Removals UK to Italy

Italy brings removal challenges that no other European country has. In France, Germany, Austria or Denmark, the main task is customs paperwork. Italy has the paperwork too, and it also has access problems.

The biggest is the Zone a Traffico Limitato (ZTL). These are Italy's restricted traffic zones. They cover the historic centre of almost every Italian city and many towns.

ZTL rules run on fixed daily times. Cameras and local police enforce them. If a removal van enters a ZTL without a permit, or outside the allowed hours, it gets an instant fine and the delivery is delayed.

• Rome: the ZTL around the historic centre covers many of the areas British expats most like to live in.
• Florence: the ZTL covers almost the whole centro storico.
• Venice: the historic island has no roads at all. Deliveries go by boat or barge. The Magistrato alle Acque sets the access rules, and loading times on the canals are strict.

Before your move leaves the UK, RMV's move managers check ZTL access, local permits and delivery times for your exact Italian address.

Italy is, with France, the most popular European country for British people moving for a better lifestyle. The people who move there are very varied:

• retired couples buying farmhouses in Tuscany or Umbria
• young fashion and design professionals moving to Milan
• academics and students moving to Bologna or Padua
• corporate professionals taking up jobs in Rome
• buyers of high-value historic homes in Florence or on the Amalfi Coast

They all use removal services, but they need very different things. A shared-van (groupage) move to a country farmhouse in Tuscany is nothing like a full-load company move to a Milan penthouse. Both are different again from specialist packing for antique furniture going to a restored palazzo in Florence. For our full overview of moves abroad, see our international removals page.

Post-Brexit Customs Clearance for Removals to Italy: Dichiarazione di Libero Ingresso, Codice Fiscale and the Agenzia delle Dogane

Since Brexit, every removal from the UK to Italy needs formal customs clearance with the Italian Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli. The Dichiarazione di Libero Ingresso is Italy's Transfer of Residence form. It lets you bring household goods in free of duty. Italian import VAT (IVA) is 22%. That is the highest standard rate in the EU, and higher than in France, Germany, Austria or Denmark.

Transfer of Residence (ToR) relief lets British people moving their main home to Italy bring household goods in without Italian customs duty or IVA (22% VAT). The standard EU conditions apply:

• you have lived outside the EU for the 12 months just before the move
• you have owned and used all the goods for at least six months
• you import them within 12 months of becoming resident in Italy
• you will not sell, pledge or transfer them for at least 12 months after import

In Italy, the form for this is the Dichiarazione di Libero Ingresso. You present it to the Italian Customs Office (Ufficio Doganale) on or before the day your shipment reaches Italian customs.

It is not the same as the French Déclaration de Déménagement, the German Form 0350, the Austrian ZBefr Form 2/2a or the Danish Customs Form 12024. You must use the Italian declaration.

The Codice Fiscale is your Italian personal tax code. Customs clearance needs it, and so does almost every other step of moving to Italy:

• opening an Italian bank account
• signing a rental contract or property deed
• registering with the Italian health service (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale)
• applying for a residency permit

You can get a Codice Fiscale from an Italian consulate in the UK before you leave, or from the Agenzia delle Entrate after you arrive. RMV's move managers check whether you have one at the pre-move survey, because it affects the customs paperwork timeline.

The Iscrizione Anagrafica is your residency registration at the local town hall (Comune). It is Italy's version of the German Anmeldung and the Danish Folkeregistret. The Transfer of Residence paperwork needs it, so complete it before your goods arrive or soon after.

Without proof of Iscrizione Anagrafica, customs may keep your goods in bonded storage until you can prove you live in Italy. The money at risk on a held shipment is Italian IVA at 22% of the declared value. For a household declared at £60,000, that is £13,200 of VAT.

Italian Customs Paperwork

You need the documents below for Italian customs clearance and Transfer of Residence relief under the Dichiarazione di Libero Ingresso. On every UK-to-Italy booking, RMV gives you blank forms, help filling them in, and a check of your documents before departure.

• Passport copy, for your identity and nationality, for the Italian Agenzia delle Dogane
• Dichiarazione di Libero Ingresso: the Italian Transfer of Residence declaration that lets your household goods in free of duty
• Codice Fiscale, your Italian personal tax code, needed for customs and for all Italian admin
• An itemised inventory, in Italian or with an Italian translation, listing each type of item, how many, and its estimated second-hand value
• Proof of Italian residency: Iscrizione Anagrafica confirmation, a signed rental contract or the property deed for the Italian address
• A signed statement that the goods have been yours and in use in the UK for at least six months, and that you will not sell or transfer them for 12 months after import
• A signed letter allowing RMV to represent you directly with the Italian customs office for this shipment
• Proof that you lived in the UK for the 12 months before departure: council tax bills, bank statements or a UK Certificate of Residence
• CMR consignment note, filled in by our driver when we collect your goods in the UK

All packing materials for a move to Italy are available from our Packing Shop: export cartons, bubble wrap, tissue paper, furniture pads, mirror packs and specialist crates for art and antiques.

ZTL Access Planning: Italy's Restricted Traffic Zones and What They Mean for Your Removal

Italy's ZTL zones cover the historic centres of Rome, Florence, Milan, Bologna, Venice, Naples, Turin, Verona and most big Italian cities. A van that enters a ZTL during restricted hours without a permit gets an automatic fine, and your delivery is delayed. Before departure, RMV checks ZTL access, local permit times and vehicle limits for every Italian address.

The ZTL matters more than anything else on the day of an Italian removal. Yet general removal company websites rarely explain it. Here is what it means for the five places British people move to most.

Rome

Rome's ZTL covers the whole historic centre (centro storico), Trastevere and several outer residential areas popular with British professionals and expats. The central ZTL runs from about 6:30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and from 6:30am to 2pm on Saturdays. Heavy goods vehicles also face weight and length limits in the centro storico.

For a Rome move, RMV finds the exact ZTL zone for your address. We confirm permits with the Rome city council (Comune di Roma) and plan arrival within the allowed hours.

Rome draws British professionals in fashion, media, diplomacy and international organisations. FAO, IFAD and WFP all have their headquarters there.

Florence and Tuscany

Florence has one of the strictest ZTL systems in Italy. It covers almost the whole centre, from the Duomo outwards. Some zones are enforced 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and a second restricted zone applies overnight.

Florence is the Italian city most popular with British buyers of historic homes and antique furniture. A van that enters the ZTL without a confirmed permit gets camera fines straight away: €80–€330 for each camera it passes.

RMV arranges Florence ZTL delivery permits in advance through the right Comune office. Our removals service handles the whole move, and our handyman service assembles and places furniture at your Florence home.

In rural Tuscany, the ZTL is not usually the main issue. That applies to farmhouses and villas in Chianti, Val d'Orcia, Maremma or Lucchesia. There, the problems are:

• narrow country roads
• steep hills
• bridges with weight limits
• unmade private tracks

Our pre-move survey finds every access limit for a rural address before the van is loaded. Part load or groupage is the cheapest way to move to rural Tuscany. Many British buyers are moving furniture for a second home or a villa renovation, not a whole household.

Venice

Venice is unlike any other European destination. The historic island has no roads. Every delivery needs a boat from the mainland, whether you live in Cannaregio, Dorsoduro, San Polo, Santa Croce, Castello or San Marco.

Your goods move from the van to a boat at Piazzale Roma, where the road ends at the lagoon, or at Tronchetto, the freight island. Smaller loads go on a motoscafo da trasporto (a water taxi or cargo boat). Larger loads go on a flat-bottomed freight barge.

Canal times in Venice are strictly controlled. On the Grand Canal and the main rii (smaller canals), freight can usually move only before 8am and after 8pm in most areas. Some rii are so narrow that only a small cargo punt can get in.

RMV works with specialist local partners in Venice. They hold the Magistrato alle Acque access permits and canal loading permits. Venice moves take longer to plan, so please give us at least four weeks' notice.

Venice is a small market but a high-value one. British buyers of Venetian palazzi, piano nobile apartments and historic canal-side homes send some of the most valuable loads on any European route. Specialist packing for antiques and art is standard for Venice: crates, custom foam and packaging that takes the climate into account.

Milan

Milan is Italy's capital of finance and fashion. It is home to the Italian Stock Exchange (Borsa Italiana) and the headquarters of Prada, Versace, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Ferragamo and dozens of other global fashion brands. It also has a big finance, consulting and technology sector. Most British professionals moving to Milan work in fashion, luxury goods, finance or consulting.

Milan's ZTL covers the Cerchia dei Bastioni, the ring of the old city walls. It runs on weekdays and weekends at different hours, and cameras enforce it. Milan also has Area B (a low emission zone) and Area C (a congestion charge zone), which add separate limits for older vehicles. Our pre-move survey checks that the van meets the rules and plans the delivery for every Milan address.

For smaller Milan moves, such as a studio or one-bedroom flat that does not need a full removal van, our man and van service costs much less.

Naples, Sicily and Sardinia

Naples, Sicily and Sardinia each bring extra challenges on top of ZTL access:

• Naples: the historic centre is very dense, loading zones are few, and there are specific limits in the Quartieri Spagnoli, Chiaia and Posillipo areas.
• Sicily: the van drives from the UK to southern Italy, then crosses the Strait of Messina on the Messina–Villa San Giovanni car ferry (20–35 minutes). From the ferry it continues by road to Palermo, Catania, Siracusa and Agrigento.
• Sardinia: the crossing is longer and depends more on the weather. Your goods go on a roll-on/roll-off ferry from Genoa (about 20 hours), Livorno (about 7 hours to Olbia) or Civitavecchia (about 8 hours to Cagliari).

We build Sardinia ferry timetables, seasonal space limits and port booking times into every Sardinia plan. Our storage service can cover any gap in the UK while the ferry booking is confirmed.

Service Options: Full Load, Part Load, Groupage and Specialist Removals to Italy

RMV offers full load, part load and groupage for removals from the UK to Italy, plus specialist handling for antiques and art. By road, Milan is about 1,400 km from London and Rome about 1,800 km. Italy is a medium-length European route. But its transit times vary more than almost any other country, because the peninsula is long and the islands add extra steps.

Full Load, Dedicated Van Service

Your goods fill the whole van from UK collection to Italian delivery. Typical times from London:

• Milan: about 3–4 days
• Rome: about 4–5 days
• Naples: 5–6 days
• Palermo (including the Sicily ferry): 6–7 days
• Sardinia (including the ferry, via Genoa): 5–6 days

Full load is the usual choice for homes with three or more bedrooms, for any move with valuable or antique items, and whenever you need a fixed delivery date.

Part Load and Groupage

Your belongings share the van with other loads going to Italy or nearby countries. You pay only for the cubic metres you use. Part load is the most common choice for rural Tuscany homes, smaller loads to Sicily and Sardinia, and all student moves to Italian universities. Transit times are:

• northern Italy: 5–10 days
• central Italy and Sicily: 7–12 days
• Sardinia and Calabria: 8–14 days

Antique Furniture and Specialist Art Removals to Italy

Italy has more historic homes than anywhere else in Europe, and the largest antique furniture market on the continent. British buyers of period homes in Florence, Venice, Rome or the Italian Lakes often move antique furniture, oil paintings, sculpture, ceramics and archive items. These need far better packing and crating than ordinary household goods.

RMV's specialist packing includes:

• made-to-measure timber crates for marble, sculpture and large oil paintings
• corner and edge protectors for antique furniture
• bubble wrap, acid-free tissue and foam inserts for ceramics and glass
• packaging that takes the climate into account for paper, canvas and natural materials

You can buy all packing supplies from our Packing Shop. For AIM accreditation and company background, see our About Us page.

UK to Italy Removals: Door-to-Door Transit Times from London

Typical times from London to your door in Italy, including post-Brexit customs clearance.

• Milan (Lombardy), full load 3–4 days; part load 5–9 days
• Turin (Piedmont), full load 3–4 days; part load 5–9 days
• Genoa (Liguria), full load 3–4 days; part load 5–9 days
• Bologna (Emilia-Romagna), full load 3–5 days; part load 6–10 days
• Florence (Tuscany), full load 3–5 days; part load 6–10 days
• Venice (Veneto), full load 4–5 days by road plus canal transfer; part load 7–12 days; book at least 4 weeks ahead
• Rome (Lazio), full load 4–5 days; part load 7–12 days
• Naples (Campania), full load 5–6 days; part load 8–13 days
• Palermo (Sicily, including the Messina ferry), full load 6–7 days; part load 9–14 days
• Cagliari (Sardinia, including the Civitavecchia–Cagliari ferry), full load 5–6 days; part load 8–13 days

For Italy guides, ZTL permit advice, island ferry timetables and 2026 moving checklists, visit our blog.

Your Complete UK-to-Italy Moving Solution

RMV Storage & Removals handles your whole move from the UK to Italy. That covers the pre-move survey, specialist packing, customs paperwork, ZTL access planning, road and ferry transport, and door-to-door delivery to any Italian city, country area or island.

• Our removals service handles the whole physical move.
• Our storage service covers gaps between UK and Italian dates, including ferry waits for Sicily and Sardinia.
• Our man and van service handles smaller loads and Milan studio moves.
• Our handyman service assembles and places furniture at your Italian home.

Packing materials, including antique crates and specialist art packing, are available from our Packing Shop. For AIM accreditation and full company background, see our About Us page.

For a quote or a pre-move survey for a removal to Italy, call 0208 0900 232, WhatsApp us or email info@rmvlondon.com.