Residenza and taxes

[davidfryer23]

I am buying a house in Italy and have been advised by the agents to declare it as my "first house" in Italy - which it is - so the tax is lower and then to apply for "residenza". I expect to spend a lot of time there as well as in the UK and just want to make sure this is the correct thing to do. If it is, can anyone assist with advice on how to apply for residenza? Thanks all

[Nardini]

To apply for residenza, you need to go along to your local town hall (municipio) and ask in the office of the anagraf. If you are an EU citizen, you can do the whole thing there - if not, you will need to buy a "pack" from the post office. The anagraf will tell you all you need to know.

[davidfryer23]

Thanks Nardini,

I am sure we can find the anagraf - the town hall is in the same street - but will it be necessary to give "proof" that I am residing there permanently or just that I use it as my only home when I am in Italy. I have funds to stay without needing support from the Italian state, plus the ability to earn money working over the internet and all services and utilities connected up in my name. Do you think that will be enough?

Grazie mille

D

Originally Posted by Nardini

To apply for residenza, you need to go along to your local town hall (municipio) and ask in the office of the anagraf. If you are an EU citizen, you can do the whole thing there - if not, you will need to buy a "pack" from the post office. The anagraf will tell you all you need to know.

[VirtualOdin]

Originally Posted by davidfryer23

Thanks Nardini,

I am sure we can find the anagraf - the town hall is in the same street - but will it be necessary to give "proof" that I am residing there permanently or just that I use it as my only home when I am in Italy. I have funds to stay without needing support from the Italian state, plus the ability to earn money working over the internet and all services and utilities connected up in my name. Do you think that will be enough?

Grazie mille

D

David

To obtain "residenza", what the Anagrafe will want from you (if our Comune is a guide) is a passport; a payslip; and one of a range of forms from your native country to demonstrate that you are entitled to state healthcare or proof of private health insurance in Italy. This is where we have tripped up. We have been quoted forms E109, E37, E106, E121 and E101. If you are retired it seems easy enough. If you still have some work in the UK, as I do, it seems impossible, but I have not given up hope. I'm writing to HM Revenue and Customs today, again...

I hope this helps, but part of the reason for posting here is to ask if anyone else has cracked working in both UK and Italy and obtaining residenza in Italy.

[Nardini]

Originally Posted by davidfryer23

Thanks Nardini,

I am sure we can find the anagraf - the town hall is in the same street - but will it be necessary to give "proof" that I am residing there permanently or just that I use it as my only home when I am in Italy. I have funds to stay without needing support from the Italian state, plus the ability to earn money working over the internet and all services and utilities connected up in my name. Do you think that will be enough?

Grazie mille

D

You will be applying for residency - residenza - which is to say, you home in Italy. Your application will include your declaration of either a work contract here, or sufficient income to support yourself without recourse to any kind of state aid - you may very well have to show proof of this as well. It will also include details of (assuming you are not yet of retirement age) private health care insurance. After you have made your application, you will receive a visit - unannounced - from a local policeman who will check that you are, indeed, living there.

There is not another kind of residenza possible and if you are not able to comply with this then I'm afraid your tax bill will go back up again.

[Nardini]

Originally Posted by VirtualOdin

David

To obtain "residenza", what the Anagrafe will want from you (if our Comune is a guide) is a passport; a payslip; and one of a range of forms from your native country to demonstrate that you are entitled to state healthcare or proof of private health insurance in Italy. This is where we have tripped up. We have been quoted forms E109, E37, E106, E121 and E101. If you are retired it seems easy enough. If you still have some work in the UK, as I do, it seems impossible, but I have not given up hope. I'm writing to HM Revenue and Customs today, again...

I hope this helps, but part of the reason for posting here is to ask if anyone else has cracked working in both UK and Italy and obtaining residenza in Italy.

You will find that different comune interpret the current legislation is slightly (some not so slight) different ways. This can be confusing for people that have succeeded in getting their health card or residenza without complying with all of the legal requirements.

Current law requires you to have private health care provisions in place before being granted your residenza. Some people are lucky - others are not. Be wary of accepting advice from the lucky few which may bring you into conflict with your anagraf - you will need them to be on your side.

There are several places where you can arrange health care for yourself without paying unduly "through the nose"! Just make sure that your anagraf will accept the health care scheme provider before spending money on it. Ask, in other words.

Good luck.

I should add that you will need to have your codice fiscale as well, when you apply.

[Angeldimana]

Originally Posted by davidfryer23

I am buying a house in Italy and have been advised by the agents to declare it as my "first house" in Italy - which it is - so the tax is lower and then to apply for "residenza". I expect to spend a lot of time there as well as in the UK and just want to make sure this is the correct thing to do. If it is, can anyone assist with advice on how to apply for residenza? Thanks all

Hi, I beleive the tax break only takes effect if you live in your new house permanantly and within 18 months of sale completion. We are going through a similar process at the moment and would love to save some money??

Good luck.


Nigel

[Davidealex]

We have successfully completed the residenza formalities at the commune - our EU health card seems to have been accepted - and now await the unannounced visit from the local police. The trouble is, although our new home is our only residence in Italy, we are presently dividing our time between it and London while we put our affairs in order. Does anyone know what the authorities consider acceptable as 'residence' in terms of the time we actually have to be there?

Grazie mille

DeA

[Nardini]

The reduced tax payable when you buy your house in Italy is subject only to the house being your "prima casa" in Italy and that you get your residenza granted by your comune. There is no time limit in reality, so long as you have your residenza and you will not be asked to pay the increased "stamp duty" on your house - so long as it is your one and only house in Italy. It does not matter in the slightest where else you live, or for how long.

David: With your application for residenza accepted by the comune, they will now send a local policemen (usually still called the vigili) to check that you really are living there. You might try to ask when they are coming, but the chances are that the answer will be "sometime in the future", without any other detail. If you are not there when they call, you will have to start the process all over again, so, my advice to you is to arrange to stay there until you have being granted your residenza - then go wherever else you want to be.

[Davidealex]

Originally Posted by Nardini

The reduced tax payable when you buy your house in Italy is subject only to the house being your "prima casa" in Italy and that you get your residenza granted by your comune. There is no time limit in reality, so long as you have your residenza and you will not be asked to pay the increased "stamp duty" on your house - so long as it is your one and only house in Italy. It does not matter in the slightest where else you live, or for how long.

David: With your application for residenza accepted by the comune, they will now send a local policemen (usually still called the vigili) to check that you really are living there. You might try to ask when they are coming, but the chances are that the answer will be "sometime in the future", without any other detail. If you are not there when they call, you will have to start the process all over again, so, my advice to you is to arrange to stay there until you have being granted your residenza - then go wherever else you want to be.

Thanks Nardini. We'd heard that the vigili visits are unprepdictable (although I gather that we shouldn't hold our breath at weekends or in August!). It looks as if we will have to adopt a kind of seige mentality for a while - an unfortunately timed visit to the shops could prove expensive.

DeA