Entitlement to an Account

If you are not resident in Italy you cannot open a bank account. You can still manage your finances using cash, travellers cheques and credit cards from your foreign account, but you may incur high transaction charges. Also, your credit card provider will usually charge you a fee for using the card abroad.

If you have a home in Italy and Italian residence, you can open an account at a local bank. The application forms are simple, and some banks even provide these forms in English to assist their foreign customers. You will usually be required to give proof of identity and show other official documents: for details see Requirements.

If you are not planning to stay in Italy forever, it is a good idea to keep your 'home' bank account open, even if you open a second account in Italy. It can prove very inconvenient to transfer all your funds to the new account, pay large transaction charges, and face the same high fees a second time when you return home and wish to reverse the process. Many of the foreign people who live or work in Italy decide to keep their foreign account when they open an Italian one.