Moving to Italy from Japan
Quick answer
Japanese citizens can visit Italy without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. To live there they need a national (type D) visa obtained before travelling, then a permesso di soggiorno within 8 working days of arriving. In addition, documents issued in Japan need an Apostille under the Hague Convention plus an official Italian translation.
As a Japanese citizen you can visit Italy visa-free, but you are a non-EU national, so living there needs a national (type D) visa before you move. Once in Italy you have 8 working days to start your permesso di soggiorno, and your civil documents must be legalized for Italian use. Approdo builds your exact checklist and pre-fills the forms.
- ✓Which visa fits your move (work, study, digital nomad, elective residency)
- ✓The 8-working-day permesso deadline, counted for you
- ✓Codice fiscale, residenza and tessera sanitaria, in order
Frequently asked questions
Do Japanese citizens need a visa to move to Italy?+
For a short visit, no — Japanese citizens can enter Italy visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. To live in Italy, yes: you need a national (type D) visa from an Italian consulate before you travel. Which one depends on your reason for moving, and the visa-free rule does not let you settle by simply staying on.
How do I legalize my documents from Japan for use in Italy?+
Civil-status documents issued in Japan need an Apostille under the Hague Convention, plus an official Italian translation, to be valid in Italy. As Japan is a contracting party to the Apostille Convention, you obtain the Apostille from the competent authority at home before you travel — it is considerably cheaper and faster than full consular legalization.
Which visa do people from Japan usually use to move to Italy?+
People moving from Japan commonly use the digital nomad visa (for remote workers), the elective residency visa (for those with stable passive income), or study and work visas. Approdo matches the route to your situation.
What do I do after arriving in Italy from Japan?+
Apply for your permesso di soggiorno within 8 working days, then get your codice fiscale, open a bank account, register your residenza at the comune, put the utilities in your name, and enrol in the health service. Approdo lists them in the right order with the forms pre-filled.
The steps in detail
Each of these is a full guide: what it is, what you need, how long it takes and what it costs.
- Permesso di soggiorno: the 8-working-day rule
- Codice fiscale: what it is and how to get one
- Residenza in Italy: registering with your comune
- Health insurance for an Italian visa and permesso di soggiorno
- Opening a bank account in Italy as a foreigner
- Voltura, subentro or allaccio: putting utilities in your name
Other places and situations
Approdo provides information, not legal or tax advice. Where a step legally requires a professional, we say so and point you to one.