Registering an imported car in Italy: immatricolazione step by step
Updated 2026-08-03 · 7 min read
Registering an imported car in Italy means clearing the vehicle with the Motorizzazione Civile, paying the applicable taxes and entering it in the PRA vehicle register. The Certificate of Conformity, known in Italy as the certificato di conformità, is the document that proves EU type approval and keeps you out of a national single-vehicle approval.
Which documents does the Motorizzazione want?
Italy runs the process through the Sportello Telematico dell'Automobilista, so a practice agency or the Motorizzazione desk files everything at once. Your job is to hand over a complete file.
Germany is the most common source market, which means most files include a Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil II, the vehicle title that must be surrendered to the German authority record.
- Certificato di conformità (COC) matching the VIN
- Original foreign registration documents, including the German Teil II where applicable
- Purchase invoice or a signed sales contract
- Italian codice fiscale and proof of residence
- Form TT2119 and proof of payment of the fees and IPT
How does the immatricolazione work?
The file goes to the Motorizzazione, which checks the COC data against the vehicle and issues the Italian carta di circolazione. Where the technical data are complete and type approval is proven, no physical revisione is normally required at this stage.
In parallel the vehicle is entered in the Pubblico Registro Automobilistico, which records ownership, and the provincial IPT transfer tax is paid. The amount depends on engine power and on the province.
VAT treatment depends on whether the car counts as new under EU rules. A vehicle under six months old or with under 6,000 km is taxed in Italy even if you bought it abroad; an older, higher-mileage car bought from a private seller normally is not.
What happens without a certificato di conformità?
Without a COC the vehicle has to go through an individual approval at the Motorizzazione, with technical checks against Italian requirements. That takes longer, costs more and can fail on details a COC would have settled on paper.
It is also the most common reason an otherwise straightforward German import stalls: the seller hands over the registration papers but never the COC, which many owners never received in the first place.
Coceu sources the original certificato di conformità from the manufacturer's official channel by VIN and delivers it digitally and on paper, so the file can be submitted without a gap.
Key takeaways
- Italian registration runs through the Motorizzazione plus entry in the PRA register.
- The certificato di conformità proves EU type approval and avoids an individual approval.
- IPT transfer tax depends on engine power and province; VAT depends on whether the car counts as new.
- German imports usually require surrendering the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil II.
Frequently asked questions
Can I drive a German-plated car in Italy while registering it?
Only within the limits of the foreign registration and insurance. Once you are resident in Italy the vehicle must be registered there, so start the process immediately.
How much does immatricolazione cost?
Fees, stamp duty and IPT together usually run from a few hundred euros upward, driven mainly by engine power and your province. The COC is a separate, one-off cost.
Is the German COC valid in Italy?
Yes. A COC is a harmonised EU document, so a certificate issued by the manufacturer for a German-market car is read and accepted by the Motorizzazione.
What if the car was never sold in Italy?
That is normal for imports and not a problem, provided the model holds EU whole-vehicle type approval. The COC is what demonstrates it.