Opening an Account
Opening a bank account is an important step when you move to another country, enabling you to manage your money locally rather than organise international payments and withdrawals. Banks offer a wide range of services to their customers to help them manage their money.
Opening a bank account also offers you a range of means of payment other than cash, such as your debit card, chequebook and credit card. Furthermore, the interbank system in Italy 'Rapporti Intermediari Diretti' allows you to arrange for payments which are due on a regular basis, such as rent or bills, to be collected automatically from your account. If you plan to live, work or study in Italy opening a bank account will prove very useful.
For details of the procedure see:
Once you have opened your bank account, you will be given your own bank details, including:
ABI code - your bank's Italian Bankers' Association code
CAB code - your bank's identification code
IBAN code - your account's international identification code
In order to send money via an international transfer you will also need to know any relevant BICs (Bank Identifier Code); the BIC code enables the specific bank to be identified, and includes numbers to indicate the bank, its country and specific location, and sometimes even the specific branch.
After opening a bank account you will be given your chequebook, and your account card will be sent to you in the post as soon as possible.
