US citizen moving to Italy

http://www.expatinfodesk.com/expat-guide/deciding-on-the-right-country/top-expatriate-destinations/italy/

What is your citizenship? Can you in any way claim Italian citizenship? Or can you claim citizenship of any EU country through your parents? That would be the easy way. Once you get a passport from any EU country you have the right to live and work in any EU country.

Do you have a job lined up? If you have a job offer, and your prospective employer can certify he cannot find an Italian (or any other EU citizen) who qualifies for the job, they can apply for an immigration visa on your behalf. Such a visa would only be valid for that job.

If you are retiring (living on your savings). You could get a visa then, but that would be to live there only, you would not be allowed to work.

Do you speak Italian?
If you have no job, and are just hoping to get a job when you arrive, you have very little chance of getting an immigration visa.

Learn Italian.
Even though there are many Italians who can interact in English in Italy, many people do not understand why there are so many Americans in Florence who have been there for one year and who still do not speak Italian. You will gain a lot if you do that effort.

My husband and I (we have no kids) are in the very beginning stages of planning this move. We plan on possiblity two years to plan, learn the language and most definitely reconicence for work. I know this is a large undertaking and thank you for helping me troubleshoot!!!

Sadly we can not claim citizenship of any European country!! Good to know that anyone who employes us will have to prove that there wasn't an Italian for the job......very interesting!!

A friend of mine who was a nuclear pharmacologist (how many can there be?) couldn't get a work visa, so...

It's a very lengthy process to acquire a visa, which has to be renewed every year or two, if you get past the first set of hoops.

Based on comments I've seen posted here over the years, moving to Italy is going to be a long and arduous process. In dealing with Italian bureaucracy you'll need lots of patience, and of course copious amounts of documents including financial statements, marriage license, etc. The last paragraph on this website makes some reference to that....

http://www.expatarrivals.com/italy/pros-and-cons-of-moving-to-italy

I don't know where you're located, but the first step will be to contact the nearest Italian Embassy, as they will be able to provide the most reliable information.

Before making a final decision on the move, you might consider applying for a long term Visa to stay for six months or a year. That will give you an idea whether you like living there.

Hopefullly Laurel will spot this post as I'm sure she will have some excellent suggestions to offer.

Good luck!

The difficulties to be expected are not unlike the difficulties an Italian citizen would find to get a green card and live in the USA. A friend of mine, an Italian very qualified classical musicians, once took part to a selection by a very big and famous orchestra, and he was clearly told that they were considering US musicians first, and a foreigner would be considered only if a qualified US applicant could not be found. - If you can find an employer really interested in you, getting a visa is only some paperwork; the difficult thing is finding an employer, as the Italian job market is very bad at present and you would need some connections anyway. Only public or semi-public jobs are reserved to local citizens (that, under UE rules, means any UE citizen from anywhere, so we are talking about a very large pool of people); privately owned firms have no law stipulation to employ Italians first (but there could be quotas to be observed, i.e. no more than 17850 employee work visas will be issued for 2016, not counting professionals like physicians or artists or investors starting up a firm), the difficult thing is getting a private employer really interested in you. Of course hiring locals would be easier so you have to be really good to be worth the extra trouble.

Three further observations from real life:
1. do not assume you can get by teaching English; there are more prospective English teachers than pupils and this is marginal work at best;
2. Italy is a tough place to live - as a tourist you never get too deep in real life and you can see only the pros but not the cons; Italians will have supporting families for occasional help, a foreigner needs to be twice as determined as an Italian;
3. it is not impossible, however, to succeed and move to Italy. If you stay long enough, say ten or twenty years, you will discover that you cannot move back to US, and you don't really want. The health system is so much better in Italy and you will not be able to afford US medical care when you are old anyway.

bsibiski,

I sent you a PM with our info on moving to Italy. The Italian Embassy to the U.S. has a helpful step-by-step "wizard" to help you determine your eligibility and what you have to do. We are here on an Elective Residence Visa, which means we have the resources to be self-supporting and will not (CANNOT) work. Getting a job, as others have mentioned, is almost impossible unless you ahve an employer who will transfer you here and get the residency permit for you.

Here are the types of Visas.

TOURIST (Schengen visa 1-90 days)
If you want to visit Italy or Schengen Member States for tourism up to 90 days.

STUDY (Schengen visa 1-90 days) or (National visa 91-365 days)
If you will be attending a short or long term program of study in Italy.

BUSINESS (Schengen visa 1-90 days)
If you intend to conduct any business with an Italian company or attend a trade fair or exhibition. This visa is limited to a short stay of up to 90 days.

SUBORDINATE EMPLOYMENT (Schengen visa 1-90 days) or (National visa 91-365 days)
If you have a short or long term employment contract for work in Italy.

SELF-EMPLOYMENT (Schengen visa 1-90 days) or (National visa 91-365 days)
If you will be conducting company business or professional activities (sports and athletics, educational training or instruction, or translation/interpretation assignments) in Italy for a short or long term period.

RELIGIOUS REASONS (Schengen visa 1-90 days) or (National visa 91-365 days)
If you are a member of a recognized religious order and will be attending related religious events or performing missionary or other religious assignments for short or long stay in Italy.

FAMILY REASONS (National visa 91-365 days)
If you are a foreigner legally residing in Italy and wish to reunite with immediate family for a long stay period.

INVITATION (Schengen visa 1-90 days)
If you have been invited by recognized public or private institutions or organizations to attend or participate in political, scientific or cultural events for a short period.

ELECTIVE RESIDENCE (National visa 91-365 days)
If you wish to live in Italy and can demonstrate sufficient and substantial financial resources to maintain yourself while there. You are not allowed to work with this visa.

Also, keep in mind that the visa must be applied for in your home country, not once you arrive in Italy.

There was a woman on here a while back named Catherine who has successfully moved to Italy for one year with her dog and is now happily living in a villa outside of Orvieto! It absolutely can be done but you must be willing to go through the bureaucracy! I follow her on Facebook and she is truly living the life! So jealous...
Here is the last of the conversations about this that she posted...click on her name "txgirl" to see all of her posts. Maybe PM her to get some advice!
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/finally-here-for-my-year-long-stay
Good luck!