Moving to Rome, Italy..?

Question

Im currently living in the US and i would like to move to Rome. Is it a good idea to move there? Is it very expensive? Im a citizen but ive never been to italy before; however, i have seen pictures and looked alot of information about the life quality there and to me it seems a pretty good place to live. What should i know before moving there? Would it take me time to addapt? How many money i might spend per month? Where can i find apartments and jobs?

Answer 1

It's not so easy to move here if you're not an EU citizen. You can check visa requirements at the Italian Ministry website: http://www.esteri.it/visti/home_eng.asp. The type of visa you would need need depends on where you're from and whether you want to be working here. It's illegal to work here without the correct visa & permesso di soggiorno if you're not from the EU. Note that if you're an expat, you'll need to file tax return in both Italy and the US.

In general in Europe, and in particular here in Italy, you have to have a job lined up in order to get a work visa before you move here from the US, Canada, Australia, or other non-EU country. You can only stay for 90 days without some type of visa (work, student, ...). You cannot apply for the visa while you're here and you'll need the proper paperwork from the company. However, you could come over as a tourist for up to 90 days without a visa and look for work. Then you'd have to go back to the US or where ever and wait for the paperwork for a visa to be processed. There's also a visa available for a working vacation. If you're coming from the US, you'll also have to have skills that can't easily be duplicated here. That will mean a degree in a marketable field. There are lots of different kinds of permessos though - for work as a dependent of a company, self employment, seasonal work, or working vacation. http://www.esteri.it/visti/index_eng.asp

These are sites for expats in Italy with general info on living and working here.

http://www.us-expatriate-handbook.com/

http://www.expatsinitaly.com/

http://www.expatsinitaly.com/before/gett...

http://www.insight-italy.com/artscsii.ht...

Jobs are tight here right now. Your best bet might be to find a job where you are now with an international company and transfer, but that won't be easy either. If you only speak English, your opportunities are limited. There are jobs teaching English, but they generally prefer EU citizens because the employers don't have to deal with justifying hiring someone outside the EU. Note that if you retain your US citizenship, you'll have to file tax returns in both the US and Italy.

I moved to Italy with my job several years ago. While there's a lot of preparation to do, it's worth the effort.

Answer 2

Before actually deciding to move to a place, I would more than reccomend visiting the place first.

This said, of course it will take time for you to adapt and it's going to be kind of hard to find a proper job even if you have a legal working visa or EU passport. The reason is because there-s a lack of job places all over the country and it-s been like that for quite some years.

The life quality over here is very good in terms of weather, people, history, beauty of the cities, etc. That at the end of the day to add quite a big plus. In terms of income though, as explained before, it-s kind of hard, for the wages aren't that great but the cost of living is still rather high (expecially in cities like Rome and Milan).

Anyway, if you-re quite sure you-re ready for this step, check out these websites to get yourself started:

www.wantedinrome.com

www.portaportese.it