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MONEY

How much cash can you travel with to Italy?

Italy has a limit on the amount of cash that you can bring into the country without declaring it. So what exactly are the rules and what happens if you don't declare?

Published: 23 May 2024 14:57 CEST
Italian customs officers at the Italian-Swiss border in Ponte Chiasso
Italian customs officers at the Italian-Swiss border in Ponte Chiasso in March 2020. Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP

Whatever reason you may have to bring large amounts of cash into the country – this could be anything from business to vacation to other personal matters – Italy has laws that keep you from doing so over a certain sum without first declaring it to border authorities. 

You can freely take cash (this goes for banknotes and coins of any currency) or other securities (e.g. cheques and traveller’s cheques, signed money orders, bullion) in or out of Italy only if they amount to a total of 9,999 euros or lower, according to Decree 195 2008, which sets out plans to prevent money laundering and tax evasion.

This means that any amount equal to or over 10,000 euros must be declared to the Italian customs authorities (Agenzia delle Dogane) by filling out and submitting a declaration form upon either entering or leaving the country. You can find an English version of the form at this link.

The requirement applies to people travelling to or from both EU and non-EU countries, and tightens existing EU-wide cash declaration rules, which only apply to movements to or from non-EU nations.  

The form requires travellers to specify their personal details, including address and ID number, details of their journey, the total amount of cash carried and its intended use or recipient, as well as the source of the money (property sale, business earnings, inheritance, etc.).

READ ALSO: Can businesses in Italy legally refuse card payments?

You can complete the form upon entering or leaving the country, or, in some cases, submit it electronically with Italy’s Agenzia delle Dogane before your journey. 

What happens if I don’t declare?

Failure to declare any amount over 10,000 euros comes with hefty penalties. 

Italian customs authorities have the power to seize the undeclared money and can hand out fines of up to 50 percent of the amount exceeding 10,000 (for instance, 50 percent of 4,000 in the case of a total of 14,000 euros), with 300 euros being the minimum possible fine.

Is there a limit to the amount of cash I can carry on me in Italy?

Unlike other EU countries – in Spain, people intending to carry 100,000 euros or over must notify the Treasury before doing so – Italy has no limit on the amount of cash you’re allowed to have on you. 

However, there’s a limit to the amount you can pay for something in cash. 

READ ALSO: What are the best banks for foreigners in Italy?

Transactions equal to or over 5,000 euros (the threshold was raised from 2,000 euros in 2023) must be made using a traceable means of payment, including credit or debit card payments, bank transfers and electronic money payments, according to Decree 231 2007.

People caught making or receiving payments over 5,000 euros in cash could face fines of a minimum of 5,000 euros.

Member comments

  1. Well…phew! Guess there’s something I won’t have to be worried about…ever. But cheers to those who do!

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For members

TOURISM

Flights, hotels, beaches: How the cost of travel to Italy is rising this summer

Inflation may now be falling but the price of a summer holiday in Italy has risen again - by up to 20 percent compared to last year.

Published: 24 June 2024 10:53 CEST
Flights, hotels, beaches: How the cost of travel to Italy is rising this summer

Italian consumer rights groups said last year that the summer of 2023 would be remembered as “the most expensive ever” for travel. But 2024 has already smashed that record, according to the latest price surveys.

The rising cost of air fares, ferry tickets, hotels, restaurants and beach clubs add up to mean a holiday in Italy will be 15-20 percent more expensive this summer compared to last year, according to a survey conducted by the Assoutenti consumer research centre in June.

While price rises in recent years have been attributed to Covid and rising inflation, which is no longer thought to be a factor, this year Assoutenti said high demand was pushing up prices amid the post-pandemic tourism boom.

Prices in Italy were “out of control as a consequence of the resumption of tourism, after the stop imposed by Covid, and the record number of foreign visitors recorded in the last year,” the survey’s authors wrote, calling on the government to take measures to contain price increases.

READ ALSO: ltaly set for summer tourism boom as bookings increase again

They warned that more Italian families were likely to “give up the summer holidays this year, not being able to face an expense that increases from year to year,” and that those who do travel may book shorter trips to keep costs down.

Some 6.5 million Italians say they won’t be going on holiday this summer at all, with half citing economic difficulties, according to a separate survey commissioned by price comparison website Facile.it.

Meanwhile, there had been a nine percent increase this year in applications for personal loans for travel purposes, the survey found.

Flight prices

One of the biggest factors was the cost of air fares, as both domestic and international flights to and from Italy were found to be more expensive again this year.

While the cost of flights between European countries had fallen slightly following inflation-driven price hikes in 2023, Italy was bucking the trend.

Italy’s flight costs had risen instead, according to recent analysis in Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, with the average price of a summer flight between Italy and the rest of Europe up by seven percent and domestic flights by 21 percent.

READ ALSO: Why are flight prices higher in Italy than the rest of Europe this summer?

Industry sources suggest the price increase is again down to unprecedented demand, while consumer groups say the main culprit is a lack of competition on the Italian market.

Transport costs

There were price hikes too for those using other modes of transport, with the rising cost of fuel and motorway tolls in Italy named as another contributing factor in the Assoutenti survey.

Ferry tickets were also more expensive, it found, with the average increase this August at +6.3 percent compared to 2023.

Hotels and B&Bs

For a family of four, the Assoutenti survey found the most expensive place to stay in Italy this summer was Porto Cervo, Sardinia, where the average price of a week’s three-star accommodation in August came to 3,500 euros.

The cheapest options were found to be Bibione, outside Venice (872 euros) and Rapallo in Liguria (909).

READ ALSO: Tourist tax: How much is it increasing in Italy’s cities this year?

The cost of accommodation at coastal destinations had risen by 23 percent on average overall, a separate survey by consumer group Altroconsumo found.

Hotels in cities were found to be a less expensive option, with most Italian families heading for the beach or mountains to escape the heat.

Restaurants

Adding to the overall cost, prices also continued to rise this year at restaurants in holiday resorts and at beach clubs: Assoutenti recorded an average increase for the catering sector of +3.5 percent on 2023.

Beaches

Renting sunbeds and umbrellas at Italy’s beach clubs is seen as a necessity by many Italian families – and often by international visitors too, given the lack of free options in many areas.

This too was becoming more expensive in 2024, with the average daily rate for a slot at one of Italy’s private beach clubs up by more than five percent on last year. Prices had also risen by as much as 11 percent between 2022 and 2023.

Beachgoers can now expect to pay around €30-35 for two sun loungers and a beach umbrella for the day on average, though prices can rise as high as €90 in Salento and €120 in parts of Sardinia.

Both private and free-access beaches in Italy also increasingly require advance booking due to higher demand.

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