Before you start

Codice fiscale
Passport or ID, plus permesso di soggiorno or its receipt for non-EU nationals
Proof of address — a registered lease is cleanest
Proof of income for the better-priced account tiers

Step-by-step

1
Open a digital account for the IBAN in week one
Rent, salary and utilities all want an Italian IBAN. Digital banks accept a codice fiscale and video identification and issue one within days, faster than most branch appointments.
Mobile appWho: YouWeek 1
2
Insist on being paid by transfer, not in cash
Italian law requires salaries to be paid by traceable means rather than cash. A bank record of regular salary is the evidence you will need at a permit renewal, for a family reunification, or for any credit application.
Via employerWho: You
3
Pay rent by transfer with a clear reference
A standing order referencing the registered contract creates a record of both payment and address. It is the evidence that decides a deposit dispute, and it costs nothing to set up.
OnlineWho: You
4
Get reclassified as resident once the comune registers you
Accounts opened before residence registration are often non-resident accounts with higher charges and product restrictions. Banks do not revisit the classification on their own.
In personWho: You
5
Set up SPID or the CIE identity
SPID is the login to the Italian state — the tax portal, INPS, the Puglia health booking system, the comune's services and the public payment app. The CIE electronic identity card does the same job.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 2–4
6
Compare providers if you send money outside the euro
Transfers to Albania, Serbia or the UK are priced very differently by high-street banks and by specialist providers, and the spread on the exchange rate usually costs more than the stated fee. Compare both parts, not just the fee.
Mobile appWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Codice fiscale
Passport or national ID
Permesso di soggiorno or postal receipt
Registered lease or certificate of residence
Employment contract or recent payslips

Things most newcomers don’t know

Paying salary in cash is unlawful in Italy, and the record matters more to you than to your employer.

Employers must pay wages by traceable means rather than in cash, and the rule exists precisely to make undeclared work harder. For a non-EU worker the bank record is also the evidence of lawful income at a permit renewal, and for anyone the absence of a payslip history closes off mortgages, family reunification and most tenancy applications. Accepting cash is a favour to the employer that costs you documentation you will need.

Source: Ministry of Labour

Non-euro transfers are where the money quietly goes, and the fee is not the expensive part.

Bari has long-standing Albanian, Serbian and Greek communities and a great deal of cross-Adriatic family and small-business traffic. Banks quote a transfer fee and then apply a margin to the exchange rate that is frequently several times larger; specialist providers publish the mid-market rate and charge separately. If you move money outside the eurozone regularly, comparing the all-in cost of one €1,000 transfer across three providers is an hour that pays for itself many times over.

Source: community-reported

Italy caps cash payments between private parties, and both sides are penalised.

Cash transfers above a statutory ceiling between individuals are prohibited outright, with penalties for the payer as well as the recipient, and the ceiling has moved several times in recent years. It catches deposits, used-car purchases and builders' invoices, and being the foreigner in the transaction is not a defence. Check the limit in force before any large payment.

Source: Ministry of Economy and Finance

The non-resident account classification is invisible and expensive.

Banks open a conto non residenti for people who arrive before their address is registered, then leave it in place. It carries higher maintenance charges, restricts some products, and there is no automatic review. Once the comune confirms residence, ask the branch explicitly for the switch.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Accepting salary in cash and having no income history when you need one.
Comparing international transfer providers on the stated fee rather than the all-in cost.
Paying rent in cash and being unable to prove you live at the address.
Staying on a non-resident account after registering residence.
Postponing SPID and queueing at counters for a year.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.