Buying a House in Spain as an Italian: Steps, Taxes and Costs on the Costa del Sol in 2026

Yes: to buy a house in Spain as an Italian you need no permit and face no restriction, because as a citizen of the European Union you can purchase a home on the same terms as a Spaniard. All you need is an NIE. On the Costa del Sol, the costs of buying a resale home come to roughly 7.5–8% of the price, including Andalusian transfer tax, notary, land registry and gestoría fees.

This guide walks through the process step by step, covering the taxes and costs of buying, prices by municipality and what an owner pays afterwards. The prices come from the EVS market report for November 2026 and are asking prices, not sale prices.

Can an Italian buy a home in Spain?

You can, with no limits and no prior authorisation. The only requirement is the NIE, the foreigner's identification number. The Italian codice fiscale does not replace it: you will still be asked for it to sign the deeds, open an account or take out a mortgage in Spain.

If you are buying for holidays or to rent out, you do not have to move or register. If, however, you are going to live in Spain for more than three months, you must register as a Union citizen and obtain the registration certificate, known as the 'green NIE'. For a purchase without relocating, that step is not required.

What are the steps in the purchase?

1. Set the budget, adding the purchase costs, and choose the area.
2. Obtain the NIE and open an account with a Spanish bank.
3. Make the offer and reserve the property. Under the arras contract a deposit of around 10% of the price is usually paid; this is custom, not a legal rule. With arras penitenciales (article 1454 of the Civil Code), a buyer who withdraws loses the deposit, and a seller who withdraws returns double.
4. Commission a legal check from an independent lawyer: nota simple, charges, licences and community and IBI arrears.
5. Sign the deeds before a notary, in person or through a power of attorney (poder notarial) if you cannot travel. The document is in Spanish, so anyone who does not understand the language will need an interpreter or a representative.
6. Register the property at the Registro de la Propiedad and transfer the utility contracts into your name.

Payment is made in euros by ordinary SEPA transfer, with no currency exchange, since Italy and Spain are both in the eurozone. If you need a mortgage as a non-resident, banks usually finance around 60–70% of the value.

How does an Italian citizen get an NIE?

The application uses form EX-15 and a fee of €9.84 (modelo 790, código 012, according to the Police electronic office on 15 November 2026). There are three routes to an NIE for Italian citizens:

• In person in Spain, at the Policía Nacional, by appointment.
• Before travelling, at the Spanish consulate for your area; in Italy there are consulates general in Rome, Milan and Naples.
• Through a representative holding a notarial power of attorney.

Each buyer needs their own NIE: if two people buy, two are needed. Without it you cannot sign the deeds, open an account or arrange a mortgage.

What taxes and costs are paid when buying in Andalusia?

Taxes when buying a home in Andalusia depend on whether it is a resale or a new build.

A worked example: on a resale flat at €300,000, the ITP is €21,000, and with the other costs the total comes to roughly €22,500–24,000.

The agency commission in a sale is paid by the seller; an EVS buyer does not pay it. If the seller is a non-resident, the buyer withholds 3% of the price and pays it to Hacienda (modelo 211). It is part of the price, not an extra cost.

How much does a home on the Costa del Sol cost?

These are the median asking prices by municipality, from the EVS market report for November 2026, based on 8,432 listings in our catalogue. They are asking prices, not completed sales.

Manilva has the lowest median price in the table and Marbella the highest. Benalmádena, Mijas and Fuengirola are the towns closest to our office.

What taxes does an owner resident in Italy pay afterwards?

In Spain

As a non-resident owner you file the modelo 210 return (IRNR). Residents of the EU, and therefore of Italy, are taxed at 19%; residents outside the EU and EEA at 24%.

• Home not let out: tax is paid on imputed income of 1.1% of the cadastral value if it was revised in the last 10 years, or 2% if not; the 19% rate is applied to that base.
• Home let out: 19% on the income, and EU residents can deduct expenses directly linked to the letting.
• IBI: an annual municipal property tax, the rate of which depends on each town hall.

In Italy

A convention to avoid double taxation applies between Spain and Italy, signed in Rome on 8 September 1977 and published in the BOE on 22 December 1980. In Italy, property abroad is declared in quadro RW and is subject to IVIE, the tax on the value of property held abroad. The amount depends on the Italian rules in force each year, so have the calculation confirmed by your commercialista in Italy before you buy.

How does a Costa del Sol estate agent work with Italian buyers?

EVS PROPERTY GROUP SL is an estate agency with an office at Av. de Mijas 1, puerta 1, 29630 Benalmádena (Málaga), incorporated on 12 May 2022 and entered in the Málaga Companies Register (CIF B10686459). We are available Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:30, on +34 951 12 40 59 and at info@evsproperty.com.

To be clear from the start: we have no Italian-speaking staff. With buyers from Italy we work in Spanish or English; the website can be read in Italian. We also serve clients in Russian.

Our catalogue exceeds 10,000 properties, our own plus those of the MLS Resales-Online network, in Málaga, Benalmádena, Torremolinos, Fuengirola, Mijas, Marbella, Estepona and the rest of the Costa del Sol. We handle the search, viewings and price negotiation, and coordinate the NIE, bank, mortgage and notary; the purchase can be completed entirely remotely. Before the reservation we calculate the taxes and costs for each property. The legal check is carried out by an independent lawyer and tax returns by a tax adviser (asesor fiscal). We hold MAPFRE España professional indemnity insurance of up to €150,000 per claim.

Conclusion

For an Italian, buying on the Costa del Sol is a process with no legal barriers: NIE, bank account, legal check, deeds and registration. What is most worth settling beforehand are the costs, around 7.5–8% for resale and 12% for new build, and the tax position afterwards in both countries. If you would like to compare municipalities and know the full cost of a specific property before reserving, you can write to EVS Property and we will work it out with you, in Spanish or English.

Frequently asked questions