Can foreigners buy property in Italy?
Yes. EU and EEA citizens can buy Italian property on exactly the same terms as Italian nationals, with no restrictions. Non-EU citizens can buy under the principle of reciprocity (condizione di reciprocità): if an Italian could buy property in your country, you can buy in Italy. In practice this covers buyers from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, and most other developed countries.
You do not need to live in Italy, hold residency, or have an Italian passport to own property. You can buy purely as an investment and never set foot in the country beyond the purchase itself — though most lenders and the purchase process expect you to appear (in person or by power of attorney) at the final deed.
Step 1 — Get your codice fiscale (Italian tax code)
The codice fiscale is a free personal tax identifier, and you cannot buy property, open a bank account, or sign the deed without one. It is the very first thing to arrange.
You can request it for free at any Agenzia delle Entrate office in Italy, or — without travelling — at the Italian consulate that covers your home address abroad. It is usually issued the same day.
Step 2 — The buying process, from offer to deed
An Italian purchase moves through three well-defined stages. A notary (notaio) — a neutral public official, not the buyer's or seller's lawyer — oversees the legally binding steps and is mandatory.
- Proposta d'acquisto (offer): a written, often binding offer with a small deposit. Once the seller accepts, you are committed to proceed to the preliminary contract.
- Contratto preliminare / compromesso (preliminary contract): sets the price and completion date and is registered with the tax authority. You pay a caparra (deposit), typically 10–20%. If the buyer pulls out, the deposit is forfeited; if the seller pulls out, they owe double.
- Rogito (final deed): signed before the notaio, who verifies title, checks for mortgages or charges, collects the taxes, and registers the transfer. Ownership passes here.
Step 3 — Costs and taxes
Budget roughly 9–15% on top of the purchase price for taxes and fees on a typical second-home purchase from a private seller. The single biggest line is the registration tax (imposta di registro), normally 9% — though for residential purchases by individuals it is calculated on the property's lower cadastral value (valore catastale), not the sale price, under the prezzo-valore mechanism.
Buying a newly built home from a developer works differently: you pay VAT (IVA) of 10% (22% on luxury homes) instead of registration tax, plus fixed registry taxes. On top of either route you have notary fees (roughly 1–2.5%) and, if you used an agent, commission of around 3% plus 22% VAT.
The reduced "first-home" (prima casa) rate of 2% generally requires becoming an Italian resident in the property's comune within 18 months, so most non-resident second-home buyers pay the standard rate. PropIQ's purchase-cost estimator models both resident and non-resident scenarios for any listing.
Can a foreigner get an Italian mortgage?
Yes, but expect tighter terms than a resident. Italian banks do lend to non-residents, typically up to 50–60% loan-to-value (versus ~80% for residents), and they will require your codice fiscale and usually an Italian bank account. Rates and appetite vary widely between banks, so it pays to compare and to get a decision in principle before you make a binding offer.
Due diligence — what to check before you buy
The biggest risks in an Italian purchase are legal and structural, not price. The notary checks title and charges, but you should independently verify the rest — ideally before the preliminary contract, when your deposit is already at stake.
- Cadastral and planning conformity (conformità catastale e urbanistica): the building as it stands must match the official plans. Unpermitted works (abuso edilizio) can block a sale or a mortgage.
- APE (energy performance certificate): legally required and increasingly relevant to value and running costs.
- Condominium arrears: in an apartment, unpaid building charges can transfer to you.
- Title and charges: confirm the seller's ownership and that the property is free of mortgages, liens, or third-party rights via a visura at the land registry — PropIQ surfaces this kind of due-diligence check on every listing.
How PropIQ helps foreign buyers
PropIQ is built for exactly this gap: making the Italian market legible from abroad. It scans listings across the major Italian portals, scores each against an automated valuation to flag undervalued properties, projects rental yield and ROI, models the full purchase costs for a non-resident, and runs document-level due-diligence checks — so you can shortlist with confidence before you ever get on a plane.