CODICE FISCALE FOR FOREIGNERS
The "Codice Fiscale" (Tax Code) is a personal identification number required to carry out any kind of administrative or economic activity in Italy, such as signing a rental contract, paying taxes, opening a bank account, or purchasing products (such as alcohol or cigarettes) from vending machines.
How can you obtain it?
1) Request through the Italian Consulate in your home country
You can apply for the tax code before your departure at the Italian embassy or consulate in your country.
This option may be useful if you prefer to already have the tax code upon arrival in Italy. However, the processing time can be quite long, up to two months.
2) Request in Italy at the Revenue Agency
You can apply for the tax code directly in Italy at Agenzia delle Entrate (Revenue Agency), by booking an appointment in advance. In Bari it's located at Via Amendola, 201. We recommend booking your appointment at least two weeks before your arrival, through the official website:
https://www.agenziaentrate.gov.it/portale/web/english/nse/individuals/tax-identification-number-for-foreign-citizens
During the appointment, you will be asked to fill out a form with your personal information, provide an ID document and indicate an address in Italy. At the end, you will receive a paper document with your tax code, which has legal validity and can be used immediately to sign contracts. Within approximately 10 days, the physical card will be delivered to your Italian address.
3) Temporary option (not official)
If you need the tax code only to fill in a temporary document, while waiting for the official one, you can generate a reference tax code using an online generator. However, this code has no legal validity, as it is not registered with the Agenzia delle Entrate. It can only be used as a temporary reference. You can generate it here: https://quifinanza.it/strumenti/codice-fiscale