Italian citizens registered with the AIRE (Registry of Italians Residing Abroad – Law 27.10.1988, no. 470) are entitled to customs exemption when they permanently return to Italy after residing continuously and permanently abroad for at least 12 months.
All items to be imported into Italy for the permanent return must be owned and used by the applicant and must be intended for his or her exclusive personal use. The importation of goods under customs exemption for different purposes is prohibited.
Household Goods (Masserizie)
To obtain customs exemption, no document needs to be issued by this Consulate in the case of importing only household goods.
The Italian Customs Office requires:
- Repatriation self-declaration form showing the date of arrival abroad and that of the return to Italy, including the address or at least the municipality of the next residence, and the list of household goods (dishes, clothing, toys, etc.)
Vehicles
It is possible to import vehicles (cars, motorcycles, or other motorized movable objects) into Italy, only if they have been owned by the returning citizen for at least 6 months.
You can submit a certification request to the Civil Status Office (stcivile.washington@esteri.it) by attaching copies of the following documentation:
- Repatriation self-declaration form for customs with vehicle
- Certificate of Title of the vehicle translated into Italian with an apostille (the apostille does not need to be translated)
- Vehicle registration
- Declaration or letter with the technical specifications of the motor vehicle issued by the seller (optional document)
- Declaration of conformity of the vehicle to CE regulations, only if issued by the dealer (optional document)
All the above-mentioned documents must be submitted exclusively in ORIGINAL, with APOSTILLE, and accompanied by a TRANSLATION into Italian.
For more information, please visit the website of the Italian Customs Agency.
Repatriation with Pets
If you are returning to Italy with a pet, you must follow these rules:
- The animals must be pets. It is not allowed to bring animals into Italy for commercial purposes using this type of service.
- Pets must be over three months old.
- Pets must travel with the owner or a person authorized by the owner.
- You may bring a maximum of five (5) pets, which can be dogs, cats, ferrets, or other animals, such as fish, frogs, turtles, and birds, as long as they do not belong to the protected category regulated by CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).
The introduction of pets is regulated by the European Union (see Regulation 998\2003\CE).
For more information, visit the website of the Italian Ministry of Health.
Required Documents
- Veterinary certificate to EU, filled out and signed by the Official Veterinary Service, containing information about the good health of the animal.
- Microchip or readable tattoo.
- Valid rabies vaccination certificate.
The certificate does NOT need to be legalized by this Consular Chancellery; the signature of the veterinarian in the respective county or city is sufficient.
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