Moving from Italy to Vietnam (2026): Complete Guide

Relocating from Italy to Vietnam means managing two separate bureaucracies on opposite ends of a roughly 9,000 km corridor: Italy’s export/deregistration formalities, run by the customs agency Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM) and the consular AIRE registry, and Vietnam’s import/immigration formalities, run by the General Department of Vietnam Customs and the Immigration Department under the Ministry of Public Security. This guide is written for an Italian resident — citizen or long-term resident — moving to Vietnam for work, study or retirement, and covers what to do before leaving Italy, what happens at the Vietnamese border, and what changes if you later move back.

Key takeaways

• Italy’s export customs authority is ADM; there is no separate "export licence" for a household move, but personal effects still need a formal customs process when they permanently leave EU territory, governed by ADM’s own customs FAQ and franchigie rules.
• If you’re an Italian citizen moving to Vietnam for more than 12 months, you are legally required to register with AIRE (Anagrafe Italiani Residenti all’Estero) within 90 days, which also cancels your registration in your comune’s resident population registry.
• Losing Italian tax residency takes more than AIRE registration alone. Since a 2024 reform, Agenzia delle Entrate applies four alternative connecting factors — registration (now only a rebuttable presumption), domicile, habitual residence, and a physical-presence test of 183+ days (184 in a leap year) — and meeting even one for the majority of the tax year is enough to keep you an Italian tax resident. See Agenzia delle Entrate’s guidance.
• Carrying €10,000 or more in cash (or equivalent) out of Italy/the EU must be declared to ADM.
• Vietnam requires a customs declaration for cash/foreign currency above USD 5,000 or VND 15,000,000 on entry, per Vietnam Customs.
• Duty-free personal luggage allowances into Vietnam (alcohol, tobacco, goods up to VND 10,000,000 in value) are set by Decree 134/2016/NĐ-CP via the Government Portal.
• Pets entering Vietnam are subject to compulsory quarantine declaration under Circular 01/2026/TT-BNNMT, which took effect 1 January 2026.
• Italy’s Ministero della Salute requires a health/export certificate for pets travelling to non-EU "third countries" like Vietnam — see Ministero della Salute.

1. How your Vietnamese immigration status determines your customs treatment

Vietnamese customs does not treat a "mover" as a fixed legal category — how your shipment and belongings are assessed depends on the entry/residence status you hold when the goods arrive. The Immigration Department, an agency of the Ministry of Public Security, issues the visas and temporary residence cards (TRC) that determine this: a short-stay visa holder is treated as a visitor with only ordinary duty-free luggage allowances, while someone entering on a work-permit-linked visa or holding a temporary residence card is in a position to be treated as relocating their household, which is the status that unlocks personal-effects import processing rather than simple traveller’s luggage rules. In practice this means your visa/TRC application should be lined up before your sea or air freight shipment is booked, since the customs process at the Vietnamese port or airport will ask for your entry visa or TRC alongside the shipment’s paperwork. Get your immigration status confirmed first; treat the customs declaration as the second step, not the first.

2. The Italy side: export, deregistration and tax exit

Customs authority. Export and customs matters in Italy sit with the Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM), part of the Ministry of Economy and Finance. ADM’s published rules on franchigie doganali (customs-duty exemptions) describe the flip side of your move — the exemption Italy grants for personal belongings when someone transfers residence into Italy or the EU — and they set out the same underlying test (12 months’ prior use/ownership, genuine relocation) that Vietnamese customs will also look for when assessing whether your shipment is a personal household move rather than a commercial import. For general procedural questions, ADM also publishes a customs FAQ. There is no Italian export duty on your own used personal belongings leaving the EU permanently; the formality that remains is that the shipment must clear an export customs declaration at the point it physically leaves EU territory — normally handled on your behalf by the international mover or freight forwarder you use, not something you file yourself.

Deregistration (AIRE). If you are an Italian citizen relocating for more than 12 months, Italian law requires registration with AIRE — Anagrafe degli Italiani Residenti all’Estero, the consular registry for Italians abroad, managed through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Fast It portal. You must submit this declaration to the competent Italian consulate within 90 days of arrival in Vietnam. AIRE registration automatically triggers cancellation from your municipality’s resident population registry (Anagrafe della Popolazione Residente) — you don’t file two separate cancellations.

Tax residency exit. AIRE registration is a necessary but not sufficient step to stop being an Italian tax resident. Since a reform introduced by Legislative Decree 209/2023 and clarified in Agenzia delle Entrate’s Circolare n. 20/E of 4 November 2024, Italian tax residence for individuals is determined by four alternative connecting factors — meeting any one of them for the majority of the tax year (183 days, or 184 in a leap year, counting fractions of a day) is enough to make you tax-resident:

1. Registration in your comune’s resident population registry — now only a rebuttable presumption, not conclusive proof on its own;
2. Domicile in Italy, redefined by the reform as the place where your principal personal and family relations are based;
3. Habitual residence ("dimora abituale") in Italy under the Civil Code; and
4. Simple physical presence in Italy, even without registration, domicile, or habitual residence elsewhere.

Because these are alternative, not cumulative, tests, genuinely ending Italian tax residence means none of the four can apply to you for the greater part of the year — deregistering from AIRE only addresses the first one. Keep documentation of your Vietnamese ties (lease/property, TRC, employment contract, day-count records) in case Agenzia delle Entrate later reviews the move.

3. Ports and transit: routing your shipment

Italy’s main outbound container ports for a move to Southeast Asia are Genoa and La Spezia on the Ligurian coast, Livorno on the Tyrrhenian coast, and Trieste on the Adriatic (Trieste has a rail-linked hinterland connection and a direct Suez routing to Asia). On the Vietnamese side, sea freight typically lands at Cat Lai / Saigon New Port near Ho Chi Minh City for shipments destined south, or Hai Phong for the north (Hanoi area). Air freight normally routes through Milan Malpensa or Rome Fiumicino into Noi Bai (Hanoi) or Tan Son Nhat (Ho Chi Minh City).

These are freight-industry planning estimates, not figures published by any customs or port authority, and actual transit varies by carrier, season, and Suez Canal routing conditions:

• Full container load (FCL) sea freight, Genoa/La Spezia → Ho Chi Minh City: roughly 28–40 days door-to-port, via the Suez Canal.
• Less-than-container-load (LCL/groupage) sea freight: add 1–3 weeks on top of FCL transit for consolidation and deconsolidation.
• Air freight, Italy → Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City: typically 3–7 days including customs handling, once booked.

Budget separate time on the Vietnamese end for the customs clearance step described below — this is not included in the transit estimates above.

4. The Vietnam side: import declaration and customs process

The competent authority is the Tổng cục Hải quan Việt Nam — General Department of Vietnam Customs, operating under the Ministry of Finance through regional customs departments at each port and airport. Every person entering Vietnam completes a customs declaration at the border checkpoint; for cash/currency specifically, declaration is only mandatory above the thresholds noted below (see regional customs office guidance).

For personal luggage and belongings, Decree 134/2016/NĐ-CP, implemented via the Government Portal, sets the duty-free allowance for arriving passengers: spirits ≥22° up to 1.5 litres, drinks under 22° up to 2.0 litres, beer/other alcoholic drinks up to 3.0 litres; 200 cigarettes, or 100 cigars, or 500 g of loose tobacco; and other personal goods with a total customs value not exceeding VND 10,000,000 — anything above that is subject to import duty assessment by the customs officer on the spot. Frequent travellers can only claim these allowances once every 90 days rather than on every entry. This decree governs accompanied traveller’s luggage; a full household-goods shipment arriving separately by sea or air freight is assessed case-by-case by the port customs office against your visa/TRC status (see Section 1) and is best handled through a licensed customs broker or your moving company’s Vietnamese partner, who will lodge the declaration and inventory on your behalf.

5. Pets: rules on both ends

Leaving Italy. Italy’s Ministero della Salute distinguishes EU travel (covered by the standard EU pet passport) from travel to "Paesi terzi" — third countries outside the EU, which includes Vietnam. For a third-country destination you generally need a health/export certificate issued by your local ASL veterinary service, in addition to (or instead of) the EU pet passport, and the Ministry advises checking the destination country’s specific requirements with the Vietnamese embassy or consulate before travelling, since third-country entry rules are set by the destination, not by Italy.

Entering Vietnam. Since 1 January 2026, animal quarantine on entry is governed by Circular 01/2026/TT-BNNMT from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, which replaced the long-standing Circular 25/2016/TT-BNNPTNT. Dogs and cats are listed as animals subject to compulsory quarantine inspection. For travellers bringing pets for personal/household use, the declaration is made directly to the border animal quarantine authority on arrival, which carries out a clinical check, vaccinates for rabies if this hasn’t already been done, and — provided the file is complete and the animal is healthy — issues an import quarantine certificate. Arrange rabies vaccination and any required paperwork in Italy well in advance, since incomplete documentation at the Vietnamese border can trigger a longer quarantine hold.

6. Vehicles, money, and things people forget

Vehicles. Do not plan to ship your Italian car or motorbike to Vietnam as a routine part of the move. Vietnam’s traffic-safety framework, Decree 151/2024/NĐ-CP, in force from 1 January 2025, covers foreign vehicles brought in for tourism/temporary use — it does not establish a routine path for permanently importing a personally owned car. Permanent import of a private vehicle is a separate, heavily regulated and taxed process; for the large majority of relocating households it is not economical, and most movers sell their car in Italy and buy locally in Vietnam instead.

Money. Leaving Italy/the EU with €10,000 or more in cash (or equivalent value in other instruments) requires a declaration to ADM at the point of exit. Entering Vietnam with more than USD 5,000 (or equivalent foreign currency) or VND 15,000,000 in cash requires declaration to Vietnam Customs on arrival — the declaration itself doesn’t block you from carrying the money, it is a formality, but failing to declare above the threshold can bring a fine and possible seizure of the excess.

Things people forget. Missing the 90-day AIRE deadline can complicate Italian healthcare (SSN) coverage and voting rights while abroad. Get your Vietnamese entry visa/TRC status settled before booking freight, since it affects how customs treats your shipment (Section 1). Have your household inventory prepared in English, since that’s the working language Vietnamese customs and most brokers expect for an itemised packing list. Keep original ownership/purchase proof for higher-value items — used personal effects generally clear more smoothly than unexplained new-looking goods.

Reverse direction: moving back from Vietnam to Italy

Coming back works largely as a mirror image. On the Italian side, you cancel your AIRE registration and re-register in your comune’s resident population registry — the same consular/Fast It process handles this in reverse. Whether that restarts your Italian tax residency depends on the same four-factor test described above (registration, domicile, habitual residence, physical presence), per Agenzia delle Entrate. Personal belongings re-entering the EU through Italy can generally use the same franchigie doganali duty exemption ADM applies to any genuine transfer of residence into the EU, subject to the same 12-month ownership/use conditions. Cash above €10,000 entering Italy must again be declared to ADM, and a pet returning to the EU needs a valid EU pet passport or re-entry veterinary paperwork arranged before departure from Vietnam, per the same Ministero della Salute framework.

How Flyto handles your Italy to Vietnam move

Flyto runs its own offices, warehouses, vehicles and crews across Northern, Central and Southern Europe, so the Italian pickup, packing and export handling on this move is done in-house rather than outsourced. For the long-haul sea or air leg and the Vietnamese side, we work through a carefully vetted network of partner carriers and forwarders, plus trusted local partners in Vietnam who handle customs clearance, delivery and the practicalities of arrival — giving you one point of contact in Italy while still relying on people who know the ground rules in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to deregister from my Italian comune before I can register as a resident in Vietnam?
No — the two processes are independent. AIRE registration (which cancels your comune registration) is an Italian obligation tied to your departure, while your Vietnamese visa/TRC is issued by Vietnamese immigration authorities based on their own criteria. See AIRE registration and Vietnam Immigration Department.

Will I still owe Italian income tax after I move to Vietnam?
Only if you still meet at least one of Italy’s four residency tests (registration, domicile, habitual residence, or the 183+/184+ day physical-presence test) for the majority of the year. AIRE registration alone doesn’t guarantee non-residence — see Agenzia delle Entrate’s guidance.

Can I bring my dog or cat without quarantine?
Vietnam doesn’t impose blanket quarantine for pets with complete, valid paperwork, but every incoming dog or cat is subject to a mandatory declaration and inspection under Circular 01/2026/TT-BNNMT; incomplete documentation can result in a hold.

How much cash can I carry without declaring it?
Up to €10,000 leaving Italy/the EU without declaration to ADM, and up to USD 5,000 (or VND 15,000,000) entering Vietnam without declaration to Vietnam Customs.

Should I ship my car from Italy?
Generally no. Vietnam does not provide a straightforward path for permanently importing a privately owned foreign car; the framework under Decree 151/2024/NĐ-CP covers temporary/tourist use, not permanent household relocation of a vehicle.

What’s the realistic transit time for a sea shipment?
As a freight-industry planning estimate (not an official figure), expect roughly 28–40 days FCL from Genoa or La Spezia to Ho Chi Minh City via Suez, plus Vietnamese customs clearance time on top.

Sources

• Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli — Franchigie doganali
• Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli — Customs FAQ
• Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli — Carta doganale del viaggiatore (cash declaration)
• Ministero degli Affari Esteri — Iscrizione AIRE (Fast It / Servizi Consolari)
• Agenzia delle Entrate — Circolare n. 20/E del 4 novembre 2024 sulla residenza fiscale
• Ministero della Salute — Animali d’affezione verso Paesi terzi
• Vietnam Immigration Department — National portal on Immigration
• Tổng cục Hải quan Việt Nam — General Department of Vietnam Customs
• Cục Hải quan khu vực VI — Cash/currency declaration rules
• Cổng Thông tin điện tử Chính phủ — Circular 01/2026/TT-BNNMT (animal quarantine)
• Văn phòng Chính phủ — Decree 134/2016/NĐ-CP (duty-free baggage allowance)
• Báo Chính phủ — Decree 151/2024/NĐ-CP (foreign vehicles and traffic conditions)