On 24th December 2020, United Kingdom and the European Union has eventually signed the Withdrawal Agreement, regulating the future relationship between the two.
Under an immigration point of view, things will be much different for UK nationals: those who intend to come to Italy for reasons of study, work or simply to live in Italy for more than 90 days, will need to request a long-term national visa and residence permit to legally stay in the country.
That being said, the Withdrawal Agreement provides that UK nationals and their family members, residing in Italy by the 31st December 2020, have the right to receive a new residence permit. This biometric residence permit will allow UK nationals to exercise the rights recognized by the said Agreement.
The electronic residence permit will be valid for 5 years (bearing the title “residence card”) or 10 years (bearing the title “permanent residence card”), if the right to permanent residency has been already acquired through legal and uninterrupted residency in Italy for 5 years, including periods of stay before or after 31st December 2020.
The main requirement in order to request the residence card is to have a certificate of residency registration (“attestazione di iscrizione anagrafica”), issued by the Municipality of residency, which proves registration by 31st December 2020 or, alternatively, self-certification of being registered with the Municiaplity by 31st December 2020 and that registration has not been subsequently cancelled.
UK nationals who are not yet registered as residents with the Municipality by 31st December 2020, but who can prove, with suitable documentation showing their legal stay in the Italian territory before 31st December 2020 (e.g. employment contract, certificate of enrolment in a course of study) may in any case apply for the electronic residence document at the Police Headquarters of the province of residency.
