It can be easy to find your first room and somewhat difficult to find what you want after you lived in Rome, you will most likely look for another room after the first one because you have an idea where you want to live.  Rent is min €500 a month, but a single one-bedroom apartment that's convenient for the city center will push you towards €1000+. If you find a room for less then 450.00 central take it they are hard to come by, of course such a good deal can also be an on line scheme so make sure you know someone that can check it out if you are not here yet. The best rentals are the ones word of mouth or someone leaving a room where they can tell you if there are any weird situations. The biggest issues about renting a room in a house in Rome is living with the owner. After years of listening to horror stories, and weird situations from people they really don't want to rent and would like you to leave the rent and leave and come back every 30 days just to pay rent.They rent the place to make money but prefer of course not to live with anyone. They also prefer to rent to foreigners/ Expats because it's easier to throw us out being most are here trying to figure out our visa situation. We also don't know the laws so more apt to leave there home. Some don't allow guests/over night stays so in order to feel out some of the less open minded owners ask questions like (Is it ok if a friend spends the night sometime? or My family might want to come visit will it be ok for them to stay at the place a few nights?) Rooms that are listed on our site are rooms that members of expats living in Rome have rented in the past. Craigs list has many schemes be careful not to fall into them. Do not send money to anyone unless you have seen the house. You can find rooms listed on the forum and also on here. You can also post what you are looking for on our facebook group page there are people on the group that can direct you in the right direction.

 

 

Regardless if you eat out or at home the cost of living has gone up in Rome in the last 2 years by a few euro. Having a pizza in the center not at a touristic venue of course will cost about €10-€16 including appetizer & wine. My favorites are listed below. in the last decade of living in Rome I have not yet found or heard of a good restaurant in Piazza Navona most restaurants there have pre heated food that is over priced. You can get frozen Italian food at home. There are also "Tavola calda" around that have good food either "nonna or mamma" has made you can find all over Italy. The price of groceries in Rome is still cheaper than most European countries, best to shop at discount markets you can save up to 30% if not more. Generally if you eat further from the center you pay less and eat best. The restaurants below are central but they have great prices, great food, and are not touristic places to eat.

• "IVO' Via di San Francesco a Ripa 158, (Trastevere)

• "La Montecarlo"Vicolo Savelli, 13 (P.Navona)
• "Insalata ricca" you can find one in every neighborhood.
• "Il bosford Kebab 2" Via Ostiense 57 or VIa Dei Castani 140

One-Way bus/Metro ticket lasts 75 minutes and allows unlimited use of trams and buses (but only one metro journey) costs just a euro. Another great deal is the abbonamento (Pass) which allows for a month of unlimited travel on all Roman trams, buses and the metro, costs just €30 a month. Discounts for students. Either a one-way ticket or monthly pass covers you for all of Rome, and you can use it to go to the beach(Ostia) 

Most jobs in Rome are usually filled while the person is actually living her but it doesn't  hurt to send your CV/resume to different schools in Rome by simply searching them on line. We cannot help Expats get Work Visas to work or live in Rome.

 

Helpful sites to look for work

http://www.jobinrome.com/

http://www.wantedinrome.com/

 

Citizen, residents, and foreigners are able to get medical assistance from a state health system. A citizens of the "European community" have a medical card issued in Italy (Azienda Sanitaria Locale- known also as ASL) individuals with this card get equivalent services as an Italian citizen. You register at the ASL office closest to you and  pick your own  general practitioner or pediatrician. You get a paper with info on the spot and later mailed a health card. You will need either one with proper I.D to receive health services. If you are not in the European Community and require assistance or medical care you can visit any hospital or emergency room without a card and treated at no charge or sometimes a co-payment. Medications prescribed at the emergency or without a health card will be charged for but medication is not expensive for example antibiotics cost as little as €3 so I wouldn't worry about the cost of medication and you can always ask to buy generic. You can read more about Italian healthcare here

All foreigners ( extracomunitari) planning to remain in Italy for longer than 90 days must apply for a ‘permit to stay’ ( permesso di soggiorno or carta di soggiorno) at the local police headquarters ( questura) within eight days of their arrival.

The latest immigration law (passed in October 1998) changed the name of permits to stay for EU citizens from permesso di soggiorno to carta di soggiorno, even though the substance of the permit has remained the same. However, this isn’t common knowledge and not all local police headquarters are aware of the change in name. Don’t be surprised, therefore, if you apply for a permesso di soggiorno and receive a carta di soggiorno or vice versa. To avoid confusion, the more commonly used term, permesso di soggiorno, is used throughout this article to refer to all types of permits to stay.

 

A permit to stay isn’t a residence permit, which must be applied for after you have your permit to stay, if you wish to become a formal resident.

 

It can take up to three months to obtain a permit, which can be issued only for the purpose stated on your visa. There are many types of permit to stay, the most common of which include the following:

 

• Permesso di soggiorno per turismo – for tourists. Technically anyone visiting Italy for over a week who isn’t staying in a hotel, boarding house or an official campsite should apply for one, although in practice this rarely happens;

 

• Permesso di soggiorno per coesione familiare – for the foreign spouse and children of an Italian citizen when they move to Italy together;

 

• Permesso di soggiorno per lavoro – a work permit for an employee (see Employees below);

 

• Permesso di soggiorno per lavoro autonomo/indipendente – for independent or freelance workers (see Self-Employed below);

 

• Permesso di soggiorno per studio – for students (see Students below);

 

• Permesso di soggiorno per ricongiungimento familiare – for the spouse, children (under 18) and dependent parents of foreigners married to Italian citizens and also for family members from overseas who come to join others already in Italy (see Family Members below);

 

• Permesso di soggiorno per dimora – for foreigners establishing residence in Italy who don’t intend to work or study (see Non-Employed Residents below).

 

There are also permits to stay for various other special classes, including refugees and employees of religious missions. If you’re a non-EU citizen and haven’t obtained a specific visa, the local police headquarters normally issue you with a permit for tourism ( permesso di soggiorno per turismo). This is valid for three months only and isn’t renewable, nor may it be modified for any other purpose. You may not apply for residence with this permit or study, take up employment or establish a business, trade or profession.

 

Employees

If you’re a national of an EU member country (your passport must show that you have the right of abode in an EU country), you don’t require official approval to live or work in Italy, although you still require a permit to stay ( permesso di soggiorno per lavoro).

 

If you’re unemployed, you have the right to live in Italy for a ‘reasonable period’ of time in order to look for a job. However, no matter how long you take to find a job, you cannot be asked to leave the country if you can prove that you’re still seriously looking for employment and have a real chance of finding work (for example, you still have interviews to attend or tests to undergo).

 

In certain circumstances, if you’re receiving unemployment benefit in one EU country, you may continue to receive that benefit for up to three months in Italy. To do so, you must apply to the authorities in the country that pays your unemployment benefit.

 

EU nationals who visit Italy with the intention of finding a job should apply at the foreigners’ office ( ufficio stranieri) at the local police headquarters for a permit ( ricevuta di segnalazione di siggiorno) within eight days, which entitles them to remain in Italy for three months while looking for a job. When you’ve found work, you take the ricevuta together with a letter from your employer confirming your employment to the police headquarters to obtain a permit to stay. You must also apply for a work permit ( permesso di lavoro, which is valid only for as long as you’re employed and is available to both residents and non-residents.

 

Non-EU nationals require an ‘entry visa for reasons of work’ ( visto d’ingresso per motivi di lavoro), which they must obtain in their home country or country of residence. All employees except managers and executives ( dirigenti) require a workers’ registration card ( libretto di lavoro) from the Provincial Inspectorate of Work ( Inspettorato Provinciale del Lavoro), which is valid for ten years. It’s a booklet that employees (whether Italian citizens or foreigners) require in order to be legally employed, which serves as an employment record (the start and end dates of all periods of employment are entered in it).

 

Italy has restrictions on the employment of non-EU nationals, which have been strengthened in recent years due to the high unemployment rate (around 8.9 per cent). The 1998 Immigration Law introduced a quota system that restricts the number of freelance people of any nationality and category allowed into the country each year.

 

Uncertainty in the interpretation of the new rules, especially in consulates abroad, is making it difficult and long-winded for foreigners to work in Italy legally. However, thousands of non-EU nationals are being employed due to a severe shortage of semi-skilled and skilled workers in the north (the north-east in particular). Employers are putting pressure on the government for immigration quotas to be handled by the regions, according to local employment needs, while the politicians would prefer to create jobs for southern Italians.

 

Work permits for non-EU nationals must be obtained outside Italy, where an application for work authorisation (autorizzazione al lavoro) must be made at your local Italian embassy. The employment of non-EU nationals must be approved by the Italian labour authorities, who can propose the employment of an EU national in place of a foreigner (although this is rare). Note that it’s impossible to convert a tourist visa into a work visa and therefore if you’re a non-EU national and need a visa to work in Italy, you must obtain it before your arrival in the country. There’s nothing to stop you visiting Italy as a tourist in order to find a job, but you cannot work without going home and applying for a work visa (which can take months to obtain).

 

Self-Employed

If you’re an EU-national or a permanent resident with a certificato di residenza you can work as self-employed ( lavora in proprio) or as a sole trader ( commerciante in proprio) in Italy. If you wish to work as self-employed in a profession or start a freelance business in Italy, you must meet certain legal requirements and register with the appropriate organisations, e.g. the local chamber of commerce ( camera di commercio).

 

Note that a standard permit to stay doesn’t automatically allow you to work as self-employed and needs to be changed to a permesso di soggiorno per lavoro autonomo, which depends on your nationality and status.

Under Italian law, a self-employed person must have an official status and it’s illegal to simply hang up a sign and start business. People setting up in a self-employed capacity must provide evidence of their status, such as membership of a professional or trade body, a VAT number, or registration on a trade register.

 

Members of some professions and trades must have certain qualifications and certificates recognised in Italy. You should never be tempted to start work before you’re registered as there are harsh penalties, which may include a large fine, confiscation of machinery or tools, deportation and a ban from entering Italy for a number of years.

 

EU nationals are entitled to work as a self-employed person (or an employee) without waiting for a residence permit to be issued. This document is merely a means of proof and not a condition of your entitlement to live in the country. If you’re an EU national and obtained a residence permit as an employee, this doesn’t prevent you from changing status during its period of validity and setting up in a self-employed capacity.

 

Students

Non-EU nationals wishing to study in Italy must prove that they’re enrolled (or have been accepted) at an approved educational establishment for the principal purpose of following a course of education or vocational training. You must also prove that you’re covered by health insurance and provide a declaration in writing that you have sufficient resources to pay for your studies and for living expenses for yourself and any members of your family accompanying you.

 

Foreign students wishing to attend university in Italy should apply to the Italian consulate in their country of residence. They will send you a list of the documents required, which include an application form where you’re required to select four universities in order of preference and, for EU students, a form E111 (certificate of entitlement to health treatment).

 

Once they’ve received your completed application, the consulate sends EU citizens an identity card stamped with a consul’s visa, while non-EU students receive a student visa. You must present these documents to the police headquarters within eight days of arriving in Italy in order to obtain a student’s permit to stay ( permesso di soggiorno per studio) which is valid for a maximum of one year only.

 

Au pairs wishing to work in Italy are generally advised to obtain a study rather than a work visa if they’re planning to stay in the country for longer than 90 days. Because the ‘pocket money’ they receive isn’t considered a salary, the au pair agencies say that technically there’s no need for them to obtain a work visa.

 

Family Members

Family members of Italian citizens or EU nationals don’t require a visa to enter Italy if they’re also Italian citizens or EU nationals. If you’re an EU national, members of your family, whatever their nationality, may go with you and take advantage of their right to live in Italy. Your family is defined as your spouse, children under 21 (or dependent on you), as well as your parents and your spouse’s parents, if they’re also dependent on you.

 

If you’re a student, the right of residence is limited to your spouse and dependent children. If members of your family aren’t EU nationals, they may, however, require an entry visa, which should be granted free of charge and without undue formalities. There are two main types: the visto per coesione familiare and the visto per ricongiungimento familiare. The former is required when all family members are currently living outside Italy, while the latter is necessary when some family members are already living in the country. In the latter case, those living outside Italy must apply for a visa at an Italian consulate in their country of residence as usual, and their Italian relatives in Italy must also visit their local police headquarters to file an application for their relatives to join them.

 

For both visas, in addition to the usual documents you also need documents proving your family connections, e.g. a marriage licence ( dispensa matrimoniale). Non-EU family members don’t have the right to work in Italy unless they have their own work visa.

 

The right to travel enjoyed by non-EU members of your family under EU law isn’t an independent right, and it applies only when they’re accompanied by an Italian or EU national. Accordingly, they aren’t entitled to the visa facilities available under EU legislation when they’re travelling alone. On the other hand, non-EU members of your family don’t require an entry visa if they wish to travel to another country, provided they’re in possession of their identity document and residence permit.

 

Non-Employed Residents

Retired and non-active EU nationals don’t require a visa before moving to Italy, but an application for a permit to stay ( permesso di soggiorno per dimora) must be made within eight days of your arrival. Non-EU nationals require a residence visa to live in Italy for longer than 90 days. All non-employed residents must prove that they have an adequate income ( reddito) or financial resources to live in Italy without working.

 

You’re usually considered to have adequate resources if your income is at least equal to the basic Italian state pension of around €7,740 per year for each adult member of a family (although you’re unlikely to be able to live on it!). This can be a regular income such as a salary or pension, or funds held in a bank account.

 

All foreign residents (including EU residents) who don’t qualify for medical treatment under the Italian national health service ( servizio sanitario nazionale/SSN) must have private health insurance and be able to support themselves without resorting to state funds. EU nationals in receipt of a state pension are usually eligible for medical treatment under the SSN, but require form E-121 from their home country’s social security administration as evidence.

 

If you’re an EU national and have lived and worked in Italy for over three years, you’re entitled to remain there after you’ve reached retirement or re-retirement age, although if you retire before the official retirement age you won’t be entitled to a state pension.

 

Frontier Workers

Frontier workers are defined as people working in Italy but residing outside the country and returning there at least once a week. Frontier workers don’t require a permit to stay but must apply for a frontier worker’s card at the police headquarters nearest to their place of employment and produce evidence of their employment status and residence abroad.

 

EU rules on social security contain certain specific provisions for cross-border workers who are covered by EU social security legislation in the same way as all the other categories of people. You’re entitled to receive sickness benefits in kind in either your country of residence or your country of employment, but if you’re registered as unemployed you’re only entitled to claim unemployment benefit in your country of residence.

This article is an extract from Living and Working in Italy.
Click here to get a copy now.