🇬🇧 United Kingdom → 🇮🇹 Italy · Your UK pension
Your UK pension when emigrating from the UK to Italy
Whether it makes sense to move it into Italian pension / flat-tax regimes depends on QROPS rules — and the answer is often "leave it". Here's why.
If you're moving from the UK to Italy, one of the first money questions is what happens to your pension. The destination system here is Italian pension / flat-tax regimes.
Can you transfer a UK pension into Italian pension / flat-tax regimes?
As with France, an EEA QROPS transfer can attract HMRC's 25% Overseas Transfer Charge unless you're resident where the QROPS is based, so most keep the pension in the UK. The headline opportunity is Italy's regimes for new residents — notably a 7% flat tax on foreign income (including pensions) for retirees who move to qualifying southern towns, plus a separate flat-tax regime for high earners. Valuable but condition-heavy: get Italian-UK cross-border advice before relying on them.
The 25% overseas-transfer charge
HMRC can apply a 25% Overseas Transfer Charge to a UK pension moved into a QROPS that doesn't meet the exemption conditions. Getting this wrong is one of the most expensive mistakes in the whole move — model it before you transfer anything.
Your real options
- Leave it invested in a UK SIPP or workplace scheme and draw it later — usually the simplest, and often the best.
- Where a compliant QROPS exists in Italy, transfer after taking advice on the overseas-transfer charge and the destination's tax treatment.
- A blend — consolidate UK pots into one SIPP now, decide on transferring once you're settled and the tax picture is clear.
Decide what happens to your pension before you move money — the right answer is tied to your UK residence status, your age, and whether Italy has a QROPS-registered scheme.
Frequently asked
Can I transfer my UK pension to Italy?
As with France, an EEA QROPS transfer can attract HMRC's 25% Overseas Transfer Charge unless you're resident where the QROPS is based, so most keep the pension in the UK. The headline opportunity is Italy's regimes for new residents — notably a 7% flat tax on foreign income (including pensions) for retirees who move to qualifying southern towns, plus a separate flat-tax regime for high earners. Valuable but condition-heavy: get Italian-UK cross-border advice before relying on them. A non-qualifying transfer can trigger HMRC's 25% Overseas Transfer Charge, so take cross-border advice first.
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Educational information only — not financial, tax, legal or migration advice. Fees reviewed 2026-06; verify current rules via official sources before acting.