, digital nomad work, study, family), issued in the UK only by the Italian Consulate General in London through VFS Global. Within 8 working days of arrival you apply for the permesso di soggiorno and then register your residence with the comune. After that come the UK-specific steps: the S1 form if you draw a UK State Pension, the exchange of your UK driving licence within the first year, Italian plates for a UK car within 90 days, and the UK-Italy tax treaty. Below are the rules from gov.uk and the Italian consulates, checked on 30.09.2026. This is not legal or tax advice.

In short (official pages, checked 30.09.2026)

Visa-free: up to 90 days in any 180 in Schengen; overstaying can bring an entry ban of up to 3 years (gov.uk travel advice).
To live in Italy: a national visa D from the Consulate General in London; appointments only through VFS Global (London, Manchester, Edinburgh).
After arrival: the permesso di soggiorno within 8 working days, residency registration (iscrizione anagrafica) for stays over 3 months.
Moved before 2021: you have Withdrawal Agreement rights and should hold the biometric carta di soggiorno.
Healthcare: S1 for UK State Pension holders; free SSN registration for workers; voluntary SSN fee or private insurance for others.
Driving: 12 months on a UK licence, then an exchange without a test, in most cases within 6 years of residence.
Pension: the UK State Pension is uprated each year in the EEA, Italy included.

Do UK citizens need a visa to live in Italy?

Yes, for anything longer than a visit. The gov.uk travel advice for Italy says you can travel to the Schengen area without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period as a tourist, to visit family, for business meetings or short courses. Days in other Schengen countries in the previous 180 days count towards the same 90. Overstaying can lead to a ban on entering Schengen countries for up to 3 years.

To stay longer you need an Italian visa and then a residence permit. Time spent in Italy on a residence permit or a long stay visa does not count towards the 90 days. Short visits are now recorded by the EU Entry/Exit System, see EES: the Schengen entry-exit system; UK nationals with an Italian residence permit do not need to register in the EES.

If you moved to Italy before 1 January 2021, you and your family have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement. The UK government strongly recommends the Withdrawal Agreement biometric residence card (carta di soggiorno): without it you may be wrongly flagged as overstaying at the border. After 5 years the 5-year card can be exchanged for a 10-year permanent one at the questura. This page is mostly about people moving now.

Which visa: the routes for UK citizens

The Italian Consulate General in London lists these long stay visa types (among others):

Your situation	Visa D	Where to read
Retired, living on a pension or other passive income	elective residence (no work allowed)	Italy retirement visa and elective residence guide
Self-employed remote worker	digital nomad visa (self-employed only)	digital nomad
Employee of a company abroad working remotely	remote worker visa (subordinate workers only)	digital nomad
A job offer from an Italian employer	subordinate employment (quotas and nulla osta)	work permit
Freelance or business in Italy	self-employment	lavoro autonomo
University place	study	student permit
Spouse or relative already living in Italy	family reunification	family
A large investment	investors	investor visa

Not sure which one you are? The route matcher gives an orientation in five questions:

Italian residence route matcherFive questions show the best-fit permit: lavoro autonomo, digital nomad, residenza elettiva or family.

Applying at the Italian consulate in London

What the Consulate General in London states on its visa pages (read on 30.09.2026):

A national visa is a long-term visa (over 90 days) issued for elective residence, work, study, family reunion and other purposes. While you wait for the residence permit it lets you move within other Schengen countries for up to 90 days.
Consular district: London covers England, Wales, the Isle of Man, the Isle of Wight, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar. The Consulate in Edinburgh confirms that all visa services in the UK are handled by London, and applicants in Scotland and Northern Ireland book at the Edinburgh visa centre.
Appointments go only through VFS Global (London, Manchester, Edinburgh), with an extra service fee.
In person, with originals and photocopies. An application with missing items is not accepted and you must book again.
Passport: valid at least three months beyond the last day of the trip, with two blank visa pages; it is kept until the decision.
Non-British residents of the UK add a valid UK residence permit and an eVisa share code. Holders of a UK visitor visa cannot apply.

For elective residence, for example, London asks for the application form, a photo, proof of "substantial and stable" income from pensions, annuities, property or investments with the last 2 years of income tax returns, a registered lease or deed for a home in Italy, a letter explaining why you move and a one-way ticket reservation printed from the carrier. Income from employment is not counted. The income threshold and the rest of the list are in the retirement visa page. Italian consulates take fingerprints from all national visa applicants since 11 January 2025. UK documents going to Italian offices may need an apostille and a translation, see document legalization.

The first weeks in Italy

Permesso di soggiorno within 8 working days. The London consulate warns that missing this step may compromise your right to live in Italy. For most permit types you mail the KIT from a post office, see the KIT and the permesso.
Residency registration with the comune (iscrizione anagrafica) if you stay more than 3 months, per gov.uk.
Codice fiscale, the tax code you need for a lease, a bank account and the health service, see the codice fiscale calculator.
Healthcare registration at the local ASL (next section).

Fill the KIT (Mod. 209)Field-by-field over the real Modulo 209: what to write, an example and a tip per field, by motive.

Two Italian rules that surprise newcomers, both from the gov.uk guide: you must carry photo ID at all times, and if you host a non-EU guest you must tell the questura in writing within 48 hours of their arrival.

Healthcare: S1, SSN or private cover

Your situation	How you are covered
You draw a UK State Pension or another exportable UK benefit	request an S1 from NHS Overseas Healthcare Services and register it with your ASL; care on the same basis as an Italian citizen, plus a UK-issued GHIC for travel
You are employed or self-employed in Italy	free registration with the national health service (iscrizione obbligatoria); you may also get an Italian EHIC for travel
You do not work and have no S1 (for example elective residence before pension age)	voluntary registration for a yearly fee, at least 2,000 euro a year since 2024, or private insurance; no Italian EHIC
You moved before 2021 and have Withdrawal Agreement rights	free registration with the SSN, per the Italian decision gov.uk reported in March 2024

A UK GHIC or EHIC is for visits, not for living in Italy. The NHS is residency-based: once you move permanently you may lose free NHS care on visits to the UK unless you hold a registered UK-issued S1 or another exemption. If you later return to the UK, cancel the S1 with the NHS Overseas Healthcare Team. More on the Italian system: SSN and the tessera sanitaria.

Driving: exchanging a UK licence

The UK and Italy have a bilateral agreement on licence exchange. What gov.uk says (page last updated 11 December 2025):

Situation	Rule
Resident in Italy since 1 January 2023 or later	drive on a valid UK, Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey or Isle of Man licence for up to 12 months
After 1 year of residence (or resident before 2023)	you must exchange it for an Italian licence, no driving test
Deadline	in most cases within 6 years of becoming resident; Withdrawal Agreement beneficiaries at any time
Expired UK, Gibraltar, Jersey or Guernsey licence	exchangeable if it expired less than 5 years before you apply
Resident 6 years or more without exchanging, or licence expired over 5 years ago	theory and practical tests, as any non-EU national
Lost or stolen UK licence	exchange only with a copy of the Italian police report
Renewing the UK licence while living in Italy	not possible

Book the exchange at your local Motorizzazione Civile office. A UK-registered car cannot be driven once you have been resident for 90 days: register it with Italian plates within 90 days (art. 93-bis of the Italian Highway Code), and you cannot use it while the registration is in progress. More in driving in Italy.

Pensions and tax

UK State Pension. You can claim it from Italy through the International Pension Centre. It is paid into an Italian or a UK account every 4 or 13 weeks (a 0.39% conversion charge applies to foreign accounts) and, because Italy is in the EEA, it goes up every year as it would in the UK.

Private pensions and transfers. A UK pension can be moved only to a qualifying recognised overseas pension scheme (QROPS). The transfer is taxed at 25% unless an exemption applies, for example you live in the country where the QROPS is based; the part above your overseas transfer allowance (usually 1,073,100 pounds) is taxed at 25% in any case; if you move country within 5 years of the transfer, form APSS 241 either refunds the charge or triggers it. Get regulated advice before any transfer.

Double taxation. The 1988 UK-Italy convention, in force since 31 December 1990, decides which country taxes what. Under article 18, pensions for past employment and annuities paid to a resident of one country are taxed only there; under article 19, UK government-service pensions (civil service, armed forces, local authorities) stay taxable only in the UK, unless you are an Italian national and resident. Whether a given payment falls under article 18 or 19 is worth checking with HMRC or a commercialista.

Italian tax residence. Since 2024 you are an Italian tax resident if, for most of the year, you have a residence, your domicile (centre of personal and family ties) or physical presence in Italy; registration with the anagrafe is presumed to mean residence unless you prove otherwise. A resident declares worldwide income and must report foreign accounts and assets in the RW schedule; gov.uk warns of severe penalties for not filing. Retirees who move to a small town in the South may choose the 7% flat tax on foreign income for nine years, see the retirement visa page. General rules: taxes in Italy. This is not tax advice.

What the chats say

The community behind this site is Russian-speaking, so British moves are rare in its chats. In the 2022-2026 archive we found 69 messages about moving from the UK or dealing with the Italian consulate in London, most of them about British visas rather than moves. Two questions in 2024 asked whether anyone had applied for an Italian visa D at the London consulate while holding a British residence permit (one of them a Skilled Worker permit); neither got a first-hand answer in the chat. A separate topic that does come up (15 messages in 2023-2026) is flying between Italy and the UK while holding only the ricevuta of a pending permesso; see travelling on the ricevuta before booking.

Italy retirement visa: pension, 7% tax, healthcare - the route most UK retirees take.
Italy long stay visa (visa D): choosing your route - all visa D bases side by side.
How to move to Italy: step-by-step plan - the whole path from the visa to residency and a bank.
Permesso di soggiorno renewal - the KIT, timing and the ricevuta.
Cost of living in Italy - rent, food and bills by city.

Official sources

Living in Italy, UK government guide: gov.uk
Italy entry requirements: gov.uk
Healthcare for UK nationals living in Italy: gov.uk
State Pension if you retire abroad: gov.uk
Transferring to an overseas pension scheme: gov.uk
UK-Italy double taxation convention: gov.uk
Visas, Italian Consulate General in London: conslondra.esteri.it
Visas, Italian Consulate General in Edinburgh: consedimburgo.esteri.it
Residence permits: questure.poliziadistato.it

Frequently asked questions

Can a UK citizen move to Italy after Brexit?

Yes, but as a non-EU national. Without a visa you can stay in the Schengen area, Italy included, for up to 90 days in any 180. To live in Italy you need a national (type D) visa for a specific purpose, such as elective residence, work, digital nomad work, study or family, and then a permesso di soggiorno, which you apply for within 8 working days of arrival. People who were already living in Italy before 1 January 2021 keep rights under the Withdrawal Agreement.

Where do UK residents apply for an Italian long stay visa?

All visa services in the UK are handled by the Italian Consulate General in London, through its partner VFS Global, with centres in London, Manchester and Edinburgh. Applicants in Scotland and Northern Ireland book at the Edinburgh centre. You must appear in person and your passport must be valid at least three months beyond the trip, with two blank pages. Non-British residents of the UK also need a UK residence permit and an eVisa share code. Checked on 30.09.2026.

Can I drive in Italy on my UK licence after moving there?

If you became resident on or after 1 January 2023, you can drive on a valid UK licence for 12 months. After that you must exchange it for an Italian licence at the Motorizzazione Civile, without a driving test; in most cases the exchange is possible within 6 years of becoming resident. You cannot renew a UK licence while living in Italy. A UK-registered car must get Italian plates within 90 days of becoming resident, according to gov.uk.

How do UK pensioners get healthcare in Italy?

If you draw a UK State Pension or another exportable benefit, you can request an S1 form from NHS Overseas Healthcare Services and register it with your local health authority (ASL). You are then treated on the same basis as an Italian citizen and get a UK GHIC for travel. Without an S1, people who do not work in Italy enrol voluntarily in the national health service for a yearly fee or take private insurance. This is not medical or legal advice.

Will my UK State Pension go up each year if I live in Italy?

Yes. According to gov.uk the State Pension is increased each year if you live in the EEA, which includes Italy. It can be paid into an Italian or a UK bank account, every 4 or 13 weeks; payments into a foreign account carry a 0.39% conversion charge.

Do I pay tax twice on UK income after moving to Italy?

The UK-Italy double taxation convention of 1988 prevents that. Under its article 18, pensions for past employment and annuities are taxed only in the country where you are resident; under article 19, UK government-service pensions stay taxable in the UK unless you are an Italian national and resident. As an Italian tax resident you also declare foreign accounts and assets in the RW schedule. This is not tax advice.

Related materials - Guides

Next stepItalian residence route matcherFive questions show the best-fit permit: lavoro autonomo, digital nomad, residenza elettiva or family.