# in Contradiction



## fatfreddiescat (Oct 18, 2008)

contrary, I am seeking information on the following: I seem to see a vast majority of questions relative to people moving from any of several areas abroad, to the U.S.

My question is rather the opposite: (And please. PLEASE forgive the simplicity and general ignorance on the topic (I'm trying to learn, slowly, I fear)

If my wife and I wanted to move to Italy, or some other EU territory, can we do it as follows:
(1) Get (renew from 25 years ago) passports brought current;
(2) Fly from, say San Francisco into Rome, or some other major entry port;
(3) find a property to rent, or if its financially possible, buy a small residence;
(4) live on our Social Security and Retirement checks for, oh, just pick a number - 12 years or so?
(5) Basically just move in like we thought we were supposed to, and set up housecleaning, intending to live there for years

So the drift is we know NOTHING about moving abroad, such as, is it the U.S. Government that would make us jump through employment/retirement hoops, or is it the Italian Government that would tell us "well, its been nice for the last 7-8 months, but, for now, adios?"

We are trying to find out how we might move to a country that is in track at a slower pace, that has low crime, that has comfortable, moderate weather, and would let us have our checks direct deposited to a local bank (keeping in mind that a pal of ours moved to Costa Rica by doing this, which there is referred to a "Retiro" account). And Italy was just a picked out of the hat - it could be anywhere in Europe with a mellow winter season, not in drought, and welcoming to old US quiiet couple looking for a nice place to call "home"?
Thanks in advance for any light you can shed. Weare grateful.
(BTW, if there is just NO WAY to do Europe, we are considering somewhere within a hundred mile radius from somewhere in the southeast that meets the similar criteria....low cost, low crime, reasonable cost of living, etc.

Stay Health and Safe, and again, Thanks.


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

I'm assuming in the following answer that you and your wife possess only U.S. citizenship, that you would like to relocate to Italy _specifically_ (not "some other EU territory"), and that you will not be working in Italy (i.e. your plan is retirement).

Italy (specifically) offers an Elective Residency visa in such circumstances. You would apply for that visa through your local Italian consulate. To qualify you would need to demonstrate sufficient passive income -- income from savings, investments, rental properties, social insurance benefits, and/or pensions. You would need to demonstrate at least 30,000 euro per year (or the wealth equivalent) to even be considered for an ER visa. If either one of you have a significant criminal history that would also be disqualifying, and you must both demonstrate the intention of residing in Italy, i.e. you must intend to stay for over one year. (It's an Elective _Residency_ visa, not a long vacation visa.) Showing some sort of Italian lease document (or intention to lease) to the consulate is the typical way to demonstrate your intention to reside in Italy. And you'll need at least Schengen minimum health insurance.

Assuming you both obtain ER visas then you'd enter Italy with your visas, apply for residence permits (PdSes) as soon as you arrive (but certainly no later than 90 days after arrival -- don't wait that long) and keep them current through periodic renewals, get enrolled in the Italian public health system (usually since that's the best baseline option), file Italian tax returns and Form RW (financial disclosures), etc.


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