Can Canadians buy property in Italy? Check first. Canada's own ban may be in the way.
// Short answer
Possibly not a home, for now, and that is a question to settle before you pay anything. Italy has no ban on foreign owners, but a Canadian buyer has to meet a reciprocity condition, and a 2025 Italian notarial guide says Canada's ban on non-Canadians buying homes has temporarily affected it for residential property. The fix is a written check by the notary before the deposit.
Rules and rates as of October 2026. IMU is set by each comune, income tax articles are renumbered from 1 January 2027, and US state rules on foreign ownership change by statute. Nothing here is tax advice for your own situation. Every figure links to its source.
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Can Canadians buy property in Italy?
It depends on reciprocity, and for a home that is currently in question. A buyer from outside the EU may buy in Italy only to the extent an Italian could do the same in the buyer's country. A 2025 Italian notarial practice guide says Canada's 2023 ban on non-Canadians buying residential property has temporarily changed that position for Canadians.
The rule is Article 16 of the preliminary provisions to the Civil Code. The notary who draws up the deed checks it, and the Italian notaries' own study of the rule records the dominant view that a purchase made without reciprocity is void. That is why this is not a box to tick at the table.
The 2025 guide, from an Italian notarial practice, puts it in one line. In the original: "divieto biennale per non canadesi su residenziale, modificando temporaneamente la reciprocità". In English: a two-year ban on non-Canadians buying residential property, temporarily changing reciprocity. The same guide says commercial property, such as shops and offices, generally keeps verified reciprocity.
The official country list is published by Italy's Foreign Ministry, and its data is what notaries rely on. This page does not claim to have read the Canada entry. Your notary can.
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Why does Canada's own law matter to an Italian purchase?
Because reciprocity mirrors what an Italian could do in Canada. Canada's Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act prohibits a non-Canadian from buying residential property, with exceptions. It is in force, and the Government of Canada announced in February 2024 that the ban would run to 1 January 2027.
An Italian citizen is a non-Canadian under that Act, so while it runs, an Italian generally cannot buy a home in Canada. Reciprocity looks at exactly that. When the ban ends, the position for Canadians buying in Italy may change back, and it is worth asking again.
The Act lists exceptions, for example for some temporary residents and for a non-Canadian buying with a Canadian spouse. Those exceptions are about buying in Canada. They do not decide what an Italian notary will accept.
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What should a Canadian do before paying a deposit in Italy?
Ask the notary, in writing and before you sign the preliminary contract or pay any deposit, to confirm that reciprocity holds for a Canadian buying this property. If you hold an Italian residence permit for work, family or study, say so first: holders are outside the check.
The preliminary contract, the compromesso, usually comes with a deposit and must be registered within 30 days. That is the point where money moves, so that is the point where the reciprocity answer has to be in hand, not at the final deed.
Two practical routes if the answer for a home is no. A Canadian living in Italy on a qualifying permit is exempt from the check. And the same 2025 guide treats commercial property differently from homes. Neither is a workaround to improvise: put the question to the notary before you commit.
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If the check clears, what does the purchase involve?
An Italian tax code, the codice fiscale, available through an Italian consulate, a notary for the deed, and on a resale home from a private seller 9% registration tax, minimum EUR 1,000, plus EUR 50 and EUR 50. Yearly, IMU on a second home runs from a base of 0.86%, up to 1.06% depending on the comune.
Owning the home gives no right to stay: Canadians are limited to 90 days in any 180 in the Schengen area without a visa, and Italy has no property golden visa. Every cost line: Italy property buying costs. The full process: buying property in Italy as a foreigner.
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Does the CRA need to know about an Italian property?
It depends how you use it. A holiday home you use mainly yourself is personal-use property and is not reported on Form T1135. A home you rent out with a reasonable expectation of profit is specified foreign property and is reported on it, once the total cost of your specified foreign property passes C$100,000.
The test the CRA applies is use: personal-use property means more than 50% used by you or a related person for personal enjoyment. Rent from the property is also taxed in Italy: Italy property tax for foreigners.
// Buying in Italy?
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See the $499 report, page by pageFrequently Asked Questions
Can a Canadian buy a house in Italy?
What if I live in Italy already?
When does Canada's foreign buyer ban end?
Can Canadians buy commercial property in Italy?
Header photo: Francesco Ungaro, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. All credits: image credits.