In this week's Moving to Italy newsletter, we break down the timeline for paying your first taxes as an Italian resident and look at why Italy is a good choice for retirees seeking citizenship.

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.

This newsletter is for 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.

Do I have to file my tax return if I've just moved to Italy?

First things first, it's not a topic anyone wants to focus on when planning a move or first arriving in a new country. But once you become a resident in Italy, you'll have to get to grips with the tax system sooner or later.

On The Local we have plenty of tax guides to help you do just that. Although we'd always strongly recommend getting help from a tax professional, even if you're used to filing your own taxes in your home country.

One question readers have asked is: if you've just moved to Italy, how soon will you need to file your taxes here?

Here's our guide to the timing for your first Italian income tax return, as well as for certain local taxes which you may need to deal with sooner:

Why Italy's a better choice than France for retirees

Ok, we can't say it's better in every way, but if you're planning to retire abroad in future on a pension drawn from your home country, there could be some major advantages to choosing Italy.

In fact, if you're hoping to obtain EU citizenship through residency, the French government has said you're no longer allowed to do so as a foreign pensioner in France.

As our colleagues in France report, the change ends previous "goodwill measures" for over-65s and leaves many established residents now facing rejection when applying for citizenship.

So if you're considering your future options, it may be reassuring to know that in Italy the situation is very different and there are no such restrictions here.

Italy's worldwide taxation principle means foreign pension income should be accepted for the purpose of meeting citizenship requirements. Plus, Italy has a generous flat tax scheme for new arrivals bringing a foreign pension with them. Find more information in our article here.

The Italian work visas available in 2025

For those who instead plan to work in Italy, you've likely heard that Italian work visas can be difficult to get.

This is because Italy attempts to offset its high unemployment rate with protectionist labour rules, intended to keep as many jobs as possible for Italian and EU nationals.

So it is true that getting a work visa is often one of the bigger obstacles to starting a life in Italy - but that doesn't mean it's impossible.

Here are some of the main Italian work visas available to non-EU citizens in 2025.

Questions

The Local's Reader Questions section covers questions asked by our members and is a treasure trove of useful info on all kinds of practical matters.