When I first arrived in Italy, I was using an online banking platform, Revolut. It worked well during my initial year studying at a language school. However, once I switched to a work visa and was getting paid, both my accountant and HR suggested I open an Italian account. Check out this step-by-step guide on how to open a bank account in Italy.

Choose Your Bank

There are fortunately now a variety of great banking options in Italy.

If you are struggling at which option may be best for you, you can utilize websites like Facile.it. It gives comparisons and then you call to request help. The service is free for you as the bank provides a service fee to the website.

Don’t worry if Italian is not your strong-suit yet. There are many banks in Italy that provide English-speaking customer service and online platforms. Some of the most popular, large Italian banks are:

• Unicredit
• Intesa Sanpaolo

Note: Almost every bank in Italy will charge a monthly fee for you to maintain your account (it should likely be less than €5 a month).

Choose Your Branch

This is very important. In the US, when you open an account the branch location tends to be less important than the bank itself. It is different in Italy.

You want to choose a branch location of your bank that is close to your residence; there may be certain tasks that can only be completed through the branch location. It is important to keep this in mind before you open a bank account in Italy.

Schedule an Appointment

Depending on the bank, you can either schedule an appointment online, over the phone, or in-person. Explain that you want to open a bank account in Italy and they will provide available time slots.

Keep in mind (especially if you are working and hoping to schedule an appointment during lunch or after work), the bank hours are not very flexible in Italy. Most will close for a couple hours mid-day for lunch and often finish the day by 4:30pm.

What Documents to Bring

As always, I urge you to have a giant folder that stores ALL of your Italian documents (originals and copies). I take this to every appointment I go to, just in case.

In order to open a bank account in Italy, you will need the following documents (there may be a request to provide additional ones, which is why I suggest to bring a file):

• Passport or Italian Carta d’Identità (ID Card)
• Codice Fiscale (Tax Code)
• Permesso di Soggiorno (Residence Permit)
• Proof of Employment (i.e. work contract or pay stubs)
• Proof of Residency

Opening the Account

The appointment may last at least an hour since there are so many forms to enter into the system. But, you should very soon have an official bank account in Italy!

Note: Usually, you can only initially open a debit card account. It is typical that you may have to wait a month or two and have some payments come into the account before requesting a credit card.

Remember to Laugh

When the going gets tough (which it often does with Italian bureaucracy), it is best to approach the challenges with a smile. If you are struggling, take a breath, and reset. Remember you are not alone. I’ve walked through how to open a bank account in Italy, but if you want to laugh at my personal experience, keep reading below.

My first attempt to open a bank account goes something like this: I sit at my appointment for almost two hours while the banker fiddles around with my documents, typing away on the computer. After these two hours are up, she tells me there was an error message occurring and I need to return the following week.

The next week another banker assists me. We try to login, and she realizes the other banker accidentally submitted the “open account” request too many times, so I am locked out of their system. This is likely why the appointment the week before took so long as she tried to override it. However, the request needs to be sent to the IT team on a ticket. They explain I need to return a week later.

I figure I’ll try another bank in the meantime. I show up mid-July only to have the banker explain it is impossible to open an account with their branch until September. Everyone is simply busy or on holiday.  

Eventually I return to the original bank and have a great experience with another banker. Alas, I have a bank account in Italy!

I know it is tedious work, but congrats on successfully opening a bank account in Italy! You may be interested in some of my other How-To Guides that help newcomers navigate Italian bureaucracy:

• How to Apply for Your Permesso di Soggiorno (Residence Permit) in Italy
• How to Receive Your Codice Fiscale (Tax Code) in Italy
• How to Apply for Residency in Italy

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