General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules differ by municipality and region and change over time; have your own situation checked by the notaio or an adviser in Italy (and in the country where you live).
An Italian sale is signed in front of a notary, the notaio, and the notaio will not sign until the paperwork is complete and consistent. Most delays come from documents that are missing, or from a home that no longer matches its papers: a veranda that was closed in, a wall that was moved, an extension that never reached the cadastre. If you collect the documents below before you advertise, you will know early whether anything needs fixing. That matters even more if you live outside Italy and cannot drop by the town hall or the notaio's office.
The Consiglio Nazionale del Notariato publishes a checklist of the documents a seller usually needs. It says itself that the list is not exhaustive, so always ask your notaio what applies to your case.
1. Your title: the atto di provenienza
The atto di provenienza is the deed by which you became the owner: usually the notarial purchase deed (rogito), or a deed of gift. The notaio uses it to check that you are the owner, how the property is described and what rights and burdens come with it. Keep it at hand for your tax position too, because it shows when and for how much you acquired the home.
If you inherited the property, the Notariato checklist asks for the documents of the succession instead: the tax declaration of succession (dichiarazione di successione), any will, the acceptance of the inheritance and, where relevant, the European Certificate of Succession. Arrange these before you look for a buyer. Our guide on selling an inherited house abroad explains the order of steps.
2. Visura catastale and planimetria
Every building in Italy is registered in the cadastre (catasto), which is run by the Agenzia delle Entrate. The visura catastale is the extract with the cadastral data of your unit: its identifiers, category and the registered owners. The planimetria catastale is the floor plan filed in the cadastre. The Notariato checklist asks the seller for the plans registered at the cadastre and other cadastral documentation.
As an owner you can consult the visura, the floor plan and the mortgage records of your own property online and free of charge, through the personal consultation service of the Agenzia delle Entrate. You log in with SPID, the electronic identity card (CIE) or the national services card (CNS). Access to floor plans is reserved for people who hold rights on the property and those they authorise. If you have none of these digital identities, a local technician (geometra) or the notaio can obtain the documents for you.
3. Cadastral conformity: do the papers match the home?
This is the point that catches many sellers out. In the deed, the owners must declare that the cadastral data and the floor plan match the actual state of the property, or a qualified technician must certify it instead. The rule is in article 29, paragraph 1-bis of Law 52/1985, and the Notariato explains that a deed without this declaration is void. Since 2017 such a deed can be confirmed afterwards in certain cases, but you do not want to rely on that.
So compare the planimetria with reality, room by room. If something differs, a technician can file an updated plan with the cadastre before the sale. Start early: it takes time, and a buyer's own technician will spot differences quickly.
4. Planning conformity and habitability
Cadastral conformity is not the same as planning conformity. The cadastre records what is there; the building file at the municipality (comune) records what was authorised. The Notariato lists the checks the notaio makes before the deed, including that the property's urban planning and cadastral status is in order. The seller's part of the checklist asks for the building permits and other procedures concerning the building, and for the habitability certificate (agibilità) or proof that it was requested.
In practice: ask a technician to compare the building file at the comune with the current state of the home. Work carried out without the right authorisation can block or delay a sale, and putting it right can take months. For land, or where the area belonging to the property is larger than 5,000 m², the checklist also mentions an urban planning certificate.
5. The energy performance certificate (APE)
The Attestato di Prestazione Energetica (APE) shows the energy performance of the building on a scale from A4 to G. According to ENEA, the Italian energy agency, it is required when an existing property is sold or newly rented, and in property advertisements. That means you need it before you put your home online, not only before the deed. The APE is issued by a qualified, independent expert after an inspection.
The Notariato adds that the notaio must check the energy certification, and that for buildings with heating equipment the certificate is mandatory and often has to be attached to the deed.
6. Codice fiscale and identity
The Notariato checklist asks the seller for an identity document and the Italian tax code (codice fiscale). If you bought the home, you almost certainly have one already. If you inherited it and have none, residents abroad can request one from the Italian embassy or consulate in their country of residence; the Agenzia delle Entrate also issues it at its offices. The Agenzia warns that the only valid code is the one it issues, not one generated by an online calculator. For non-EU citizens, the checklist also mentions a residence permit and entry visa.
7. Civil status
The notaio needs to know who must sign. The checklist asks for an extract of your marriage certificate or a certificate of civil status (stato libero) or registered partnership, and a copy of any marriage or partnership agreement. Depending on your property regime, your spouse or partner may also have to sign.
8. Mortgage, condominium and earlier payments
- Mortgage: if a mortgage is still registered, the checklist asks for proof of the final repayment and of the cancellation, or a letter from the bank or notaio handling it. A paid-off loan can still leave a mortgage on the register, so check this early.
- Condominium: for an apartment or a home in a complex with shared parts, bring the condominium regulations and a statement from the administrator (amministratore) that all service charges are paid, with any extraordinary expenses or pending disputes.
- Payments already received: copies of the means of payment of any deposit, and the preliminary contract once it is signed.
A practical order
- Find your atto di provenienza (or the succession documents).
- Download the visura and planimetria and compare them with the home.
- Have a technician check cadastral and planning conformity, and fix differences.
- Order the APE — before you advertise.
- Check your codice fiscale, identity documents and civil status papers.
- Ask the bank and the condominium administrator for their statements.
- Read our guides on the sale process from compromesso to rogito and on tax for non-resident sellers.
Keep everything in one folder, scanned as well. When the notaio or a buyer asks, you can answer the same day, and that shows the home is in order.
Prefer to get started yourself? Create a free account, prepare your home with photos and keep everything in one place. Create a free account
