Kent → Italy
Removals from Kent to Italy
Fewer Kent households go to Italy than to France or Spain, and those that do tend to take more with them: old furniture, pictures and the contents of a house that was collected piece by piece rather than bought all at once.
What does moving from Kent to Italy involve?
A household removal from Kent to Italy combines a long road journey, an Italian customs file and, very often, old furniture that needs crating rather than wrapping. The paperwork starts with the codice fiscale, Italy's tax code, which everything else depends on and which you can request through the Italian consulate before you go. Then come the right to reside, proof of your Italian address, an itemised inventory in Italian that you sign, and after arrival your registration at the comune. We survey the house, list and crate anything fragile or old, and check the delivery address against any restricted-traffic zone before loading. The vehicle crosses from Kent and reaches Italy through the Alpine tunnels or along the Riviera, depending on your destination. If the Italian house is still being restored, the household waits in store in Kent until it is ready.
What documents do you need to move to Italy?
The usual file for a household transferring its residence to Italy. The comune and the consulate can each ask for more, so treat this as the frame and the official pages as the detail.
| Document | What it is | Who issues it | When you need it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Codice fiscale | The Italian tax code. Renting, buying, utilities, residency and customs all refer to it. | Agenzia delle Entrate, applied for through an Italian consulate abroad or a tax office in Italy | First of all, before anything else in Italy |
| Visa or permesso di soggiorno | The right to live in Italy as a UK national: a national visa, then the residence permit. | Italian consulate (visa); the Questura (residence permit) | Visa before you move; permit after arrival |
| Proof of the Italian address | The deed of purchase (rogito) or a registered rental contract. | Notaio, or your landlord | Before the goods are cleared into Italy |
| Iscrizione anagrafica | Registration as a resident on the population register of the comune you are moving to. | The comune's registry office (ufficio anagrafe) | After you are living at the address |
| Valued inventory in Italian | An itemised list of every carton and piece, with values, signed by you. | Prepared by us, checked and signed by you | Before loading in Kent |
| ZTL access permit | Permission for the removals vehicle to enter a restricted-traffic zone in a historic centre. | The comune or its local police (polizia locale) | Arranged ahead of delivery day, if the address is inside a zone |
| Import certificate for antiques | A certificate recording that a cultural object arrived from outside the EU, which simplifies taking it out of Italy again later. | An export office (ufficio esportazione) of the Italian Ministry of Culture, on request | Only if you hold antiques or art you might later move on again |
Check the official source
- GOV.UK: Living in Italy visas, residency and registration for UK nationals
- Agenzia delle Entrate: tax identification number for foreign citizens how to obtain a codice fiscale
- Consulate General of Italy in London visas, codice fiscale and consular services for UK residents
Requirements are set by the authorities above and can change. Treat their pages as the final word; we work to whatever they currently ask for.
Crating the old pieces
A house in the Kent countryside often holds pieces that need thought on a long journey: a longcase clock, framed oils, a marble washstand, a coffer that has stood in one corner since before anyone can remember.
These travel crated, not blanket-wrapped: made-to-measure cases for pictures, stone stood on edge and braced, clock movements and pendulums removed and packed separately. Mention them at survey and they are planned and priced properly. Found on the day, they get handled worse.
Which route does a Kent removal to Italy take?
The first leg is the familiar one: across from Kent into France. After that, Italy offers a genuine choice.
For the north, meaning Turin, Milan and the lakes, the route runs past Reims and Dijon towards the Alps, then through the Mont Blanc tunnel into the Aosta valley or the Fréjus tunnel to Turin. Each charges a toll, restricts heavier vehicles, and shuts when the mountain weather turns.
For Tuscany, Umbria, Rome and the south, the passes are often best avoided: the Riviera route runs south through the Rhône valley, east along the Provençal coast, into Liguria at Ventimiglia and on past Genoa and La Spezia towards Pisa, Florence and Rome.
How do ZTL restricted zones affect delivery?
Most Italian cities of any age have a restricted-traffic zone over their historic centre, watched by cameras, with automatic fines for unauthorised vehicles, sometimes more than one for a single visit.
Historic Florence, Siena, Bologna and Rome are all covered. An address inside a zone means applying to the comune ahead of time, or handing over to an authorised local vehicle at the boundary. Which applies is settled from your exact street address while the household is still in Kent.
Codice fiscale before everything
Apply through the Italian consulate in London while you are still in the UK: banks, notaries, landlords and the comune all expect it. Then the address, the residence registration at the comune, and the inventory itemised, valued and signed in Italian.
The honest advice is to allow more lead time than you think you need, and to begin the documents before you begin the cartons.
Restorations and storage
Many Kent-to-Italy moves are tied to a house still being worked on, and restorations overrun everywhere. Keeping the household in storage here until the property is truly finished is almost always better than delivering furniture into a building site.
Our Kent to France page covers the French part of the drive, and man and van explains how we collect saleroom pieces before they join the load.
Questions
Moving from Kent to Italy: before you commit
Over the Alps or along the coast?
The destination decides. The Alpine tunnels serve Piedmont, Lombardy and the lakes, though winter weather and lorry rules can shut them. For Florence, Rome and further south the vehicle often follows the French Mediterranean coast and crosses at Ventimiglia instead, which is longer on the map and more dependable in practice.
What is a ZTL, and why does it matter for a removal?
A zona a traffico limitato: the camera-enforced restricted zone covering the historic centre of most Italian cities. Unauthorised vehicles are fined automatically. A removals vehicle needs prior permission to enter, or the goods move to a smaller authorised vehicle at the edge; both are organised before the move, never on the day.
We have antiques. Is that a problem?
Not a problem, but worth planning. Bringing them in is straightforward with proper crating and careful valuation. Italy controls the export of cultural property, though, so if you might move on later, ask the Ministry of Culture's export office about a certificate recording their import. Without one, taking an old piece out of Italy can require an export licence.
The Italian house is still being restored. Should we ship now or wait?
Wait, almost always. Furniture delivered into a live restoration suffers from dust, unfinished floors, trades coming and going and no lockable door. Keep the household in store in Kent until the floors are finished and the door locks.
Do you deliver to the Italian lakes?
Yes: Como, Maggiore and Garda. The access problems there come from the lake, not the town: narrow shore roads, steep private drives and houses reached on foot from a parking area. Photographs at survey stage save a great deal of trouble.
Is moving to Italy harder than France or Spain?
Administratively, usually. There are more steps, the comune has more say, and documents tend to be checked closely. None of it is difficult; it simply rewards starting early and punishes improvising.
Send us the exact address and a list of the old pieces.
The address tells us whether there is a restricted zone to deal with. The list tells us what needs crating. Both change the plan.