Hello everyone,
Just as a bit of background I have been back and forth to Italy over the past 18 years as a teacher, and I find myself here again for at least the next year.
I am no green-around-the-gills expat, speaka tha lingua etc. but this situation re buying a vehicle is vexing me. I am on a UK-based contract and living in Puglia for ostensibly the next 12 months or more, staying in a friend's flat as a guest.
I am not an Italian resident, but obviously a UK citizen and thus EU citizen since birth.
This situation about not being able to purchase, register and insure a vehicle unless you are a full Italian resident strikes me as being ILLEGAL under EU law...
We are all supposedly afforded the same rights in all the member states, and I know of Italian who have moved to Uk for work on just their Italian passports and have bought cars, not to mention the rafts of Uk expats in Spain who have cars all parked at the airport without any real red tape involved.
Why does Italy think it is different and exempt? As I said, I am no wet behind the ears newbie to all this but it really does seem to be contrary to EU law, and thus requires challenging.
I could understand if I was some clandestino just jumped off a rubber boat in Bari, but I have lived and worked here on and off for 18 years...
Over to you... has anyone ever heard of anyone taking this issue further than the shoulder shruggers in the local and provincial offices?
Saluti
Roger
Just as a bit of background I have been back and forth to Italy over the past 18 years as a teacher, and I find myself here again for at least the next year.
I am no green-around-the-gills expat, speaka tha lingua etc. but this situation re buying a vehicle is vexing me. I am on a UK-based contract and living in Puglia for ostensibly the next 12 months or more, staying in a friend's flat as a guest.
I am not an Italian resident, but obviously a UK citizen and thus EU citizen since birth.
This situation about not being able to purchase, register and insure a vehicle unless you are a full Italian resident strikes me as being ILLEGAL under EU law...
We are all supposedly afforded the same rights in all the member states, and I know of Italian who have moved to Uk for work on just their Italian passports and have bought cars, not to mention the rafts of Uk expats in Spain who have cars all parked at the airport without any real red tape involved.
Why does Italy think it is different and exempt? As I said, I am no wet behind the ears newbie to all this but it really does seem to be contrary to EU law, and thus requires challenging.
I could understand if I was some clandestino just jumped off a rubber boat in Bari, but I have lived and worked here on and off for 18 years...
Over to you... has anyone ever heard of anyone taking this issue further than the shoulder shruggers in the local and provincial offices?
Saluti
Roger
