Job Discussion Forums

ioamosalerno · Joined: 09 Aug 2011 Posts: 40 Location: Belgium

Hello, I am currently a freelance trainer in Germany, however I am not planning on staying here for very long as I do not care for the cuisine, or to learn the language. I currently have a residency permit for freelance language training, that is valid for 2 years. I am planning on going to Italy in a couple of months to look for work, and to get the required documentation for a residency/work permit. I am also applying for grad school in Belgium for the fall of this year as well. What I am wondering is if it is possible to be denied a residency permit in one EU Schengen country becuase I hold a residency permit(s) for another country(ies). If, for example, I went to Italy to teach for a few months, is it possible that Belgium would deny me a residency permit becuase I already hold valid residency permits for Germany and Italy? Thanks for any help/insight..... life would be so much easier with EU citizenship....

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Teacher in Rome · Joined: 09 Jul 2003 Posts: 1286

As far as residency in Italy is concerned, you can only be resident in one place - one country / one municipality. This one place is where all your paperwork is concentrated (i.e. residence permit / health cover in force / tax paperwork sent to etc etc). You can only opt for one residency when you sign contracts (for work, electricity connection and so on). If you're resident in Italy you get lower costs for certain things, such as tax relief on your main residence (if you own it) and utilities. Residency in Italy also means that you pay tax - in Italy - on your worldwide income. If not for any other reason, this is perhaps the best one for not being resident in Italy.

By the way, if you're resident in Italy and then move somewhere else, the law states you have to inform your local municipality of your move and that you're giving up your residency in that municipality.

It's hard for non-EU citizens to get residency in Italy. Residency means you can live and work here legally, issue invoices (which you would need to do if you were freelance) and pay your taxes. The normal route for residency for non-EU is:

- sponsored work visa
- Italian citizenship (jure sanguis)
- marriage to an Italian citizen
- Elective Residency (as in for retirees - no work allowed in Italy)
- student visa (i.e. enrolled at a university allowing you to work up to 20 hours per week)

Hope that helps.