Settling in
Healthcare
Each ESA establishment has its own arrangements to provide consistently high quality medical and related services. Consistency is further ensured by the single ESA-wide Social Security Scheme, which is governed by ESA Staff Regulations.
ESRIN offers occupation and medical services through its on-site medical centre. The ESRIN medical team is composed of an occupational health physician and a nurse. There is also a welfare support service, which offers monthly consultations with an occupational psychologist and a doctor specialised in neurology, psychiatry and psychoanalysis.
The ESRIN medical team can also help with orientation and navigation through the Italian health service.
Fiscal issues
ESA staff are exempted from income tax on their ESA salary.
All other taxes are applicable and have to be paid.
In Italy types and names of taxes change quite frequently, and in most cases you will not be contacted or requested to pay, you have to inform yourself (through reading the newspaper, speaking with friends, watching TV, etc.). Even so, in most cases it is not easy to figure out the details that enable you to make the necessary calculations and pay your taxes.
For this reason most Italians rely on a fiscal advisor (commercialista) to keep them informed about taxes to be paid, their deadlines and the related amount.
The choice of a commercialista is a very personal matter, it also depends on the type of advice you may require (for instance if you own a house abroad you will need someone specialising also in bilateral or international issues).
Do I need a residence permit?
If your ESA contract has a duration of at least 12 months, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation will issue an Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Card. This card exempts you from the obligation to request a residence permit (“permesso di soggiorno”).
You must apply for an MFA Card immediately and no later than one month after taking up duty at ESRIN and you should do so through the ESRIN Host Agreement Services Office. Please ensure that your passport has at least six months of validity from the date you request the MFA Card. Note that Identity Cards cannot be used for the application.
If you and/or your entitled family members are not European Union or Schengen citizens, you must obtain a type-D Mission Visa prior to arriving in Italy (please see the visa information on this page).
While the MFA Card exempts you from needing a residence permit, there could be some reasons why you might need to apply for municipal registration (called residenza), such as:
- Registering children at local schools, for the school bus, etc.
- Getting a bank loan
Please note that should you apply for municipal registration it could conflict with certain ESA staff member privileges.
Language training
ESA can support the integration of new staff and their families with Italian language learning. Details will be provided on the kinds of training available and on the financial contribution ESA can offer.
Special banking conditions
ESA has negotiated special conditions for all ESA staff who wish to open a bank account at ESRIN’s on-site bank branch, run by Unicredit.Note that you may find more convenient conditions with virtual banking services, but bear in mind that the bank interface is usually only provided in Italian. If you’ve just arrived, it might be easier to have direct, on-site contact with your bank. Once you’ve settled in, you may want to consider virtual banking.
Vehicles and road taxes
As an ESA staff member, you can purchase one tax-free vehicle in Italy if:
- You are a non-Italian national or non-permanent resident*
- Your contract with ESA has a duration of at least four years
- ESRIN is your duty station
*“Permanent resident” refers to staff members who have been residing in Italy for at least six years before taking up duty in ESRIN.
A vehicle purchased tax-free will have in its registration certificate a non-selling clause (vincolo di invendibilità), which can be removed six months after purchase and once the vehicle has driven 6000 km. You can renew your car every four years. Note that the non-selling clause needs to be removed first.
You are exempt from paying annual road tax on one car with Italian plates and you need to apply for this exemption every year.
All staff who own or operate a car must hold motor insurance against liabilities
to third parties, including passengers.
You may drive a car with a foreign licence plate in Italy for a maximum of 60 days from the moment you are registered at the local municipality (if you intend to register).
Once you have taken up duty and have a valid MFA Card, eligible ESRIN staff members may change their foreign licence plates by contacting the ESRIN Host Agreement Services Office.
Once the authorisation for the change of plates is available from the Ministry of Transport, it is highly recommended to seek the help of a specialised agency (like an ACI Agency or agenize pratiche automobilistiche, which you can find online for example to complete the process. Should you have difficulties, please contact the ESRIN Host Agreement Services Office.
Driving licence
In order to drive a car with an Italian licence plate in Italy, you must have:
- A valid foreign driving licence (i.e., with a valid expiration date) accompanied by a valid MFA Card and a certificate provided by the ESRIN Host Agreement Services; or
- An Italian driving licence.
Foreign driving licences may, with a few exceptions, be converted into Italian driving licences. You may apply for conversion through the appropriate agencies. Please be aware that your current licence will be withdrawn once it is converted.
If you keep your foreign (non-Italian) driving licence, you should make sure that the issuing country will replace it in case of loss and renew it when it expires.
When using your foreign driving licence, make sure that it has an expiration date on it, otherwise it will be considered invalid after two years of residency in Italy (if you are registered at your local municipality.) For further questions please contact the ESRIN Host Agreement Services Office.
Holidays
A calendar of ESA official holidays is published every year on the Intranet. Note that ESA holidays do not always coincide with Italian national holidays. This is particularly important for people who travel to work using public transport, as services are usually reduced on local and national holidays.
