3,147
Buying in Italy
The complete guide to buying property in Italy, with free updates for 2 years.
The government has just passed a directive which says that if you are trying to get hold of a birth certificate for someone who was born more than 100 years ago, it will now cost you 300 euros. So if you are thinking about asking for citizenship and your grandmother was born in 1926 it might be an idea to get her birth certificate sooner rather than later.
Still to be approved, the 2026 budget has a couple of measures which could affect you. Firstly, the cedolare secca (tax payable) on a rental will rise to 26% even on the first property owned. Secondly, the super rich flat tax will go up to a forfeit payment of 300.000 euros per year instead of the current 200.000, with further raises for spouses and dependants.
In early January the high court is going to have an opinion on the changes in the Ius Sanguinis rules which Matteo Salvini brought in at the beginning of the year. It's an open question as to what the outcome might be, but it may open the possibility for citizenship even for people whose ancestors gave up their Italian citizenship when they emigrated. We'll know more by mid January 2026.
The Court of Appeal decided yesterday that it is still ok for home owners who rent their property to have remote client check in - ie .keyboxes. This overturns Salvini's decree from last November. However, it remains to be seen if he will remodulate the law.
A lovely recommendation in The Times from writer Ros Belford, now a happy Sicilian resident.