Moving to Rome?
Here's everything nobody explains.

01Codice fiscale — your Italian tax code

It's a 16-character code that identifies you in Italy — you cannot sign a rental contract or a job contract without it. It's free and doesn't require residency.

1. Book at the Agenzia delle Entrate (tax office) — walk-ins often work at the Rome offices early in the morning, or book on the official site.
2. Bring your passport (EU citizens: ID card is enough) and fill form AA4/8.
3. You leave with the code on paper the same day. The plastic card arrives by post later — the paper is fully valid.

Official info: agenziaentrate.gov.it — procedures evolve; the official page always wins.

02A home — without the horror stories

Rome's rental market moves fast and largely in Italian. The classic traps: paying a deposit before seeing a contract, "agencies" that charge you to view, contracts never registered with the tax office (illegal — and it voids your residency paperwork).

1. Never send money without a written, registered contract (registration with Agenzia delle Entrate is the landlord's legal duty).
2. Check the deposit: max 3 months by law, refundable, and it can't quietly become "last month's rent".
3. Get the APE (energy certificate) and meter readings at key handover.

03Residency — registering where you live

Registering your address (residenza) at the local Anagrafe (registry office) is what turns you from a visitor into a resident. You'll need your rental contract — registered, with your name on it.

1. Gather: passport, codice fiscale, registered rental contract, and for non-EU your permesso di soggiorno (or the receipt of the application).
2. Apply online via the Comune di Roma portal (SPID login) or in person at your Municipio.
3. Within ~45 days the municipal police may pass by to verify you actually live there — normal, be reachable.

04Tessera sanitaria — the health card

Italy's public health system (SSN) is excellent value. EU citizens can use their EHIC card short-term; for a real life here you register with the SSN at the local ASL office.

1. Bring codice fiscale, ID/passport, proof of residency (or domicile) and — for workers — your employment contract.
2. Students and some categories register with a voluntary yearly contribution.
3. Pick a medico di base (GP) on the spot — visits with them are free.

05SIM & internet — connected in 20 minutes

You'll need your passport and codice fiscale. The main operators (and their low-cost brands like Iliad, ho., Kena, Very) sell prepaid SIMs with generous data for €7–10/month, no lock-in. Any phone shop in the centre does it while you wait.

06A bank account — modern options first

Fastest route: an app bank with an Italian or EU IBAN — opened from your phone with passport + codice fiscale. Traditional banks offer more services but expect appointments and paperwork.

1. App-first (fast, cheap): open with passport + CF, works for salary and transfers.
2. Traditional (branches, cheques, mortgages later): book an appointment, bring CF + passport + proof of address/work.
3. Either way: rent with BOOM can be paid by card from your portal — no Italian IBAN needed to start your life here.

07Getting around — Rome, decoded

1. Tap & go: contactless card straight on the metro turnstiles and validators — no ticket needed, daily cap applied.
2. Monthly pass (Metrebus) ≈ €35 — worth it from ~2 rides a day; annual is even better value.
3. Taxis: official white cars only, or the FreeNow/itTaxi apps. Fixed fare airport ↔ centre.