How to Buy Property
in Italy

This is essentially the Italian equivalent of a National Insurance number. If you wish to purchase property in Italy, you must obtain a Codice Fiscale. This code can be acquired in Italy at the tax office or at an Italian consulate abroad. As part of our service, we will assist you in obtaining your Codice Fiscale.

In the next step, we will send you property proposals that match your requirements – we can also assist you with the purchase of a property you have found independently.

Two weeks before your arrival in Italy, we begin scheduling viewings of the selected properties. We get in touch with the owners to arrange specific appointment times, and we accompany you to each property viewing.

Once you have chosen a property that meets your expectations, we carry out a legal verification and ensure the property has all the necessary documentation, such as:

• Proof of ownership (Visura Catastale and Storica)

• Energy Performance Certificate (Attestato di Prestazione Energetica – APE)

• Certificate of Habitability (Certificato di Agibilità)

• Floor plan (Planimetria), which must match the property’s actual condition

We also check with the local Town Hall (Comune) to confirm that the property has no outstanding taxes or issues regarding building legality.

We negotiate the final purchase price of the property on your behalf.

Next, we submit a formal purchase offer (Proposta d’Acquisto), and you pay a deposit (Caparra Confirmatoria) into the seller’s account – this is usually 10% of the property’s value.

Once the seller accepts the offer, a preliminary contract (Compromesso) is signed, which is legally binding for both parties.

At this stage, we arrange for sworn translations of all documents required for the signing of the notarial deed.

We select a notary and schedule the date for the notarial deed. Once the date is confirmed, the Notary (Notaio) is responsible for:

• Preparing the notarial deed (Rogito Notarile)
• Verifying the legal status of the property

Before signing the notarial deed, you must make the payment for the property. In Italy, there are three accepted methods of payment:

• Deposit into the notary’s account – a secure and very popular method, where you transfer the funds to the notary’s account. The notary then releases the funds to the seller only once the transaction has been finalised.
• Bank draft (Assegno Circolare) – this guarantees immediate availability of funds. However, you must have an account with an Italian bank to use this method.
• Bank transfer – directly from the buyer’s personal account to the seller’s account. This method can delay the process until the notary receives confirmation that the funds have arrived.

This is the final stage of the property purchase. You sign the notarial deed, and the notary issues a Certificate of Purchase, which is required for further formalities such as applying for residency or transferring utility services.

The registration of the documents in the official property registers (Conservatoria dei Registri Immobiliari) typically takes around one month – after this period, you will receive the official notarial deed in hand.