I was told yesterday that he recalled Italy launching a vendetta a couple of years ago against N Reg aircraft based in Italy. This was only against N Reg whose owners were resident in the country. When an N Reg was caught on the ground by the authorities in Italy it was impounded. Apparently it was so severe that N Reg owners in the country took immediate action to fly their aircraft out of the country while they sought a solution.
As we know, under EU law there is no prohibition against EU residents operating N Reg aircraft in the EU. This was apparently an Italian only issue.
Does anyone know if this is still the case, or if there has been a resolution?
Who told you? On italian airfields we do have plenty of myths revolving around N reg planes. The only real issue one could have is if european VAT has not been paid – that could lead to what you heard. If you have the corresponding papers on hand it’s a non issue. I am flying N-reg and have the aircraft based in Italy with no issue.
Most of those folks simply have no clue what they are talking about :)
I have not heard of anything current, and would be surprised if it was as “organised” as you describe. Even though most Europeans are unwilling to be critical of their country on EuroGA (only Brits are happy to slag off the UK 
) and this is a real problem I would think we would have heard of this by now, especially the reported mass exodus.
Maybe you can post where this info came from (or send me a PM).
@boscomantico and @africaneagle would know if there was anything.
There have been sporadic reports from Italy (and France) of police raids purely gratuitously aimed at the only N-reg(s) on the airport, including one in Italy where they chucked the unpacked luggage on the tarmac, but these are very rare.
Each ICAO country has total sovereignity over its land and air and can do what it likes. Nobody would have signed ICAO otherwise.
Further back there is a long history e.g. France in 2004 and UK DfT in 2005 (proposed long term parking bans) but these went nowhere. Instead, Brussels mandated the dual pilot papers (FAA+EASA) in 2011 (if the “operator” is EU based) which then got derogated… until 2021. No action against based N-regs except Norway Sweden Denmark where long term N-reg parking is banned (resident or not).
But, hey, Italy is capable of anything and stuff can run a long way, until it reaches some high political level and then gets squashed… same in France actually
As Lukepower says above, there is the old VAT not paid / Denmark zero-VAT route stuff which is a sleeping dog under a lot of GA aircraft.
And finally remember that the training business – particular CPL/IR FTOs – hates N-regs and is constantly badmouthing them. I’ve had this since 2000…
As we know, under EU law there is no prohibition against EU residents operating N Reg aircraft in the EU
That doesn’t mean that each country cannot do whatever it pleases, as they do in most things regarding aviation anyhow, particularly non EASA aviation.
In the first instance you should treat this as FUD. As mentioned, there have been various ‚attacks‘ against GA in Italy over the years with each having its own specific situation context. If anyone tells you some such, insist on full reference details. Usually that will either kill the subject or give you something in hand to research. Someone just recalling something doesn‘t really qualify as a threat. We as pilots tend to spend far to much time chasing ghosts. 
This was in 2021/2022, and was part of “Operation Icaro”. AFAIK, it targetted aircraft that, despite being based in Italy, had not paid any VAT in Italy / the EU.
See here for example. And here.
I have not heard again about anything similar after 2022. But yes, this is another tricky point to consider if basing an N-reg (non-VAT-paid) aircraft for any longer amount of time. Unfortunately, Italy is like it is in some ways.
On a tangent, a weird and unclear NOTAM has recently been issued (only?) for LIPN aerodrome:
Interesting. Google translate:
I don’t see how N-reg means import VAT has not been paid. Any reg could be thus. It would be basically only Socata and Robin (and other EU made ones) which, in general, are VAT-paid automatically. But even a TB20 sold to Jersey for a while will be non VAT paid upon import to EU. This belongs to the VAT import thread though. Anybody parking in the EU (other than a ferry transit or similar) without being VAT-paid is taking a risk.
I wonder why anyone would want to live in Italy…. friend of mine lives there since a few years but there is no day without him complaining about something or the other… several other friends of mine who are actually Italian have moved to Switzerland as they could not afford their taxes anymore. They can’t even go back to visit because the are scared of the financial guards or whatever they are called. Those bozos have been caught several times illegally investigating in Switzerland.
Wow. Lots of useful info, thank you all very much.
lukepower wrote:
I am flying N-reg and have the aircraft based in Italy with no issue.Most of those folks simply have no clue what they are talking about :
Straight from an Italian pilots mouth. Terrific and thank you. I will pay the Italian import VAT as soon as I arrive in Italy formally of course.
boscomantico wrote:
This was in 2021/2022, and was part of “Operation Icaro”. AFAIK, it targetted aircraft that, despite being based in Italy, had not paid any VAT in Italy / the EU.
Makes sense.
Mooney_Driver wrote:
I wonder why anyone would want to live in Italy…
I have lived in the UK for ten years. It has been wonderful, lots of fun and absolutely great for aviation. But winter after winter here has put us over the top and its time for a new adventure before we get too old. For perspective, I grew up in Australia. We want to learn a new language, have more sun, and Italy is in the middle of all the places we like to fly to, not far from them as the UK is.
Mooney_Driver wrote:
no day without him complaining about something or the other
Thats why you have to have a ‘consigliere’ that can fix any problem when you move to a new country with a strange tongue. We had a great one when we moved to Switzerland and I think we have found our man for Italy in Florence.
Mooney_Driver wrote:
no day without him complaining about something or the other
Off topic: This is the classic “italian” way of live, regrettably. Always complaining about something. Somebody else shall pay, not me. And then we are wondering if the Guardia di Finanza is looking for ways to limit the “black” activities. If all of us italians would work and pay our part correctly I am absolutely sure things would be easier, also – but not only – GA-related. But no, one has always to be more clever, “piú furbo”, of others and using all sorts of tricks to avoid taxes and let others pay.
Hell, I remember a big “bang” some years ago in Cortina d’Ampezzo, where a raid of the guardia di finanza around New Year got them over 150 company owners driving around with luxury cars. Some of them declared several millions of losses, and annual incomes way below their workers. What a shock :)
rant mode off
So, at the end of the day, I would say that Italy is still very nice. The friendly people (ok, some might want to scam you, but hey, this happens everywhere), nice landscapes, good wines, good food… I’d say I am still happy to be here. The grass is always greener at the neighbor’s, right?
