Moving to Italy in 2027? Tax planning should start before the move.
When an EU or UK family is considering relocating to Italy, the questions are often very similar:
Can I benefit from the Italian impatriate tax regime?
Should I open an Italian VAT position (Partita IVA)?
Would the flat-rate regime be better than ordinary taxation?
Can I continue working for a foreign company?
How will foreign bank accounts, investments and other overseas income be treated in Italy?
The key point is that these questions should not be analysed separately.
Before making decisions, it is important to understand the full picture:
- when Italian tax residence will begin;
- what activity will actually be carried out from Italy;
- who the employer or client will be;
- whether the requirements for the impatriate regime are met;
- whether employment, consultancy or self-employment is the most appropriate structure;
- which income and assets will remain abroad;
- which Italian reporting obligations may arise, including foreign asset reporting.
A common mistake is to start from the tax rate:
“The flat-rate regime is 15%, so it must be the best option.”
Not necessarily.
A proper analysis should compare, where applicable:
employment income + impatriate regime
vs
self-employment under the ordinary regime + impatriate regime
vs
the Italian flat-rate regime
while also considering social security contributions, foreign income and the wider family position.
For UK nationals, immigration and residence status must also be assessed separately from tax residence. For EU citizens, the immigration framework is different, but the tax analysis remains essential.
My approach always starts with a complete review of the client’s position.
The more reliable information I have about residence history, contracts, income sources, the activities of both spouses and foreign assets, the more accurately I can assess the Italian tax consequences and, where appropriate, prepare comparative tax simulations.
This is the real value of pre-arrival tax planning:
before the move, there is still time to structure and plan.
After the move, we are often dealing with the consequences of decisions that have already been made.
f you are considering moving to Italy in 2027, a pre-arrival review can help you understand your tax residence, working structure, available tax regimes and foreign reporting obligations before making irreversible decisions.
Dott.ssa Kristina Larkina
Dottore Commercialista | Revisore Legale
Italian Tax · Expats · International Tax




