Italian Codice Fiscale

The Codice Fiscale is the Unique Tax Identification Number (TIN) for natural and non natural persons issued by the Italian tax authorities.

The Italian Codice Fiscale is made of 16 characters (letters and numbers) and it identifies in a unique way each taxpayer in Italy, and it includes relevant personal information such as:

  • 3 letters for the last name
  • 3 letters for the first name
  • 2 digits for the Year of birth
  • 1 letter for the Month of birth
  • 2 digits for the Day of birth
  • 1 letter and 3 digits for the Place of birth
  • A final letter used as a control character
The last letter is a control character used to validate the whole codice fiscale.
If you have all the above information, you can quickly check if the Codice Fiscale exists, and if it associated to a certain person.
 
Note that the Codice Fiscale does not imply that you are a tax resident of Italy, in fact, in order to pay taxes to Italy and have any obligation to file a tax return, you must be a tax resident of Italy and also have taxable income sources. 
You are therefore not linked to a tax obligation upon requesting your Codice Fiscale.

Calculate your Codice Fiscale

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Why do I need a Codice Fiscale?

Residents and non residents of Italy need a codice fiscale for multiple purposes, not only to pay tax! The most common cases, among others are:

  • Setup utilities;
  • Setup a bank account;
  • Apply for a mortgage;
  • Buy a house in Italy;
  • Setup a business;
  • Inherit Italian property;
  • Obtain  a mobile number.
If you intend to relocate to Italy, it is imperative that you obtain your Codice Fiscale prior your transfer
Codice Fiscale

How do I obtain the Codice Fiscale?

Individuals born in Italy are assigned a Codice Fiscale at birth automatically, while other individuals should request it at any local Italian tax office or, if they are living overseas, at the local Italian consulate.

Applying for the Codice Fiscale is free at the local Italian consulate or at the Italian tax office, and you need to fill a format providing the following personal information:

  • Full name;
  • Date of birth;
  • Place of birth;
  • Current residency address.
You are required to attach also a valid ID (National ID card or passport are sufficient).

If you cannot apply for the Codice Fiscale, you can provide a proxy in the same form to any individual to apply on your behalf.

Some Italian tax offices require also to provide the motivation of the Codice Fiscale request, which may be various such as: future employment, real estate purchase, company setup and so on.

The application process might happen in person, alternatively application scan send through email might also be acceptable depending on the local office. Upon providing the relevant information to the tax office (or consulate), the office will issue the original certificate of your Codice Fiscale.

Note that the Codice Fiscale is embedded in your Tessera Sanitaria, which is then to. be used as your ID, and personal Codice Fiscale confirmation item.

Codice Fiscale application common mistakes

The paper application is fairly easy and you don’t need particular skills to do so, other than copying your personal details on a form. However, there are certain items to be aware of.

Firstly, your Full name should appear as shown in the attached ID, and despite this seems obvious, people may change their name during life, especially spouses who adopt their spouse last name upon marriage. We advise to be consistent with your application as the Codice Fiscale must match the full name, and if you change last name you then need to obtain a new Codice Fiscale.

Secondly, your country of birth must be stated as it was on your date of birth. This is the case of various countries which have changed or split during the last decades.

Some examples include the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, South Sudan, East Timor, Kosovo among others.

Finally, if you are applying from overseas you should always disclose your foreign address on the form, this is to avoid any confusion regarding your tax residency.

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