United Kingdom's recently established new Government has made it clear that they would not tolerate or grant  further delays to the process of the UK leaving the  European Union, being the «D-Day» already scheduled for next January 31st, 2020.

In the event of a «no-deal» Brexit, which now seems closest than ever to become reality, UK nationals who are already residing or are willing to move to Italy shall familiarise themselves with and be ready and prepared to face the consequences of a «no-deal» scenario and shall consider to promptly take the necessary steps in order to secure their status and rights.

  1. SECURE A SUITABLE ACCOMMODATION

British citizens who are interested in moving to our country before Brexit should take care of securing an accommodation in Italy, by either entering into a valid lease agreement, duly registered with the Tax Agency ( Agenzia delle Entrate ), or by purchasing a real estate, prior to their expected date of travel to Italy. The availability of accommodation is in fact a vital pre-condition for the successful and expedite  registration with the Italian Municipality, mentioned at point 2 below.

  1. REGISTER WITH AN ITALIAN MUNICIPALITY BY JANUARY 31ST, 2020

Those British nationals who are already in Italy shall first of all register their residence with the Municipality ( Ufficio Anagrafe - Comune ) of the Italian city where they are living, by and not later than January 31st, 2020 which, as said, is the ultimate date scheduled by Boris Johnson's Government for Brexit to take place and become fully effective.

  1. APPLY FOR THE ISSUANCE OF AN ITALIAN RESIDENCE PERMIT

British nationals residing in the national territory and duly registered with the Municipality of the city where they are living shall apply, depending on how long they have been legally residing in Italy at the time of Brexit, for one of the following residence permits:

  • EU long term residence permit

Those who have been uninterruptedly residing in Italy for a period not shorter than 5 (five) years before Brexit takes place shall apply, by and not later than December 31st, 2020, for the so-called "UE long term" residence permit. The UE long term residence permit grants the holder the right to live and work in the national territory indefinitely, has no expiration date and is subject to update once every 5 years.

  • Residence permit "per residenza"

Those who have been legally residing in the national territory for less than 5 (five) years when Brexit becomes reality, shall apply, by ad not later than December 31st, 2020, for the issuance of the recently introduced socalled residence permit per residenza . This particular residence permit grants the holder the right to reside and carry out work activities in the Italian territory for an initial period of 5 (five) years and can be renewed before the expiration for further periods. Furthermore, after 5 years of legal residence in the country, holders of residence permits per residenza are entitled to apply for the  EU long term residence permit mentioned at point 2 above.

  1. KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ANNOUNCEMENTS AND BULLETINS ISSUED BY THE AUTHORITIES

British nationals are encouraged to always monitor and keep up with the official legal sources available online in order to keep track of any potential amendment, integration and/or additional legislative intervention in immigration matters that might have an impact on their status of expatriates (or potential expatriates) in Italy.

It is crucial for British nationals to take quick actions in order to secure the privileges they are currently still entitled to as citizens of a European Union member State if they want to settle down in Italy.

In fact, from February 1st 2020, UK citizens will be treated just as any other third-country national, meaning that they will no longer be free to move to, live and work in Italy without previously applying for a specific work authorization and/or a specific entry visa. 

Being this the legal framework applicable to British  nationals, it is important to highlight that from a practical point of view we still do not know how work permit applications will be lodged by UK nationals, considering that the Italian work permit application system has not been updated yet to reflect the consequences of an "hard Brexit".

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.