What does it cost to import a car to Italy from Germany?

Full 2026 guide to importing a used car to Italy from Germany: exact documents, taxes and fees, step-by-step, and the traps that cost buyers thousands.

What paperwork do I need to import a car to Italy?

German registration parts (both); Invoice/contract; Certificate of Conformity (COC); Valid revisione if the car is > 4 years

Importing a car to Italy from Germany

Italy has no CO₂ registration tax — only a modest provincial IPT — so a German import is one of the cheaper ones in Europe. Here's the cost and the paperwork.

Paperwork difficulty: Moderate

Documents you need

German registration parts (both)
Invoice/contract
Certificate of Conformity (COC)
Valid revisione if the car is > 4 years

What it costs

IPT (provincial transcription tax)

~€300–410 (about €3.51/kW, province may add up to +30%); no CO₂ tax

PRA / Motorizzazione emoluments + stamps

~€150–350

Nationalisation (nazionalizzazione)

customs/DT step to enter the car onto Italian registers

Transport

~€400–600 DE→IT

Step by step

Buy the car and bring it home on export plates
Do the nazionalizzazione at the Motorizzazione
Pass a revisione if needed
Register with PRA and get Italian plates
Take out RCA insurance

Top traps to avoid

⚠ Trap Very high-power cars (>185 kW) later pay the annual superbollo (unrelated to import).

⚠ Trap Total cost varies by province — check yours.

⚠ Trap Missing COC → costly individual approval.

The VAT rule that costs thousands

Across every corridor, one EU rule costs buyers thousands: a vehicle that is less than 6 months old OR has under 6,000 km counts as 'new' and VAT is due in your destination country at your rate — whatever the price, even from a private seller. And a 'VAT-qualifying' (ex-lease/company) car should be bought net by a VAT-registered business, not at the gross price. When in doubt, get the VAT treatment in writing before you pay.

Before you import

Figures are indicative for 2026 from official sources; regional and annually-indexed amounts change — verify before you commit. This is general information, not tax or legal advice.

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