Head of real estate and commercial law practice
Specialist in the field of commercial law and process. Real estate, construction support; land law and protection of property ownership.
Support for the purchase of real estate (apartment, house) in Italy
Ukrainians can buy real estate in Italy without the need to obtain any permission, provided that two simple steps are taken – obtaining a codice fiscale (tax code), opening a bank account in a local bank. Moreover, in Italy there is an opportunity to receive significant tax benefits for purchasing the first home here for permanent family residence.
Buying a home in Italy: in which regions is it better to look for an apartment, a house for a Ukrainian?

Real estate in Italy is a successful investment that requires careful preparation. The choice of region plays an important role, since depending on the city or district in general, housing prices and living conditions can vary significantly. The most popular cities among Ukrainians today are:
- Como (northern Italy) – due to good transport connections with other European countries;
- Lombardy (Milan) – due to economic development and developed infrastructure;
- Piedmont (Turin) – due to more affordable prices compared to other cities, an industrial center;
- Liguria (Genoa) – due to the options for choosing real estate near the sea coast.
If you are considering the option of purchasing housing for its subsequent rental, then the best options will also be Florence, Siena, Pisa, in particular due to their popularity among tourists. For clients with a larger budget, we can also offer to view available apartments and villas in Sicily and Sardinia, respectively.
What taxes do you need to pay when buying real estate in Italy?
The total amount of additional costs when buying a home in this country can be up to 15% of the cost of the property. The main ones are:
- firstly, value added tax – 4% (right of the “first” home, i.e. Prima Casa), 10% or 22% (for elite options);
- secondly, cadastral tax (Imposta Catastale) – fixed at 50 or 200 euros (depending on whether the home is purchased on the primary or secondary market);
- thirdly, registration tax (Imposta di Registro) – 2% (for Prima Casa) or 9% of the cost of the property;
- fourthly, commission fees – notary (up to 3%) and realtor (up to 6%).
It is important to know! Even after purchasing a home, paying taxes does not end there. Therefore, foreigners permanently residing in an apartment or house in Italy must pay a single municipal tax of 0.4% – 1.06% (except for those residing on the basis of Prima Casa). Also, if you plan to rent out your home (for example, in the case of a short-term vacation in another country), you will also need to pay tax on the income received at a fixed rate of 21%.
What is the procedure for purchasing real estate (apartment, house) in Italy?
Buying real estate in Italy is characterized by a high level of bureaucracy, and because of this it can take quite a long time. To simplify and speed up the entire process as much as possible for you, we recommend that you take care of involving a professional lawyer in the case.
The main stages of the procedure are as follows:
- Step one – preparation (up to 1 month). For any foreigner, you must first apply for and receive a tax code for the subsequent possibility of signing any contracts, after which you must go to the bank and open an account for your own use. If you plan to immediately replenish it with the amount that will be spent on housing, the bank may request documents confirming the legality of the origin of the funds;
- step two — search for an object (up to 1.5 months). Choosing an apartment or house in Italy is not at all easy, since you need to take into account not only the region, prices and availability, but also the absence of legal risks for the buyer himself when concluding a purchase and sale agreement. You must immediately conduct legal monitoring of the person;
- step three — first documentary registration (up to 2 months). At this stage, the buyer submits a written offer. If it is accepted, a preliminary purchase and sale agreement (Compromesso) is concluded and an advance payment of 5%-10% of the cost of housing is made. During this stage, the buyer also has the right to inspect the property, involving a lawyer and a local notary, in particular to check the absence of any encumbrances;
- step four – the final stage (up to 3 months). Finally, the main contract is signed and the full price for the property is paid. After that, the notary registers the transaction in the real estate register, and utility contracts are reissued to the new owner.
What should a Ukrainian pay attention to when buying housing in Italy?
In addition to the points already partially mentioned above, a foreigner who is going to buy an apartment or a house in Italy for the first time needs to pay special attention to:
- the form of ownership that you receive after concluding the agreement (determines the possibility of using the land plot, the right to rent out the housing, make repairs, etc.);
- mandatory personal presence when signing the preliminary and main purchase and sale agreement (as an option, you can choose to draw up a general power of attorney if the seller does not mind);
- making non-cash payment for real estate based on checks issued by a local bank (cryptocurrency is not allowed).
There are also other aspects that are desirable to take into account when buying housing in this country. To learn more, we recommend ordering a consultation directly from our real estate lawyer.
Legal support for buying real estate (apartment, house) in Italy: what services can our law firm offer?
Having proven partners from Italy, our company can greatly facilitate the entire process for you – from overcoming the language barrier to full support for concluding a purchase and sale agreement. Legal support from our specialist will be focused on high-quality preparation of the buyer, collection of necessary documents and negotiations with the seller. As part of this service, the lawyer will:
- provide legal advice on tax benefits for foreigners;
- assist in obtaining a tax identification code;
- provide support for opening a bank account in the selected institution;
- prepare documents to confirm the sources of origin of funds (for amounts exceeding 10,000 euros);
- check the seller’s ownership, the legal status of the property and other aspects;
- will draw up an offer, preliminary and main contract in accordance with Italian law (will make the necessary changes to what the seller offers);
- will organize the translation and notarization of documents;
- will provide support in the registration of ownership.
To find out the cost of supporting the purchase of real estate in Italy, please fill out the form below. Our lawyer will contact you as soon as possible.
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Do you want to buy an apartment/house in Italy?
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