How much money do I need to move to Italy from Ireland?

There is no income threshold for EU citizens beyond showing you can support yourself. Fees for the move itself come to roughly €416–€2,950 for a couple, before somewhere to live.

Can I retire to Italy from Ireland?

Yes — you simply move and register. A foreign pension moved to a comune of up to 20,000 people in one of eight southern regions can be taxed at a flat 7% for nine years.

Can I buy a house in Italy as an Irish?

Foreigners can buy property in Italy; you need a codice fiscale, and the sale goes through a notary. Buying does not give you residency — a non-EU buyer still needs a visa to live there.

Relocating to Italy from Ireland

Moving to Italy from Ireland

Irish citizens are EU citizens: there is no visa, and the move is mostly paperwork at the comune.

As an EU citizen you can live in Italy without a visa. After three months you register your residence at the comune, showing you can support yourself and have health cover.

Updated September 2026 · figures from ISTAT

Build my plan — free to start

No visa needed from Ireland

As an EU citizen you move, then register. The step that matters is residency at the comune — it is what the health service, the tax year and the 7% regime all key off.

What is different coming from Ireland

No visa, but still registration

Residency at the comune's anagrafe is what makes you resident — it is the step the health service, the tax year and the 7% regime all key off. Do it properly, even though nobody will stop you if you don't.

Your licence

An Irish licence is valid in Italy as an EU licence. You only need to exchange it eventually or if it is lost.

Healthcare

If you draw an Irish state pension, ask whether you are entitled to an S1 form, which registers you with the Italian health service at Ireland's cost.

The steps, in order, from Ireland

For a couple retiring on a pension — the most common move we see. Fees in total: €416–€2,950.

Before you go
no fee
1. No visa — but bring the evidence anyway
Proof of income and of health cover is what the comune asks for when you register. Getting it together now saves a second trip to the anagrafe later.
Before or on arrival
no fee
2. Codice fiscale
The number everything else hangs off — bank, utilities, the deed. Free, from the consulate before you go or the Agenzia delle Entrate once you are there. Do it before you need it, because you will need it suddenly.
Once you have somewhere to live
€16–€50
3. Residency at the comune (anagrafe)
This is the step that makes you resident rather than a visitor, and it is what the 7% regime, the health service and the tax year all key off. A vigile urbano will call at the address to check you actually live there.
After residency
€0–€1,500
4. Health cover — SSN or private
EU citizens can rely on an S1 or register with the SSN directly. Bring the S1 if your home country still issues one for you.
Within 12 months of residency
€0–€200
5. Driving licence
EU licences are valid and can be exchanged at leisure; you only need to register it if you accrue points.
From day 183
€400–€1,200
6. You become tax resident
More than 183 days in a calendar year, or residency registered for most of it, makes Italy tax your worldwide income. The double-taxation treaty stops you paying twice, but it does not stop you filing. Talk to an Italian commercialista before your first Italian tax year, not during it.

Retiring to Italy from Ireland

Most people moving from Ireland with a pension settle on the EU freedom of movement route. The largest number in the plan is usually the tax: a foreign pension moved to a comune of up to 20,000 people in Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise, Puglia, Sardinia or Sicily can be taxed at a flat 7% for nine years.

How retiring to Italy works · every 7% tax town