As of September 1st 2024, owners renting out their Italian properties for periods of 30 days or less (these are known as affitti brevi turistici, or short-term tourist lets) are required to hold a national identification code (Codice Identificativo Nazionale, or CIN).
The new requirement was approved by parliament last December under national plans to tackle tax evasion and curb tourist rentals amid a shortage of affordable housing in major Italian cities.
READ ALSO: How new rules will affect holiday rentals in Italy from September 2024
The national code must be displayed on the property’s front door or doorbell so as to be clearly visible from outside, and must figure on the accommodation’s website, as well as on any online or social media listing, including on platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.
According to Italy’s Tourism Ministry, owners flouting the new rules will face fines of up to €8,000.
However, sanctions are only scheduled to kick in two months after the introduction of the requirement (i.e. from November 1st), thus giving owners plenty of time to request the code.
But how can you actually do so?
Italy’s Tourism Ministry has released official guidelines for homeowners (these are only available in Italian), which we’ve summarised below.
Log in to the Tourism Ministry’s online database
The first step to submit a national identification code request is to log in to the Tourism Ministry’s new reception structures database (Banca Dati delle Strutture Ricettive, or BDSR) by clicking on Ottieni CIN (‘get CIN’).
You’ll need SPID or Italy’s electronic ID card credentials to access the platform.
Should you not have a SPID account or an electronic ID card, you’ll have to set up an online profile via the following link and access the platform using the credentials provided by the ministry.
Please note: you’ll need to include your Italian tax code in the profile registration form.
Select the relevant property
After logging in, any property associated with your Italian tax code should be automatically displayed on the homepage, including details such as the property’s region, province, municipality (comune) and street address.
Should your property not appear on your homepage, you can run a search using its regional identification code (CIR).
If the property’s not listed in the database altogether, you’ll have to complete and submit a missing structure report (segnalazione di struttura mancante).
You’ll be required to provide a number of details regarding your property, including cadastral data (dati catastali), as well as information about yourself.
Once completed, the report will be sent to regional authorities, which will then proceed to verify the information and, if all details are correct, add the property to the database.
Complete your property’s information sheet
Once your property is available on the Tourism Ministry’s platform, you’ll have to click on dettaglio scheda (‘detail sheet’) in the right bottom corner and make sure that all the information about you and your property is correct.
If any of the details displayed in this section is incorrect, you’ll have to submit a report under segnala data errati (‘report wrong data’).
All of the boxes marked by an asterisk are mandatory.
If some mandatory boxes are empty, you’ll have to manually insert the relevant information yourself.
Remember: you can retrieve all of your property’s cadastral details on Italy’s tax office’s website under the Visura Catastale (Cadastral Review) section.
Complete the self-certification form on safety measures
After filling in all of the above details, the last step is to complete a self-certification (autocertificazione) stating that the property abides by the health and safety measures outlined in decree 145/2023.
These include the presence of carbon monoxide detectors and portable fire extinguishers.
Submit your request
After consenting to the treatment of your personal data under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you’ll be able to submit the code request.
You should receive an email confirming that your property’s national identification code has been created within minutes from submitting the request.
READ ALSO: What insurance is available for owners of holiday lets in Italy?
After receiving the email, you’ll find your national code in the ‘detail sheet’ of your property on the Tourism Ministry’s online platform.
You’ll also be able to download the entire sheet as a PDF document for future reference.
Additional info and support
Should you have any issues during the application process, you can get in touch with the Tourism Ministry’s support desk by filling out and submitting this online form.
Alternatively, you can call 061 70179245 from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Have you successfully applied for a national identification code for your property? Share your advice in the comments section below.
Is there a way for a visitor to check a property’s CIN online so as to be sure it is legally registered?
Hi! Thanks for the message. The Tourism Ministry’s website gives the option of pasting a property’s CIN here https://bdsr.ministeroturismo.gov.it/ricerca-cin to see if that is in fact a legal property code.
All the best,
Giampietro