3453 buying a car

All the info we have received via this forum, and the books we have read, and indeed from our bank manager , has been that you can't buy a car without a Permesso di Soggiorno. However this appears to be incorrect, as we have bought one this week, quite legitimately, without this vital document. All we had to do was sign a document stating that we would still be living here in 6 months time and, I think, that we had applied for the PdS . Once the new liberetto ( ?) was made out in my name I was then able to get insurance ( via the bank ) without any problem . The car was bought from a perfectly respectable car sales place, nothing dodgy. The sales person assured me there was a law that permitted it to be done in this way . I wish I had known this 2 months ago as it would have saved me a small fortune in car hire fees ! Hopefully others will benefit from this info though.

Category
General chat about Italy

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 04/29/2006 - 09:38

I have posted about this a number of times, most recently:
"All you need is a permesso di soggiorno and to make a declaration that you have a domocile here in Italy - the domicile is the address at which you will register the vehicle. If you don't/won't have a domicile you can nominate a third party perhaps an "AGENZIA DI PRATICHE AUTO" at any rate they could help you through the process if they are well informed.

The relevant legislation is DPR445 28/12/2000.

It is not always easy to convince the people at ACI but with perseverance you should prevail."

I was not aware that there is no requirement for the PdS but I imagine the whole process is easier when buying a new car because there is a salesman who will work to push it through.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 04/29/2006 - 11:18

If you own a property in Italy, and sign a form which says you will spend 6 months of the year here (though nobody would check this), then yes - you can (as you clearly have done) buy a car.
Just a point about the car's paperwork, in case you don't know. There are two parts to this, the first one is a folded up sheet with the vehicle information and reg number, plus your details on it. (You may already have this proper document, or you may be driving on a flimsy A4 copy which entitles you to use the car while the "proper" document is printed up.) This document must be kept in the car at all times.
The second part of the documentation is the PRA certificate, which (unless it has changed in the last six months or so!) is A4 with a laser stamp on it, and is the legal proof that the car is your property. If you haven't yet got one of these, it will almost certainly be posted to the garage where you bought the car, when it has been printed. This document you keep in a safe place in the house.
Safe driving!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 04/29/2006 - 12:00

The two documents are:
1) Certificato di Proprieta' (aka Atto di Vendita) this is produced by ACI (Automobile Club D'Italia) and is registered at the PRA (Pubblico Registro Automobilistico. Most large towns will have an ACI office.
This document is issued anew each timethe car is sold.
and
2) Libretto di circolazione which eminates from Direzione Generale della Motorizzazione Civile for new cars. This is the document that must be kept in the car at all times. Each time the car is sold ACI will pass details of the new owners to DGMC who should provide a sticker to be attached to the LC showing the new details. However, in my experience this can take a very long time to arrive but ACI will provide you with a covering note.