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My impending Italian Ex-Pat adventure....2023-24 v2.02 (1 Viewer)

Chemical X

Footballguy
Looking to see if your company has transferred you to Europe.....if so, did they help you relo and assist with visa?

Interested in stories, experiences and looking for advise.

 
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Got an offer for a new job with the same company in Belgium - They wouldn't guarantee me a job back in the states after a period of time, so I passed.  More and more companies aren't doing ex-pat packages anymore.  They'll move you out there (standard relocation) but it's not part of a plan to bring you back,etc.

 
Got an offer for a new job with the same company in Belgium - They wouldn't guarantee me a job back in the states after a period of time, so I passed.  More and more companies aren't doing ex-pat packages anymore.  They'll move you out there (standard relocation) but it's not part of a plan to bring you back,etc.
interestingly, we wouldn't come back.  our plan has been a relo to Italy down the line; however, my wife works for a global entity and she kind of mentioned our move.  they said they would allow her to keep working there.  this is 18-24 mos. down the line, but that will go fast.  I am trying to find out how much a company will assist a moving employee.  I heard that in Europe they pay you 1x a month.  etc.

 
Yes, they paid for the move, they paid for my apartment, I was exchange rate and tax equalized, and they paid to move me home.

 
My biggest piece of advice would be to do it unless you have material reasons not to (family, etc).  Make sure they agree on writing ahead of time to move you home regardless of the circumstances, and to guarantee your position upon return.  

I was in London for just under two years in my mid 20s.  The ability to travel and see Europe was incredible and a once in a lifetime experience.

 
Looking to see if your company has transferred you to Europe.....if so, did they help you relo and assist with visa?

Interested in stories, experiences and looking for advise.
No, but being Danish I've transfered the other way a few times and everytime the company helped with visa and moving expenses. transfering back to Denmark they only paid the moving expenses obviously. 

Some companies are beginning to make expat packages more "gross" than "net" packages, meaning, "Here's a bag of money, from that you pay your own way, and remember to pay taxes" as opposed to "Here's your salary after tax, your budget for rent, and a separate budget for a car, and you can choose one club to be a member of...."

 
gonna use this thread to update my impending move.....

big issue is getting our dog over there.  our thoughts are we are gonna ship 1 car, roll on roll off from Baltimore or NYC to Southampton.  The QM2 goes to Southampton and has kennels on board.  all my research shows the experience to be great for all involved.  We will coordinate our time to get there by boat and get our car.  Then we will drive 1/2 hoor to Portsmouth, which has a ferry to Le Havre, France and goes overnight, from 11.30p-8.30a.  The ferry has small cabins for 2 people and 1 dog, about 13 of these cabins per ship.  We will get to Le Havre then drive to Dijon and overnight.  Then drive to Turin and overnight.  Then drive to our house.

To expand on this, we already have a place in Italy and a goal of retiring there.  My wife does international real estate work and raised her hand to her company and client and said she'd be willing to move and transfer to Italy if the companies are agreeable.  Both are.......it makes great sense for the client, since 75% of their portfolio is EMEA, APAC, etc.  Her ability to travel as needed more effectively and bridge a 6 hour time gap will help all involved.  We had our first call yesterday with her HR and they are beginning the process on finding out how to do this from their end.  We have money/benefits talks with them down the line, but I don't think that's an issue.

will keep this thread running with updates for discussion and to field questions.

 
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it’s 7 nights and looks like it goes 2x a month in may and june.
some recent research indicates that the NY - Southampton eastbound trip may also finish in Hamburg every so often.  This is going to be our play, it’s much easier for us with the dog to be on Europe proper rather than the UK.  We can grab a car in Hamburg, which operates normally, unlike UK, then it’s roughly 14 hours to Florence.  Figure we stop 1/2 way in Ulm, which seems a nice city from what i’ve heard.  May and June 2020 sailings are not available for about another month or 2, but once they are, we plan on getting our deposit down, kennels go fast.

 
Why not fly? We have neighbors (Italian Citizens) that winter in Florida and Summer in Italy.  They typically fly into Miami and their two dogs go with them on the flight. I assume crated as they are large.

 
Why not fly? We have neighbors (Italian Citizens) that winter in Florida and Summer in Italy.  They typically fly into Miami and their two dogs go with them on the flight. I assume crated as they are large.
our dog is has extreme anxiety when we are not around, i can’t imagine 8 hours in cargo won’t kill him, honestly.  we have thought long and hard, but just don’t want to gamble his life.  it would make our lives much easier, but he just isn’t that kind of dog.  

 
some recent research indicates that the NY - Southampton eastbound trip may also finish in Hamburg every so often.  This is going to be our play, it’s much easier for us with the dog to be on Europe proper rather than the UK.  We can grab a car in Hamburg, which operates normally, unlike UK, then it’s roughly 14 hours to Florence.  Figure we stop 1/2 way in Ulm, which seems a nice city from what i’ve heard.  May and June 2020 sailings are not available for about another month or 2, but once they are, we plan on getting our deposit down, kennels go fast.
There is a car train from Hamburg to Northern Italy I believe. 

Train in general could be a good idea - and then only get a car in Italy when you get there. SHould be easier than reregistering a German car (an cheaper than renting a German car and handing it back in Italy)

 
msommer said:
There is a car train from Hamburg to Northern Italy I believe. 

Train in general could be a good idea - and then only get a car in Italy when you get there. SHould be easier than reregistering a German car (an cheaper than renting a German car and handing it back in Italy)
It goes from Hamburg to Southern Germany............i am gonna need a long term car rental, i have been advised not to ship a car to italy, it is virtually impossible to reregister.  We are gonna try to have wife's company pay for a long term rental or lease.  I have read peugeot does leases.  

 
It goes from Hamburg to Southern Germany............i am gonna need a long term car rental, i have been advised not to ship a car to italy, it is virtually impossible to reregister.  We are gonna try to have wife's company pay for a long term rental or lease.  I have read peugeot does leases.  
In that case I'd just take a normal train and then long term lease in Italy when you get there. You should be able to get a long term lease from any brand, including non local ones. Here in Denmark over half the non compact cars on the street are leased - and there are a lot of Audis, BMWs and Mercedes. I would guess that would be the case in Italy as well, although Fiat is the home brand (not a very reliable brand though)

 
gonna use this thread to update my impending move.....

big issue is getting our dog over there.  our thoughts are we are gonna ship 1 car, roll on roll off from Baltimore or NYC to Southampton.  The QM2 goes to Southampton and has kennels on board.  all my research shows the experience to be great for all involved.  We will coordinate our time to get there by boat and get our car.  Then we will drive 1/2 hoor to Portsmouth, which has a ferry to Le Havre, France and goes overnight, from 11.30p-8.30a.  The ferry has small cabins for 2 people and 1 dog, about 13 of these cabins per ship.  We will get to Le Havre then drive to Dijon and overnight.  Then drive to Turin and overnight.  Then drive to our house.

To expand on this, we already have a place in Italy and a goal of retiring there.  My wife does international real estate work and raised her hand to her company and client and said she'd be willing to move and transfer to Italy if the companies are agreeable.  Both are.......it makes great sense for the client, since 75% of their portfolio is EMEA, APAC, etc.  Her ability to travel as needed more effectively and bridge a 6 hour time gap will help all involved.  We had our first call yesterday with her HR and they are beginning the process on finding out how to do this from their end.  We have money/benefits talks with them down the line, but I don't think that's an issue.

will keep this thread running with updates for discussion and to field questions.
Story checks out.

"Had" to go on the Queen Mary last November for a conference. They did have kennels as you can see but only the owners could actually go in and see them. 

Enjoy the cruise but be ready for afternoon tea, ballroom dancing and plenty of lounging around reading or playing bridge. Not much else going on. 

I was looking at quarantine rules for the UK as they were very strict 20+ years ago when my family moved to the UK. It didn't make sense to even bring the pets considering the long quarantine required. It seems to have let up in the not so recent past.

Can I bring my dog with me to the UK?

 
Story checks out.

"Had" to go on the Queen Mary last November for a conference. They did have kennels as you can see but only the owners could actually go in and see them. 

Enjoy the cruise but be ready for afternoon tea, ballroom dancing and plenty of lounging around reading or playing bridge. Not much else going on. 

I was looking at quarantine rules for the UK as they were very strict 20+ years ago when my family moved to the UK. It didn't make sense to even bring the pets considering the long quarantine required. It seems to have let up in the not so recent past.

Can I bring my dog with me to the UK?
no more quarantine, but i need a virtual book of info in advance for dog boy to go.  i heard on the qm2 that after 6, you gotta be dressed.  this ain’t gonna happen, to an extent.  i won’t do any formal nights.  i do not wear suits on cruises.  looks like i have to bring an evening jacket.  thinking, pair of black pants, pair of tan, mix some collars, 1 jacket and some shorts aka lounge wear.  seems we may be in the kings court buffet a lot.  i don’t need the dining room for witty banter.

 
I spent a good bit of time in the Golden Lion pub shooting the bull with some of the old English guys on board. After a few beers I could barely understand what they were saying but we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless. Truthfully, the formal nights weren't horrible. As much as I hate dressing up, it did give a feel of old time cruising. 

 
I spent a good bit of time in the Golden Lion pub shooting the bull with some of the old English guys on board. After a few beers I could barely understand what they were saying but we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless. Truthfully, the formal nights weren't horrible. As much as I hate dressing up, it did give a feel of old time cruising. 
Debating whether or not a balcony is needed here, I mean, its just ocean..........however, we are likely to go brittania club balcony, prolly around 5000- for both of us, all in.  I think dog boy costs 1k. 

 
After extensive research, I have begun to nail down the requirements to bring my dog to the UK/EU.  it is hyper crazy and the epitome of bureaucracy.  My dog's chip is technically invalid, as it only 9 digits, I need a new 15 digit chip, then he is basically born again as a dog and needs to redo his rabies.  I need rabies certificates, then a EU health certificate signed by a USDA accredited vet, then I need to mail that form to my NC USDA APHIS office for endorsement, of course my office is in Albany, NY.  once form comes back I need to get him a tapeworm treatment in a 24-120 hour window prior to us travelling.  this is the simplified portion.......glad I am 20 months in advance.

 
Something else that I seem to have cleared up is us not wanting to lose our cell numbers after having them for close to 20 years.  The following service seems to address the porting issue and making our numbers become virtual, for a low monthly fee.

http://www.tossabledigits.com/

 
did the old swcer ever transfer his job to europe yeah sure i did look at me im little lord fontelroy getting paid nothin and going nowhere in france take that to the bank brohan

 
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After extensive research, I have begun to nail down the requirements to bring my dog to the UK/EU.  it is hyper crazy and the epitome of bureaucracy.  My dog's chip is technically invalid, as it only 9 digits, I need a new 15 digit chip, then he is basically born again as a dog and needs to redo his rabies.  I need rabies certificates, then a EU health certificate signed by a USDA accredited vet, then I need to mail that form to my NC USDA APHIS office for endorsement, of course my office is in Albany, NY.  once form comes back I need to get him a tapeworm treatment in a 24-120 hour window prior to us travelling.  this is the simplified portion.......glad I am 20 months in advance.
Don't forget Brexit. If you get off in the UK you have to do it there and then in the EU as well. IIRC the UK rules for pets are among the strictest in the EU

 
Don't forget Brexit. If you get off in the UK you have to do it there and then in the EU as well. IIRC the UK rules for pets are among the strictest in the EU
Good post, I working under this assumption (entry to the UK will be considered EU entry);

What is the 'transition' period?

It refers to a period of time after 29 March, 2019, to 31 December, 2020, to get everything in place and allow businesses and others to prepare for the moment when the new post-Brexit rules between the UK and the EU begin. It also allows more time for the details of the new relationship to be fully hammered out. Free movement will continue during the transition period, as the EU wanted. The UK will be able to strike its own trade deals - although they won't be able to come into force until 1 January 2021.

Strict indeed, but still better than the previous quarantine period.  Its really just paperwork, they are not asking me for anything unusual (rabies, tapeworm).  We don't need bloodwork since we come from a developed nation, well until Trump is re-elected I guess.  Like a USDA vet makes a difference to sign my papers.  I am making 2 working sets of everything and getting my dog passport photos.  Someone is gonna ask me for that somewhere.

 
Good post, I working under this assumption (entry to the UK will be considered EU entry);

What is the 'transition' period?

It refers to a period of time after 29 March, 2019, to 31 December, 2020, to get everything in place and allow businesses and others to prepare for the moment when the new post-Brexit rules between the UK and the EU begin. It also allows more time for the details of the new relationship to be fully hammered out. Free movement will continue during the transition period, as the EU wanted. The UK will be able to strike its own trade deals - although they won't be able to come into force until 1 January 2021.

Strict indeed, but still better than the previous quarantine period.  Its really just paperwork, they are not asking me for anything unusual (rabies, tapeworm).  We don't need bloodwork since we come from a developed nation, well until Trump is re-elected I guess.  Like a USDA vet makes a difference to sign my papers.  I am making 2 working sets of everything and getting my dog passport photos.  Someone is gonna ask me for that somewhere.
This could change up until March 29 2019 - they are still negotiating - so check it again come April/May

 
Big day today, as Cunard released its 2020 summer schedule.  I only have 1 boat option, so it appears i leave this country for good 7/6/2020 and head to Hamburg.  Booking opens 9/25 and i need to get in early for a kennel for dog boy.  Will likely do a balcony for a view of nothing.  Wearing a dinner jacket nightly will be a drag, but seems the least of my worries.  So, after i get my March 2020 bonus, i will likely raise my hand at job and volunteer for layoff.  If no takers, i will tell them mid May 2020 i am leaving and give 4 weeks notice with the hope they send me home with pay.  Likely list the house around April 2020.

 
Chemical X said:
Big day today, as Cunard released its 2020 summer schedule.  I only have 1 boat option, so it appears i leave this country for good 7/6/2020 and head to Hamburg.  Booking opens 9/25 and i need to get in early for a kennel for dog boy.  Will likely do a balcony for a view of nothing.  Wearing a dinner jacket nightly will be a drag, but seems the least of my worries.  So, after i get my March 2020 bonus, i will likely raise my hand at job and volunteer for layoff.  If no takers, i will tell them mid May 2020 i am leaving and give 4 weeks notice with the hope they send me home with pay.  Likely list the house around April 2020.
Smart move on avoiding the Brexit mess. GL!

 
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So, yesterday was a big day.  Cunard began taking reservations for the 7/2020 EB to Hamburg.  I booked a kennel, which costs $1k.  Got kinda lucky with the human room.  We debated a club balcony and a regular balcony room.  The only benefit to club is that you can eat dinner in the dining room at any time, not a set 6.30p or 8.30p.  That's it.  No other benefit.  However, the price difference is significant.  Club balcony on deck 12 slightly forward is $2899-, while the regular balcony (identical room) on Deck 11 mid ship was priced at $2299-.  With a $1400- savings, this seemed a no brainer.  The last visit with the dog is from 8-8.30p, so we pretty much said we'd be eating at 8.30p no matter what.  Its so far in advance, its weird, but this is gonna move fast.

 
So, I am updating, as I am now 18 months out from going.  I have begun a clean out of my house and belongings, slowly, as I still need to live here for a bit.  Cavalier just bought my multicade arcade in fact.  Wife's company has been slow to understand the types of visas we need and I likely need to become more involved in pushing them forward since our leave date is not flexible.  I can't believe this company has never transferred an employee to another company.  They recently came back and said she may not qualify for a work visa since she doesn't have a 3 year degree, from Italy.  Well, how would she?  I thought they would be engaging an outside consultant for this, so I need to better understand what they are doing.  On the extreme bright side, her direct manager and her client liaison are both extremely supportive of this move and have stated they'll do whatever necessary to ensure this happens.  That is great, but I need to get the visa thing settled to understand if they need to set up a Regis or WeWork type of office for her for payroll and logistics purposes.  I also need to understand my via as a trailing spouse.  We are going to Italy for 22 days in May/June to find our new forever home and hope to have something located at that time.  We pay off our mortgage on our main house this march and our goal is to grab a HELOC so that we can buy the property in Italy for cash and make pressurized cash offers to people.  With brexit looming, many brits are looking to cash out of their properties, since they'll lose free EU transit and a visa will be required for them. 

If anyone has relocated and used an advisory firm, please let me know.  I will update here every so often, but if anyone is curious about anything, post questions here.

 
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….a lot has changed in 4 years and i need to update this thread to pull my stuff out of mad cow’s thread.

in the midst of spending 10 nights at our italian apartment, as we’ve finally found a forever home in italy. the place is just outside orvieto, in a village called allerona scalo. our offer has been accepted and our attorney is drawing up the prelim contract.

i am a bit busy now, but will update here shortly for you italophiles.

LAM
 
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so, with covid hitting 2020 and our dog getting sick thereafter, plans changed. the last time we were in italy was that 5/2019 trip. our apartment has been empty and untouched, except for 2021 when my realtor let my HVAC guy in to install a digital thermostat. we pretty much said we’d let our dog live his best life and start to look again once he goes…..so, after that we began a planning a return trip for 3 weeks in May to looks for property, hitting florence and rome too. we started to make a list of properties and ran across what we felt was a too good to be true property. my wife set up a virtual tour with the agent. when we saw it, we knew…….we told the agent we would talk prices and see if the seller will agree to a price with us, if they do verbally, we’d get on a plane and look in person and decide if go forward with paperwork. we saw the property friday and made return trips saturday evening and sunday afternoon to walk the village, see the views, listen to night noise. we met the agent today at our place today, told him we are going forward and to put our current place on the market.

here’s the flyer…..

 
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so, with covid hitting 2020 and our dog getting sick thereafter, plans changed. the last time we were in italy was that 5/2019 trip. our apartment has been empty and untouched, except for 2021 when my realtor let my HVAC guy in to install a digital thermostat. we pretty much said we’d let our dog live his best life and start to look again once he goes…..so, after that we began a planning a return trip for 3 weeks in May to looks for property, hitting florence and rome too. we started to make a list of properties and ran across what we felt was a too good to be true property. my wife set up a virtual tour with the agent. when we saw it, we knew…….we told the agent we would talk prices and see if the seller will agree to a price with us, if they do verbally, we’d get on a plane and look in person and decide if go forward with paperwork. we saw the property friday and made return trips saturday evening and sunday afternoon to walk the village, see the views, listen to night noise. we met the agent today at our place today, told him we are going forward and to put our current place on the market.

here’s the flyer…..

House looks amazing and peaceful.
 
so, with covid hitting 2020 and our dog getting sick thereafter, plans changed. the last time we were in italy was that 5/2019 trip. our apartment has been empty and untouched, except for 2021 when my realtor let my HVAC guy in to install a digital thermostat. we pretty much said we’d let our dog live his best life and start to look again once he goes…..so, after that we began a planning a return trip for 3 weeks in May to looks for property, hitting florence and rome too. we started to make a list of properties and ran across what we felt was a too good to be true property. my wife set up a virtual tour with the agent. when we saw it, we knew…….we told the agent we would talk prices and see if the seller will agree to a price with us, if they do verbally, we’d get on a plane and look in person and decide if go forward with paperwork. we saw the property friday and made return trips saturday evening and sunday afternoon to walk the village, see the views, listen to night noise. we met the agent today at our place today, told him we are going forward and to put our current place on the market.

here’s the flyer…..

House looks amazing and peaceful.
They are really selling those two chaise lounges, like 4 pics of them.

Bunch of questions, @Chemical X

Do either of you speak the language? Think you're an Eagles fan, so I figure about 60% chance your name ends in a vowel, but I didn't know if y'all had any connection to Italy.

Retiring there, what is Italy's stance? You have money, you want to buy here, help yourself, or is it a lot more complicated?

Were you pretty set on this area where you wound up?
 

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