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Settling in

Settling in Milan

No visa for a European family, but an Italian bureaucracy with its own order: the codice fiscale first, then the lease, residence at the Comune, the tessera sanitaria and the paediatrician, finally the bank and the consular register. Here is what we would have liked to know before arriving, checked against official sources.

Verified on 31 October 2026

Arrival and first steps

EU citizens settle in Italy with no visa or residence permit. Beyond three months, registration with the Comune's anagrafe acts as the residence card, and almost everything flows from the codice fiscale.

Good to know

  • A stay of more than three months requires registration with the Comune di Milano's anagrafe, under Directive 2004/38/EC and Decree 30/2007: you must show a job, sufficient resources or the family link with the person who works. The Comune then issues the attestazione di soggiorno. Source
  • Anyone moving to Milan or changing address must declare it to the anagrafe within 20 days; people arriving from abroad use the Comune's dedicated online procedure. Registration takes effect within two working days, then the local police check that you really live at the address. Source
  • The codice fiscale is the first key: without it, no lease, no bank account, no tessera sanitaria. Apply at the Italian consulate in France before leaving, or in person at the Agenzia delle Entrate of your commune. Check that all your first names appear, the French consulate cannot correct a mistake. Source
  • Once resident, register the whole family with the Lombardy health service at the ASST's Scelta e Revoca counters: registration is compulsory and free for those who meet the conditions of Decree 30/2007 (work, family), voluntary and paid otherwise. It is evidenced by the tessera sanitaria. Source
  • Registration with the register of French nationals abroad is free, valid 5 years and strongly recommended beyond six months: online on service-public.fr, by email or by post to the Milan consulate, with proof of residence in Italy under three months old (certificato di residenza, utility bill, lease or this year's home insurance). Source
  • Week 1, in order: a codice fiscale for each family member, registered lease, residence declaration at the Comune, then tessera sanitaria and choice of paediatrician, bank account, and finally the consular register once the residence certificate is in hand. Source

Addresses

  • Consulat général de France à Milan

    Consulate

    Via Privata Cesare Mangili 1, 20121 Milano

    Between Turati and Moscova, steps from Turati metro (M3). Open Monday to Thursday 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 4pm, Friday 9am to 12pm, except public holidays; general questions via the Service France Consulaire, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm Paris time. Its district covers northern Italy.

    Website Source

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Housing: neighbourhoods and renting

French families follow the Lycée Stendhal, in San Siro, and Milan Accueil's office, in De Angeli: the whole western stretch of the red line is their territory. Milan's rental market is tight, especially for large flats, and the Italian lease has its own codes.

Good to know

  • Demand for three and four-bedroom flats is very strong in San Siro and Lambrate, home to the Lycée Stendhal and the British School, and supply is short: start looking early and have your paperwork ready. Source
  • Milan is Italy's most expensive city for property, ahead of Florence and Bologna; it nevertheless remains more affordable than Paris for a comparable space. Source
  • The most common lease is the 4+4 (contratto a canone libero): four years renewed for four, free rent. The 3+2 (canone concordato) caps rent under local agreements with lower registration duties; the transitional contract runs 1 to 18 months for a stated need. Notice is given by registered letter six months before the term, unless the contract allows early exit. Source
  • The deposit cannot exceed three months' rent and bears interest; the landlord will ask for your codice fiscale, employment contract or payslips and sometimes a tax return. The lease must be registered with the Agenzia delle Entrate. Source
  • With the cedolare secca option, the landlord pays a flat tax and cannot raise the rent during the 4+4; the tenant pays no registration duty. Without it, the registration tax is split equally between both parties. Source
  • Milanese pitfall: the contract often requires returning the flat repainted, and repainted professionally. Read the end-of-lease clauses, do a photographed inventory, and check what the spese condominiali (building charges) and heating include, as they are often billed separately. Source

Addresses

  • San Siro, De Angeli et Wagner

    Neighbourhood

    The heart of the French community: the Lycée Stendhal (via Laveno), Milan Accueil's office (viale Ranzoni), the M1 and M5 to the stadium, Monte Stella and Boscoincittà for a run. Large flats go fast here.

    Source

  • Pagano, Magenta et Sant'Ambrogio

    Neighbourhood

    The elegant west of the centre: Institut français at the Palazzo delle Stelline, Science Museum, Milan Medical Center where several French-speaking doctors practise, and the M1 straight to the lycée. High rents, bourgeois buildings.

    Source

  • CityLife, Portello et Fiera

    Neighbourhood

    The CityLife towers and big park, the new buildings of Portello, playgrounds everywhere and the M5: European families are numerous here, for recent, bright homes on a sizeable budget.

    Source

  • Porta Romana et Porta Vigentina

    Neighbourhood

    Ranked first for quality of life: everything within a fifteen-minute walk, universities, hospitals (Policlinico, De Marchi, Mangiagalli), shops, and the former Olympic village of Scalo Romana transforming the south of the district.

    Source

  • Città Studi et Lambrate

    Neighbourhood

    The district of the Politecnico and the British School of Milan: student atmosphere, gentler rents, M2 and trains from Lambrate to the lakes. Much sought after by international families.

    Source

  • Brera, Porta Nuova et Isola

    Neighbourhood

    The chic centre and the skyscrapers: the Pinacoteca and its lanes, the BAM park with its free children's workshops, the village feel of Isola. Flats are often small and pricey, but everything is on foot.

    Source

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Phone and insurance

An Italian number is obtained with ID and the codice fiscale, and the SPID digital identity has become the master key for online formalities. Only one insurance is compulsory: the car's.

Good to know

  • An Italian SIM or eSIM is obtained in a shop with ID and, most often, the codice fiscale; no-commitment plans are the norm and an Italian number will be needed to activate online services.
  • SPID (digital identity) or the Italian electronic ID card (CIE) is required for most online procedures: residence declaration on the national ANPR portal, electronic health record, Comune school enrolments. Apply for a SPID as soon as you have the codice fiscale. Source
  • Third-party car insurance is compulsory and the sticker must be displayed on the windscreen; it is expensive in big cities and some insurers refuse theft cover. Source
  • Tenant's home insurance is not compulsory but recommended (a polizza casa often includes family liability cover, invaluable with children); buildings insurance is the landlord's responsibility. Many employers add a health fund (fondo sanitario) for private care.

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Banking and money

An Italian account is used for everything (salary, rent, direct debits) and is opened with the codice fiscale. Day to day, Milan mostly pays by card and by app.

Good to know

  • To open a conto corrente, the bank asks for ID and the codice fiscale, and often proof of address or an employment contract. As a legal EU resident, you are entitled to a basic account (conto di base), with a card and transfers, which the Banca d'Italia asks banks to offer proactively. Source
  • Until you have a Italian account, your French bank card works just as it does at home: a payment or withdrawal in euros in another EU country must be charged as it would be in France. Still, check your card's terms before you leave. Source
  • Day to day, cards and contactless work almost everywhere, even for a coffee. Between individuals and in many shops, two Italian apps are widely used: Satispay and the BANCOMAT app, which sends money from your account using just a phone number. Source
  • Payments to public bodies (the city's school services, taxes, fines) go through pagoPA: the notice carries a code you can pay by card, from your banking app or the IO app, or at many authorised outlets. Source
  • Since 2025, the BANCOMAT app has been gradually linked to Bizum in Spain and MB WAY in Portugal: you can send money by phone number from one country to another, depending on whether your bank has switched it on. Source
  • To send or receive money with France, a euro transfer is enough: since 2025, euro area banks must offer instant transfers, at the same price as a standard one, and check the payee's name before sending. French school fees can therefore be paid from your French or local account. Source
  • Your French IBAN is valid throughout the SEPA area: an employer, landlord, school or energy supplier is not allowed to refuse it because it is not local. If it happens, point to the rule; it is European law. Source
  • Keep your French account, useful for taxes, insurance and holidays back home, but tell your bank you are moving: it becomes a non-resident account and some terms may change. Check before you leave. Source

Addresses

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Setting up your home

Milan is ringed by large IKEA stores, in Corsico, Carugate and San Giuliano Milanese, and almost everything can be delivered. Day to day, neighbourhood supermarkets and large shopping centres; second hand goes through Subito and the French-speaking families' mutual-help groups when people move away.

Addresses

Getting around with children

Five metro lines, historic trams, buses and Trenord suburban trains, all on a single fare system: in Milan, children travel free until 14. A car is rarely useful in town, and the centre is partly closed to it.

Good to know

  • Until age 14, children travel free on the whole ATM network and in the municipalities of the integrated fare system (STIBM), Trenord trains included: an ID is enough in case of inspection. The free, optional Under 11 and Under 14 cards are requested online by a parent on atm.it. Source
  • In the metro, children pass through the gate next to the staff booth on lines M1, M2 and M3; on the driverless M4 and M5, with no booth, you call staff via the intercom to open the gate. Tip: the front car of the driverless M4 and M5 gives a view of the tracks. Source
  • Throughout Lombardy, the regional Io viaggio in famiglia scheme makes under-14s free when accompanied by an adult family member holding a valid ticket, on all public transport, regional trains included (except Malpensa airport). A self-certification form is valid 60 days, then a free named card until age 14. Source
  • Pushchairs and prams travel free; in the metro they must be braked and held at all times, and it is forbidden to use escalators with an open pushchair: look for the lift. Recent buses and trams are low-floor, the old yellow trams are not. Source
  • Your French licence remains valid in Italy until its expiry date; only the old pink licence with no expiry date (issued before 2013) must be exchanged within two years of settling. If you bring your car, it must be registered in Italy within 60 days of the residence application. Source
  • By car, two zones to know: Area B, a low-emission zone covering almost the whole city that bans the most polluting vehicles on weekdays (register your vehicle to request exemptions or permits), and Area C, the historic centre's congestion charge with a daily ticket. Cameras issue fines automatically. Source
  • By bike, the BikeMi scheme rents e-bikes with an approved child seat up to 20 kg (helmet compulsory for the child), and teenagers can rent from age 14. Source

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Admin: codice fiscale, tessera sanitaria, taxes and the consulate

Two cards sum up a family's Italian admin: the codice fiscale, the tax identifier that opens every door, and the tessera sanitaria, which proves health service enrolment and doubles as an access card to online services. Tax is declared in spring, and the consulate remains your town hall.

Good to know

  • The codice fiscale is free and issued by the Agenzia delle Entrate; every family member has one, babies included, and it is asked for everything: lease, bank, school, doctor, transport pass. Source
  • The tessera sanitaria is also a Carta Nazionale dei Servizi: with it, or with SPID, you access the region's Fascicolo Sanitario Elettronico, where you change doctor or paediatrician, view prescriptions and results and book appointments. Source
  • You become an Italian tax resident after 183 days of presence in the year (184 in leap years) or upon registration with the anagrafe. The Franco-Italian tax treaty of 5 October 1989 allocates taxing rights; salaries for work carried out in Italy are taxable there. Source
  • Income tax (IRPEF) is withheld at source by the employer; the annual return is filed with form 730 by 30 September (often via a CAF, tax assistance centre) or form Redditi by 30 November. French-source income may need to be declared in Italy even if not taxed there. Source
  • TARI, the waste tax, is owed by the occupier of the home: declare your new situation to the Comune when you change residence. Source
  • What the consulate does: French register, passports and ID cards, registration of births and marriages, elections, social assistance, and means-tested AEFE school grants for the Lycée Stendhal in Milan, the Lycée Jean Giono in Turin and the French section of the European School in Varese (main campaign January to March, registration on the register required). Source
  • What it does not do: Italian paperwork (codice fiscale, residence, SPID), correcting a wrong codice fiscale, legal advice, and it does not cover your health or repatriation costs. Source

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Budget: what costs more, what costs less

Housing is the heavy item, Milan being Italy's most expensive city; on the other side, public healthcare, children's transport, state school and everyday Italian life lighten the bill. No precise figures, but here are the orders of magnitude.

Good to know

  • Housing: markedly more expensive than the rest of Italy, with Milan topping the national ranking; near the Lycée Stendhal, large flats are scarce and pricey. For a comparable space, you still stay below Paris. Source
  • Childcare: municipal nurseries (nidi d'infanzia) are priced according to family income (ISEE) and enrolments take place in spring for September, with waiting lists; private nurseries cost markedly more. State nursery school (scuola dell'infanzia) is free from age 3, lunch aside. Source
  • School: state school is free from nursery to upper secondary; the Lycée Stendhal charges fees, with means-tested AEFE grants for families on the register, see our school fees page. Source
  • Health: cheaper. SSN registration is free for a worker's family, paediatrician and GP are free, public hospital stays are free; a co-payment applies to specialist visits and some medicines, with exemptions for children under 6 and at A&E for under-14s. Source
  • Transport: cheaper. Under-14s travel free and the adult pass remains reasonable; a car-free family also saves on insurance, expensive in big cities, parking and Area C tickets. Source
  • Everyday life: groceries comparable to France, coffee and pizzeria cheaper than Paris, free parks and Castello courtyards, free entry to the Triennale, and La Scala opening its family performances to under-18s at a symbolic price. Source

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A place has closed, something has changed? Tell us: the mums of Milan will thank you.

Sources for this page

The public pages these landmarks come from. The official website always prevails.

  1. 1 Consulat général de France à Milan
  2. 2 Consulat de Milan, inscription au registre des Français
  3. 3 Ambassade de France en Italie, les premières démarches
  4. 4 Ambassade de France en Italie, fiscalité
  5. 5 Comune di Milano, cambio di residenza
  6. 6 ATM, ATM per la famiglia (novembre 2024)
  7. 7 lepetitjournal.com Milan, spécificités du marché immobilier milanais
  8. 8 Agenzia delle Entrate, le codice fiscale pour les étrangers

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Verified addresses, official sources, school-year dates: we write when the Milan guide changes, never more than once a week.

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