Bank account opening

At some point, paying rent in cash starts feeling less like a workaround and more like a problem, and that's usually the week you go bank-hunting. Opening an Italian conto corrente isn't legally required the way the residence permit or codice fiscale are, but most landlords and utility providers quietly expect an Italian IBAN, and juggling international transfers for tuition installments gets old fast.

The one hard prerequisite every bank asks for is your codice fiscale — get that first, and the rest follows. Traditional Italian banks will also typically want proof of enrollment and an address document, which for someone brand new to Ancona can mean waiting on the residence registration to clear first. Here's the detail that trips people up least expected: the permesso di soggiorno application receipt (not the card itself) is legally sufficient for opening a basic account — every legal resident is entitled to a "conto di base" — as long as the receipt is valid and carries your name, date of birth, and photo. In practice, though, not every branch honors this consistently, so it's worth asking explicitly before you commit to a bank rather than assuming.

Among traditional banks, student-oriented accounts like Intesa Sanpaolo's XME Conto (free under 35) or UniCredit's My Genius tend to be the friendliest entry points, and Poste Italiane's BancoPosta is a reasonable fallback if a bank branch is dragging its feet during the waiting period. This is also exactly where the fintech options students across Italy have gravitated toward — Revolut, N26, Wise, Hype — earn their reputation: several will open an Italian IBAN in minutes from your phone using nothing but the permesso receipt, no separate address certificate required.

Opening an account itself is free almost everywhere; what isn't always free is keeping it open, so check a bank's card and maintenance fees before committing rather than after. Traditional banks generally mean a short branch appointment with the account and IBAN active within a week; the digital-first options can be same-day or next-day.