10621 Buying a Car in Italy

Hi,
I have been doing further research into the "residency" issue if you want to buy a car in Italy and have found the following letter on the web from an MEP (well he was in 2005) Giles Chester.
[B][FONT=TimesNewRoman,Bold][LEFT]Buying a car in Italy[/LEFT]
[/B][/FONT][FONT=TimesNewRoman][LEFT]September 2005
Thank you for your letter with regard to purchasing a vehicle in Italy.
As a European Union (EU) citizen you have the right to purchase goods and services for your personal and family use in any EU Member State, including Italy. There are EU rules about where you have to pay vehicle taxes, but essentially you do have the right to buy a car in Italy if you so desire. You can also import your own car into Italy.However, the Italian authorities can also impose national rules for the purchase of vehicles. [B]The Transport officer at the UK Consulate in Rome has explained that for Italy, the rule is that you must present a residence permit and request a fiscal code from your local town hall. [U]You do not necessarily need to be a full-time resident in Italy, but you are required to have proof of an address in the country. [/U][/B]May I suggest you visit the town hall of the community where you own your Italian home for further information and to request the appropriate fiscal code and other taxation requirements.Should the local authorities insist that you cannot buy a vehicle in Italy, you might want to contact the European Commission's Citizens Signpost Service, which offers guidance and practical advice to citizens on specific problems they encounter in the EU. They should be able to direct you to the appropriate body that can deal with your
problem and they can offer advice on how to assert your rights and/or obtain redress.You must submit your query via an internet application at:[/LEFT]
[/FONT][FONT=TimesNewRoman][COLOR=#0000ff][LEFT][url=http://europa.eu.int/citizensrights/signpost/front_end/index_en.htm]European Commission - Your Europe - Citizens Signpost Service[/url][/LEFT]
[/COLOR][/FONT][FONT=TimesNewRoman][LEFT]The rules governing motor vehicle taxation make a distinction between new and used cars. ‘New’ cars (i.e. vehicles of under six months old or with less than 6 000 km on the clock) purchased in another Member State are subject to VAT in the vehicle’s country of registration, which is, as a rule, your country of residence. The seller must prepare an invoice exclusive of taxes and you must pay the VAT in your home country. On the other hand, ‘used’ cars (i.e. vehicles over six months old or with over 6 000 km on the clock) will be taxed differently, depending on whether the transaction is between private individuals or involves an intermediary. In the first case, no VAT is payable. In the second case the seller will invoice you with the VAT on his profit margin.
In the case of both new and used cars, the other taxes — such as vehicle licence or road taxes — must be paid in the vehicle’s country of registration, which is in principle your country of residence.
The Member State in which you register your car cannot require you to pay taxes other than those it imposes on the registration of new or used cars purchased in that same Member State.
For Italy, the body responsible for vehicle registration is the Direzione Generale della Motorizzazione e Sicurezza del Trasporto Terrestre (Directorate General for Driving and Road Transport Safety) :
Unità MOT3
Via Giuseppe Caraci 36, 00157 Rome
Tel. +39 6 41586293/6242; Fax +39 6 41586200/6275
I hope the above information proves useful and that you do not encounter too many
bureaucratic difficulties in your search for a car in Italy.
Yours Sincerely,[/LEFT]
Giles Chichester MEP

Hope this helps

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