With your codice fiscale in hand (and ideally your residency registered), an Italian bank account is what makes the rest of daily life work: salary, rent, utilities, and most subscriptions in Italy expect an Italian IBAN with direct debits.
Your EU right to an account
Under EU payment-account rules (Directive 2014/92/EU, implemented in Italy by d.lgs. 37/2017 in the Testo Unico Bancario), every consumer legally residing in the EU has the right to a basic payment account — in Italian, the conto di base — regardless of nationality or where in the EU they live. Banks and Poste Italiane are obliged to offer it, and a bank cannot refuse you just because you are not (yet) an Italian resident.
A refusal is lawful only on anti-money-laundering grounds or because you already hold an equivalent payment account in Italy — and it must be given to you in writing, free of charge, within 10 working days.
Conto di base vs. an ordinary account
The conto di base bundles a preset package of operations (incoming and outgoing transfers, salary or pension crediting, a debit card for payments and ATM withdrawals) into one capped annual fee. By design it cannot include an overdraft, a chequebook, or a linked securities account.
It is free of charge if you hold a valid ISEE (the household means-test indicator) not above €11,600 — in that case it is also exempt from stamp duty — and free (stamp duty still due) for pensioners with gross pensions up to €18,000 a year.
An ordinary conto corrente is at the bank’s discretion and is what most working residents end up with: richer features, app-based banking, and fees that vary widely — compare before choosing.
How to open one
- Get your codice fiscale first (Step 1). Banks are legally required to record it for every customer relationship (DPR 605/1973, art. 7), so without it you will be turned away.
- Compare accounts. Every bank must hand you the standardised EU fee document (Documento informativo sulle spese) before you sign — ask for it, it is free and carries no commitment.
- Apply at a branch or online with your ID and codice fiscale. The bank runs its identification checks and takes a specimen signature.
- Sign and keep the contract together with the Documento di Sintesi (the terms summary).
- You receive your IBAN and debit card — set up salary crediting and utility direct debits from there.
The stamp duty (imposta di bollo)
Italy levies a government stamp duty of €34.20 per year on individuals’ current accounts — but only when the average balance (giacenza media) of your accounts at that bank exceeds €5,000. Keep less than that on account and no bollo is due.
Common pitfalls
- Asking for “an account” when you qualify for the conto di base. Branch staff rarely volunteer it — request it by name.
- Opening a conto di base while already holding another Italian payment account. That is a lawful ground for refusal (unless you are switching).
- Forgetting the annual ISEE renewal for the free version — miss it and fees and stamp duty resume.
- Expecting an overdraft or chequebook on a conto di base. Both are excluded by design; you need an ordinary account for those.
Next step
An Italian account also smooths the paperwork that follows — from paying the fees for converting your driving licence to settling local taxes.