Daily Life

The best site to look at to find out about services, rules and information is the local council one - it's an excellent place to start:

Comune di Milano

FISCAL CODE

The Italian Fiscal Code Card, officially known as Italy's codice fiscale, is the tax code card in Italy; similar to a social security number (SSN) card in the U.S., the tax code in Italy is an alphanumeric code of 16 characters. The card serves to identify, unabiguously for tax purposes, individuals residing in Italy irrespective of residency status. The number is issued by the Italian Tax office.

Your fiscal code is valid for life and is necessary for a whole host of activities, including buying a mobile phone, opening a bank account and receiving your salary.

To obtain your "Codice Fiscale" go to an "Agenzia Entrate" (Revenues Agency). There are six agencies in Milan located in different zones, you may go to the one closest to where you are living.

The central agency is the "Agenzia Entrate - Ufficio Locale Milano, 1", Via Moscova 2, Tel 02636791. Office hours are Mon, Wed, Fri 9:00-13:00, Tues and Thurs 9:00-15:30.

At the agency, you should produce the following documents:

1) Passport, plus two photocopies of the personal data pages. Non-EU professors are also required to produce a permit of stay (permesso di soggiorno).
2) Complete green and white form provided at the "Agenzie Entrate".

BANKS

In order to be able to open a bank account (and a telephone account, a mobile phone account and even electric or gas accounts), you will need to have an Italian tax code (Codice fiscale).
The Bancomat card is a debit card generally accepted throughout Italy to pay for goods and services. It is recommended to request this when opening a bank account.
All banks have Bancomat (ATM) machine for automatic cash withdrawal. Note that if you withdraw cash from an ATM machine which does not belong to your bank you will probably be charged a small fee.
Most banks open from 8:30am - 13:30, close for lunch and re-open at 2:30pm until 3:30pm. However each bank is different so it is worth checking with your local branch.

Here are the details of the main banks close to the University:



Barclays Bank



Banca Popolare di Sondrio



Banca Intesa San Paolo



Banca Unicredit

POST OFFICES

Post offices also offer banking services and savings and current accounts. Any resident over the age of 18 may open a post office account. The post offices are open for longer hours and bills are debited free unlike in normal banks. You can pay your utility bills at the post office if you have not arranged a direct debit payment.

Post office website

Finding a post office

PHARMACIES

Here is a list of all night Pharmacies in Milan: 

Open All Night  9 pm - 8:30 am 

PARKING

Parking fines in Milan start from 32 Euros, so it's better to be provided with the card called "Sosta Milano " or to park in a covered parking lot. "Pay and Display" car parks on the road are indicated by blue lines on the road.
According to the zone, the price varies. 
The yellow lines, on the other hand, indicate areas reserved for residents in possession of the appropriate permit. Holders of disabled permits are able to park for free in the reserved areas, both in paid areas and areas reserved for residents.

Click here for more information on parking fees and methods of payment:

There are also many covered, private car parks in Milan where you can expect to pay anything from about 5 Euros for the first two hours and 1.50 or 2.00 the following hours.

Click here and here for information about where to find covered car parks in Milan:

IMPORTING AND BUYING A NEW OR USED VEHICLE

EU nationals may import a vehicle without paying duty, provided that it is over six months old and has done more than 6,000km.



Non-EU nationals can import a vehicle duty-free on providing proof of ownership for over 1 year.

If you want to buy a new or a second-hand car, and are planning to stay in Italy for more than 3 months you must have legal residence in Milan. You can get this by registering at the local town hall (comune).

Normally, this must be proved by a residence certificate (certificato di residenza) you will also need a tax code (codice fiscale). Remember to take your passport or national ID card and your residence permit when you go to buy a vehicle. All expenses related to the purchase and registration of a vehicle must be paid directly to the car dealer.

GETTING A DRIVER'S LICENCE

If you are an EU national and intend to reside in Italy for some time, it is no longer necessary to convert a valid EU driving licence. However the foreign licence must be legally recognised by the Italian authorities. Please see the information on the following website.

If you have a non-EU licence you will need to get an Italian one. The entire process from the initial application until the day you get your licence can take up to 6 months. Please click here for full instructions.

The speed limits in Italy are:
50kph in towns/cities
90kph outside of cities
110kph on divided highways
130kph on the Autostrada (motorways/highways).

You can find further useful information about driving in Italy here. 

General note: Two-wheeled vehicles are required to have headlights on all the time and four-wheeled vehicles should have their headlights on, even during the day on dual carriageways or motorways.

ECOPASS IN MILAN

In order to end into the centre of Milan by car you must pay a congestion charge (Area C). This charge varies according to the type of vehicle you have.

Once you have established the price you will need to pay, the best way to pay for the charge is to use the internet. Instructions on the website of Comune di Milano.

MEETING NEW PEOPLE

Here below is a list of possible clubs for expatriates which partners and visiting professors have found helpful and fun!

https://www.benvenutomilano.net/ (club for coffee mornings)

https://www.easymilano.it/ (magazine in English for expats in Milan)

https://www.themilkbar.eu/ (mothers and toddlers group)

https://www.partyamo.com/ (social and sports groups)

https://www.pwa-milan.org/ (womens' business network group)