Buying a car in Italy: the passaggio di proprietà

Between buyer and seller, a sale in Italy is concluded by agreement, as elsewhere. Towards everyone else, though, what counts is the Pubblico Registro Automobilistico, or PRA, which the automobile club ACI keeps by law. As long as the seller is recorded there, the authorities and third parties treat them as the owner: the vehicle tax (bollo) is demanded from them, fines go to them, and after an accident they are the first person asked.

That is why the passaggio di proprietà is not an afterthought to the sale but its core, and both sides have an interest in starting it on the same day. Since the introduction of the documento unico, technical data and ownership are held in a single vehicle document; after the passaggio it is issued in the new owner's name.

Before buying, it pays to look into both registers. A visura PRA, which anyone can obtain from the ACI with the plate number for a fee, shows the registered owner and encumbrances such as a mortgage (ipoteca) from a finance agreement or an official block over unpaid sums (fermo amministrativo). The Portale dell'Automobilista of the Motorizzazione shows the last roadworthiness test (revisione) with the mileage read at it. Together they cost less than a journey and answer the two questions on which purchases most often founder: does the car belong to the person selling it, and is the odometer roughly right?

At the heart of the passaggio is the declaration of sale (atto di vendita). The seller signs it, and that signature must be officially certified (autentica della firma). Certification can be done by the municipality, the ACI-PRA and Motorizzazione offices, the Sportelli Telematici dell'Automobilista in the agencies, and a notary. The seller has to appear in person, with ID and the vehicle papers.

The declaration contains the details of both parties, the car and the price. The price is not a formality: it is the amount both sides declare to the register, and it should match what actually changes hands. Writing a lower figure “because of the tax” saves nothing on the transfer tax, since the IPT is assessed on engine power and not on price — it merely weakens your position if there is a dispute later.

Certification starts a statutory period within which the PRA entry must be applied for. If the certification is done at a Sportello Telematico, both happen in one go. That route leaves the shortest window in which the car already belongs to you but is still recorded in someone else's name.

Most passaggi go through a vehicle paperwork agency (agenzia pratiche auto) connected to the registers as a Sportello Telematico dell'Automobilista. It certifies the signature, applies for the entry, collects the charges and issues the new document, often on the same day. It charges a fee for this that is not officially set, so comparing is worthwhile.

Cheaper, but with more legwork, is doing the passaggio yourself at an ACI-PRA or Motorizzazione counter. The municipality or a notary only certifies the signature; someone still has to apply for the entry afterwards. If you buy from a dealer, they will normally handle the passaggio themselves and invoice it — ask to see which part is official charges and which part is their fee.

The costs come in three parts: the IPT, assessed on engine power in kW at a rate set by the buyer's province; the charges and stamp duties of the ACI and the Motorizzazione; and, where applicable, the agency fee. Who pays what is negotiable; customarily the buyer bears the cost of the passaggio. Put it in the contract, even if it seems obvious.

Without a codice fiscale there is no PRA entry. Anyone registering anything in Italy needs this tax number, foreigners included; it is issued by the Agenzia delle Entrate and can also be obtained through Italian consulates. For a foreigner it is usually the smaller step.

The bigger one is residence. Holding a car on ordinary Italian plates in your own name normally requires being registered as resident in Italy (residenza). Someone who only has a holiday home there, or does not live there at all, can therefore usually not complete an ordinary passaggio in their name, even with a codice fiscale. The PRA and the Motorizzazione say which evidence counts in a given case; for non-EU nationals the residence permit is added.

For non-residents there is a separate registration marked EE (escursionisti esteri), limited in time and subject to conditions. Whether it is a better route for you than exporting directly is something to settle with the Motorizzazione or an agency before you agree a price. And whatever the route, third-party cover must be in place before the car moves; the seller's policy does not pass to you.

If the car is to leave Italy for good, the usual route is not the passaggio but deregistration for export (radiazione per esportazione). As a rule, the registered owner applies for it at a Sportello Telematico dell'Automobilista; plates and papers are surrendered or cancelled as that office requires, and the car leaves the Italian register. Which documents you hold afterwards is determined by the procedure — whether they satisfy your own registration authority is something to ask there before you travel.

For the contract this means it records that the seller applies for the radiazione, by when, and in what order payment, deregistration and handover take place. It is cleanest to go to the counter together, pay there and take the documents with you straight away. Anyone who pays and then waits for an envelope with the papers may wait a long time.

For the journey a provisional plate can be issued, but it is valid only as far as the Italian border, not beyond. For the road on the other side you need a transfer plate from your own country, where one is issued for a car abroad, or a trailer. On top comes insurance for each stretch, and that is settled before you set off, not at a motorway service station.

On Carvexia you can add the question of whether the seller can handle export or deregistration to an enquiry. Whether and when the seller answers is up to them; the answer appears as “Seller's statements, not checked”. A no is as useful as a yes: it saves you a trip to a seller who only wants to sell to someone resident in Italy.

After a passaggio in Italy you hold the documento unico in your name — or, in older cases, its predecessors, the registration document and the certificate of ownership — plus the receipt for the entry. Keep the receipts for the charges and the IPT; they are the simplest proof that the procedure is complete.

Before paying, check the visura PRA once more. A registered fermo amministrativo becomes your problem the moment you have paid: the car may not be used while it stands, and the further steps depend on it being lifted. That is exactly what the check is for — before payment, not after.

After a radiazione for export, the second half of the work begins at home. The folder for your registration authority contains at least these documents: