The short answer (read this first)
Yes, you can buy a house in Italy without ever boarding a plane. Italian law allows you to be represented at every stage of a property purchase, including the final deed before the notary, by someone acting under a power of attorney (procura). In a typical remote purchase, you review and negotiate everything from the US in English, sign a power of attorney prepared for use in Italy, and your attorney signs the closing documents in Italy on your behalf. In most cases, the purchase can complete without you ever needing to travel.
The power of attorney is the hinge the whole remote purchase turns on, so this guide explains it properly: what it is, how to make one in the United States that Italy will accept, what it should and should not authorize, and how the rest of the purchase fits around it.
How a remote purchase actually works
A remote purchase follows the same legal path as any Italian property purchase; the difference is who physically signs. The usual sequence:
1. You find the property, and your attorney reviews any offer before you sign it. Under Italian practice, a written offer can already bind you once the seller accepts, so anything you are asked to sign, including the initial offer, should be reviewed and explained to you in English before you commit. None of this requires your presence.
2. You get an Italian tax code (codice fiscale). Every buyer needs one; it can be obtained through Italian consulates in the US or by your attorney in Italy on your behalf. No travel required.
3. Your attorney checks the property before you take on further commitments. Title, ownership, mortgages and liens, building compliance: the verification work that protects you happens before you go deeper into the transaction.
4. The preliminary contract (compromesso) is signed. This is the binding step in most purchases, usually accompanied by a deposit, and it can be signed by your representative under the power of attorney. Deposits under Italian law have real legal consequences attached, which is exactly why the checking happens first.
5. The deed (rogito) is signed before an Italian notary. The closing is a formal act executed before a notary (notaio). Your attorney, acting under the power of attorney, appears and signs in your place; the notary registers the transfer and the property is titled to you.
6. After the closing. Registrations, utility transfers, and the practical handover can all be handled in Italy without you. Purchase-related taxes and fees apply and depend entirely on the specific transaction; we do not give tax advice, and we coordinate that side with qualified tax professionals so the legal and tax steps move together.
The power of attorney, properly understood
A power of attorney for an Italian purchase is not the generic form you may know from US paperwork. Points that matter:
- It is a formal instrument. For acts like a property purchase, the procura must itself meet formal requirements, because the deed it enables is a formal notarial act.
- Special, not general. Good practice for a purchase is a special power of attorney (procura speciale): it authorizes specific acts for a specific transaction, typically identifying the property and the scope (sign the preliminary contract, sign the deed, pay the price, make the declarations the notary requires). A broad general power is rarely appropriate for this, and a narrow one protects you.
- It can be revoked. A power of attorney is an instrument of convenience, not a surrender of control: you can revoke it, and it authorizes only what it says.
- Who should hold it. The person signing for you should be someone whose duty runs to you. Many buyers grant it to their own attorney; granting it to someone on the seller’s side of the transaction defeats the point of having independent representation.
Making a US-signed power of attorney valid in Italy
This is where remote purchases stall when they are done casually, and where careful preparation up front can avoid significant delays. From the United States there are two standard routes:
- Sign at an Italian consulate in the US, if eligible. Consular notarial services are in general reserved for Italian citizens; eligible signers can have a power of attorney received directly in Italian legal form, with availability varying by consulate. US-only citizens normally use the notary-plus-apostille route below.
- Sign before a US notary, then apostille. A power of attorney signed before a US notary public needs an apostille (the international certification US states issue) for use in Italy, and the document needs to work in Italian: in practice this means an Italian text or a sworn translation. We prepare the instrument bilingually so nothing is lost between what you signed and what the notary in Italy reads.
Either way, the practical rule is the same: the power of attorney should be drafted by the lawyer who will use it, so that its wording matches exactly what the Italian notary will require at the deed. A form downloaded from the internet and notarized at a bank often turns out not to meet the notary’s requirements, which is why this document is worth preparing carefully with counsel.
Who is protecting you at the closing
A point that surprises American buyers: the Italian notary is a public officer whose role is the legality of the deed, and the notary does not represent you the way your own lawyer does. The real estate agent, where there is one, is typically compensated by the transaction going through. In a purchase where you are an ocean away, the person whose only job is your interest is your own attorney: checking the property before you commit, holding a power of attorney that answers to you, and signing only once the checks are complete.
That is the honest case for doing a remote purchase with independent counsel, and it is exactly the structure the power of attorney makes possible.
Frequently asked questions
Can I really buy property in Italy without going there? Yes. Every stage, from the offer to the notarial deed, can be executed by a representative acting under a properly prepared power of attorney. Many of our clients first see their Italian property in person after it is already theirs.
Is a US power of attorney valid in Italy? Not automatically. A power of attorney signed in the US needs the correct form, an apostille, and an Italian text or sworn translation to be usable before an Italian notary. Prepared correctly, it works; prepared casually, it gets rejected at the worst possible moment.
Do I need to speak Italian to buy property in Italy? No. Your attorney works with you in English and the documents can be explained before you sign anything. At a deed signed in person, Italian law has specific rules about language and translation for a buyer who does not understand Italian; a remote closing through a bilingual attorney sidesteps that problem entirely.
Can a relative in Italy sign for me instead? Legally a power of attorney can be granted to a person you trust. Whether it is wise is another matter: the holder signs binding acts in your name, and a relative without legal training cannot evaluate what they are signing. If a family member is involved, a common structure is family for the practical matters, attorney for the legal acts.
What is a codice fiscale and do I need one? It is the Italian tax code, and yes: you need one to buy property. It is a routine formality that can be arranged from the US through a consulate or directly by your attorney.
What should the power of attorney authorize? As little as the transaction needs: typically signing the preliminary contract and the deed for the identified property, handling payments for it, and making the declarations the closing requires. A well-drafted procura reads like a checklist of one purchase, not a blank check.
Buying from the US? Start with careful preparation
A remote Italian purchase is a well-worn path, not an improvisation, but every step of it depends on documents being prepared in the right form: the tax code, the checks before you commit, and above all the power of attorney.
At Coco Ruggeri & Associates, we are a US-registered Italian cross-border law firm led by an Italian lawyer registered with the Colorado Supreme Court as foreign legal counsel. We verify the property before you commit, draft the power of attorney so it works both where you sign it and where it is used, represent you at the closing in Italy, and keep the whole file in English from your side of the ocean.
To discuss your situation, send us a message through the contact form on our website. If you prefer, you can also call us at 1-303-740-2000.
This article offers general information and is not legal advice. Every purchase is different: the requirements for powers of attorney, contracts, and property transfers depend on the specific transaction and documents. We evaluate each case individually before anything is signed or any funds are transferred.
Last updated: October 2026.