# Early days - millions of questions!



## Tigereyes78

Hello everyone, my husband and I hope to move to Italy in about 3 years. We currently live in Jersey, Channel Islands with UK passports. My husbands grandmother was Italian and we dream of setting up along the Adriatic coast, possibly Abruzzo where he visited with her many times as a child.
He is a fully qualified vehicle technician, (a posh mechanic I call it ?) so we hope to set up our own business around that primarily. He also has full HGV class 1 license. I have a degree in business and IT, and we currently run our own vehicle repair business here in Jersey.

I have 3 children, number 4 on the way. My twin girls are currently 16, one will be a qualified hairdresser by the time we move and the other wants to work with animals.
My son is currently 7 so we need to get him into school too. We would prefer a state school so he is already learning some Italian with me ?
We also have 3 dogs and 3 cats who will be making the journey with us!

We would ideally like to save now to buy a fixer upper, not too close to cities, with olive grove and orchard in an ideal world! I know it sounds idyllic but we believe with the right planning we can do it, even if we have to live in a caravan for a while first ?

Any advice, guidance, where to start info would be most appreciated. Thank you


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## pudd 2

Tigereyes78 said:


> Hello everyone, my husband and I hope to move to Italy in about 3 years. We currently live in Jersey, Channel Islands with UK passports. My husbands grandmother was Italian and we dream of setting up along the Adriatic coast, possibly Abruzzo where he visited with her many times as a child.
> He is a fully qualified vehicle technician, (a posh mechanic I call it ?) so we hope to set up our own business around that primarily. He also has full HGV class 1 license. I have a degree in business and IT, and we currently run our own vehicle repair business here in Jersey.
> 
> I have 3 children, number 4 on the way. My twin girls are currently 16, one will be a qualified hairdresser by the time we move and the other wants to work with animals.
> My son is currently 7 so we need to get him into school too. We would prefer a state school so he is already learning some Italian with me ?
> We also have 3 dogs and 3 cats who will be making the journey with us!
> 
> We would ideally like to save now to buy a fixer upper, not too close to cities, with olive grove and orchard in an ideal world! I know it sounds idyllic but we believe with the right planning we can do it, even if we have to live in a caravan for a while first ?
> 
> Any advice, guidance, where to start info would be most appreciated. Thank you


my first advise as allways is boots on the ground , and we have been living here 13 years now , but we came verry green with no exsperiace of abruzzo 
they were the early days when english house agents got you in a car took you to god knows were to sell you a ruin in the back of behond that no italian would want 
we got riped of cheated lied to , promised the earth , were recomanded builders gerometers who wrre the best on this earth , but we have sincxe learnt the hard ( expencive way ) who to trust and who to not 
In those days the faverate line was this was going to be the new tuscany and if we opened a b&b we would be fighting back the hoars of people beating a path to our door 
Well its not been like that , but we have been verry happy here , the people are kind the food and wine good , the weather even better and the health care is second to none , and boy have we tested it lol 
Any way if you have any more specifick questions we will be pleased to answer them and pass on what we have learned over the years , oh and still learning


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## Tigereyes78

Update - now hoping to move next year ?
We are hoping to come over in May this year to have a good look around. More than anything it's ensuring my husband will be able to find work as a self employed mechanic so we have to pick the right area. We do plan to be as self sufficient as possible with solar panels and growing our own veg etc but will still need an income ?
My husband has travelled all over Europe and is confident with everything, I trust him completely but still like to have other peoples input for reassurance ?
I've always lived in Jersey so leaving a small island is a big step for me, even though I know it's definitely the right move as the future here is looking grimmer by the day ?


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## NickZ

The nearest mechanic closed his shop a couple of years ago. The one I now go to has three staff working for him. Two sons and his partner. While I wouldn't say the shop is a ghost town it's not overly busy.

The idea you can set up your own shop and compete with the locals is a dangerous one. Everybody around here already has a trusted mechanic. Even if you're cheaper it doesn't mean they'll switch.


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## pudd 2

Tigereyes78 said:


> Update - now hoping to move next year ?
> We are hoping to come over in May this year to have a good look around. More than anything it's ensuring my husband will be able to find work as a self employed mechanic so we have to pick the right area. We do plan to be as self sufficient as possible with solar panels and growing our own veg etc but will still need an income ?
> My husband has travelled all over Europe and is confident with everything, I trust him completely but still like to have other peoples input for reassurance ?
> I've always lived in Jersey so leaving a small island is a big step for me, even though I know it's definitely the right move as the future here is looking grimmer by the day ?


boots on the ground allways the best plan , this is not the land of milk and honey at the moment but its posible to make a living , but hey money aint every thing ,
we have a good health service dam good clean hospitals , good food fantastic country side oh and dont forget the wine 
as for growing your own choose the right area and you can get two crops a year as by the coast its sub tropical climate 
oh and if you ski its posible to ski and see the sea allso at easter you can ski in the morning and swim in the afternoon one hour from ski slopes to beach 
as for busineses its not easy but you couild look out for somone who has a good buisiness and is retiring and selling up 
we moved here 12 years ago . and ulike what the sceptics say we are happy and i have not been back to england for 5 years and dont have a desire to , having watched the news and seeing whats happening there


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## BBCWatcher

I agree with NickZ, but one _possible_ exception is if your husband can find a large enough group of foreign customers who only proficiently speak the same language he does (English, I assume) and who currently don't have access to a mechanic who speaks English proficiently. Then there might be a niche he could fill.

I also agree with Pudd 2's comment about "boots on the ground." If my hypothesis is correct, make a list of places with large populations of recent British, American, Australian, and other immigrants from predominantly English speaking countries. Think "British expatriate enclaves that also happen to be near U.S./British-heavy military bases in highly car dependent areas and with large officer contingents," basically. (Maybe some other posters have some ideas.) Then investigate the places on your list, on the ground, before committing to one.


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## Tigereyes78

Thank you everyone, my husband is half Italian so speaks Italian fluently. We dont want to be in an area dominated by English speaking really  We are not looking to make a fortune, we are very minimalistic to be honest. So not expecting the world, or to have a business that will take over the whole of Abruzzo  
Here, we have no real future, no chance to buy (a basic 3 bed house with tiny garden is circa £400,000). Looking at getting a run down property with a bit of land so we can make a life for ourselves. Feet are firmly on the ground, we know it wont be easy and are prepared to put in the hard graft


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## Tigereyes78

Also, what kennel facilities are in Abruzzo, is there much call for it? I have animal care qualifications and working in a vets here for some time so as a very keen dog/cat lover, this is also something we may consider


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## BBCWatcher

Tigereyes78 said:


> ....my husband is half Italian so speaks Italian fluently.


Does the latter automatically follow from the former? If only it were that simple. We'd all just be born with language chips installed. 



> We dont want to be in an area dominated by English speaking really


I didn't suggest that, and except for a McDonalds in Rome just after a tourist bus arrives (as a rare example), there aren't too many such areas anyway. I did, however, suggest that he might want to find a place where he has a potential competitive advantage (English) within a _large enough_ market niche in order to have enough business to survive financially.


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## Tigereyes78

I wasn't suggesting it automatically follows but a language chip would be helpful for me :relaxed: and was only saying we want to integrate as much as possible. Thank you for your comments


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## accbgb

I'm just going to throw this out there in case you are not already aware of it:

If your husband's grandmother was Italian, there is a good chance that he would qualify for Italian citizenship "jure sanguinis" (sometimes "jus sanguinis" - by blood right). Although not strictly necessary (your UK passports allow you to stay in Italy), there would almost certainly be advantages as Italian citizens.


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## accbgb

I will just add that Italian citizenship may, in fact, become an important option (actually, necessity) should the UK decide to leave the EU.

See http://www.expatforum.com/expats/it...italy/987577-unlikely-event-uk-leaves-eu.html

and http://www.expatforum.com/expats/la-tasca/472330-what-happens-british-expats-if-uk-leaves-eu.html


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## BBCWatcher

No, not a "necessity." Norway, for example, is not an EU member, but citizens of Norway have exactly the same rights in Italy as U.K. citizens.


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## accbgb

BBCWatcher said:


> No, not a "necessity." Norway, for example, is not an EU member, but citizens of Norway have exactly the same rights in Italy as U.K. citizens.


But I don't think you can guarantee that will continue.

For one thing, Norway is a member state of the Schengen Area; the UK is not.

If I were in the OP's shoes, I would certainly investigate Italian citizenship, if only as a worst-case insurance policy.


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## pudd 2

i think we are all in the same boat only time will tell che sara sara lets hope for the best


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## BBCWatcher

accbgb said:


> But I don't think you can guarantee that will continue.


Nobody can _guarantee_ much of anything. But that's not a reasonable standard to apply here.

What I'm pointing out is that there is something called the European Economic Area (EEA). If (big if) the United Kingdom withdraws from the European Union then EEA membership is a likely outcome -- an extremely likely one, actually. Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein are EEA members. Iceland, in fact, started the process to become an EU member but then backed off. Switzerland is another model, a country that's not a member of either the EU or EEA but that has bilateral agreements that include freedom of movement rights, for now anyway. You don't have to be an EU member to have freedom of movement rights within the EU -- that's just a fact. The future U.K. referendum is about EU membership specifically.

It's even less likely that any U.K. citizen already resident in an EU/EEA country, or of Switzerland, would be required to leave if the U.K. withdraws. (And vice versa, i.e. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens already in the United Kingdom wouldn't be required to leave post referendum.) Even the supporters of continued EU membership aren't making a claim otherwise. There's every reason to believe that even in a "worst case" referendum outcome that there'd be a "grandfather clause." Everybody on both sides of the referendum, and all policymakers throughout the EU, have been in agreement on that point. Nobody is interested in disrupting lives and livelihoods, at least not in that way.

It's just not helpful to be spreading fear and panic of this sort. There's no reasonable basis for it.

If (big if) the U.K. votes to withdraw from the EU then we can start to speculate about limitations on the rights of future U.K. emigrants. Unless and until then, "Welcome to Italy."


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## accbgb

I resent the implication that I am "spreading fear." The gist of my comment was that, since Italian citizenship jure sanguinis seems to be, at the least, a possibility, that it would be worthwhile to pursue it for a number of reasons, only one of which is the possible outcome should the UK withdraw from the EU.


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## Tigereyes78

I dont believe any harm was meant in the comment, it was actually food for thought from my perspective. My husband is going to look into it as we would (for our own reasons) like to be Italian citizens  Thank you


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## accbgb

Tigereyes78 said:


> I dont believe any harm was meant in the comment, it was actually food for thought from my perspective. My husband is going to look into it as we would (for our own reasons) like to be Italian citizens  Thank you


You're quite welcome.

The basics are as follows:

a. Your husband's grandmother must have still retained her Italian citizenship on the day her son/daughter was born

b. Your husband's father/mother must never have legally renounced his/her Italian citizenship (a highly unlikely event)

c. If your husband was born before January 1, 1948, he would most likely need to enlist the help of an Italian attorney who specializes in this situation. The Italian government's position is that prior to that date, Italian citizenship was passed only by the father, not the mother, however there have been a substantial number of challenges in the Italian courts and they seem to always win.

d. If your husband is granted citizenship and you married prior to April 27, 1983, then you will automatically be granted Italian citizenship as well. If you married after that date, you will have to apply separately for Italian Citizenship "jure matrimonio" - through marriage. Not really a necessity insofar as your being able to reside with your Italian husband in Italy.

e. If your husband is granted citizenship your minor children will automatically be granted Italian citizenship as well. If you have children over the age of majority they will have to file a separate application (in most consulates, anyway), however the granting would be essentially automatic.


Official info here: Consolato Generale d'Italia in Londra

Helpful info here: Italian Dual Citizenship Help - Italian citizenship message board and forum - Index page


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## Italia-Mx

accbgb said:


> I'm just going to throw this out there in case you are not already aware of it:
> 
> If your husband's grandmother was Italian, there is a good chance that he would qualify for Italian citizenship "jure sanguinis" (sometimes "jus sanguinis" - by blood right). Although not strictly necessary (your UK passports allow you to stay in Italy), there would almost certainly be advantages as Italian citizens.


From my own, personal experience, I most certainly agree with this. Furthermore if you live and work in your ancestral province or in the entire region where your family name has been known for many generations and where your husband's relatives still live, your experience as Italian citizens is likely to be even more advantageous. Yes, you can live in Italy as foreign British expats but as Italian citizens who think enough of Italy to have had recognized the Italian citizenship they inherited from their ancestors, you will be truly embraced.


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## accbgb

accbgb said:


> You're quite welcome.
> 
> The basics are as follows:
> 
> ...
> 
> c. If your husband was born before January 1, 1948, he would most likely need to enlist the help of an Italian attorney who specializes in this situation. The Italian government's position is that prior to that date, Italian citizenship was passed only by the father, not the mother, however there have been a substantial number of challenges in the Italian courts and they seem to always win.


Oops! I need to make a correction to the above:

If your _husband's father/mother_ was born before January 1, 1948, your husband would most likely need to enlist the help of an Italian attorney...

One attorney often recommended due to his many positive outcomes is Luigi Paiano (Google is your friend).


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