Buying a Used Car in Rome: How to Transfer Ownership at the PRA and STA

In a nutshell

When you buy a used car in Italy, the vehicle must be re-registered in your name in the PRA (Pubblico Registro Automobilistico — Italy's national vehicle ownership registry) and on the car's circulation permit. This process is called a passaggio di proprietà (ownership transfer) and must be completed within 60 days of signing the sale agreement. In Rome, it's handled in a single visit to the STA (Sportello Telematico Automobilista — the one-stop digital vehicle desk), which updates everything on the same day.

At a glance

Cost	€250–700 total (varies by vehicle power output, due to the IPT tax)
Timeline	Done in a single visit to the STA; you have max 60 days from signing
Where in Rome	ACI delegations (e.g. Via Cristoforo Colombo 261), any authorised STA agency
Documents	CDPD/DU, circulation permit, ID and tax code for both buyer and seller, authenticated sale agreement

Where to go in Rome

The Sportello Telematico Automobilista (STA), introduced by the Bersani reform law of 2006, is the only place where you can handle everything in one go: it updates both the PRA registration and the circulation permit simultaneously. You no longer need to visit the PRA and the Motorizzazione (vehicle licensing authority) separately.

In Rome, your options are:

• ACI delegations — the main office is at Via Cristoforo Colombo 261. Find the nearest branch at aci.it.
• Authorised STA agencies — there are hundreds spread across every neighbourhood. Always ask for a written quote first, and confirm they are registered with the STA system.
• Some affiliated dealerships and body shops — they often bundle the transfer into the purchase price or offer it as an add-on service.

Documents you need

The seller must bring:

1. Certificato di Proprietà Digitale (CDPD) — the digital ownership certificate — or the Documento Unico (DU) if the car was first registered after 2020
2. The original circulation permit (carta di circolazione)
3. Valid ID document and Codice Fiscale (Italian tax ID — your personal 16-character code)
4. Sale agreement with an authenticated signature

The buyer must bring:

1. Valid ID document
2. Codice Fiscale
3. Valid Permesso di soggiorno (residence permit for non-EU citizens)
4. Proof of Italian residency (a self-declaration is fine)

The seller's signature on the sale agreement must be authenticated. You can do this directly at the STA (included in the service fee), at the Anagrafe (civil-registry office at your local Comune) of your municipio, or at Rome's Anagrafe Centrale at Via Petroselli 50 (free or with a marca da bollo — a revenue stamp — of €16). A notary is also an option but costs €50–150.

How the process works

Before you sign, run a PRA vehicle check (visura PRA), available at aci.it — visura online for €6.12. This confirms the seller actually owns the car and that there are no outstanding administrative seizures (fermi amministrativi) or liens (ipoteche) on it. A car with an active seizure cannot legally be sold or purchased until the seizure is lifted.

When you sign, the sale agreement must include full details of both parties, the vehicle's details (plate number, chassis number, model), and the sale price. A price that is wildly out of step with the market can trigger a tax audit.

At the STA, within 60 days of signing, hand over all the documents. The desk calculates what you owe, updates the PRA and the circulation permit on the spot. You leave with a receipt that serves as a provisional document; the updated DU or a sticker for the logbook follows shortly after.

Once the transfer is done, you need to be insured immediately. You can either transfer the seller's existing policy to your name or take out a new one. Driving without insurance is illegal and carries heavy fines.

What it costs in Rome

Fixed cost items:

Item	Amount
ACI/PRA fees	€27.00
Vehicle-licensing authority fees	€10.20
CDPD stamp duty	€32.00
Circulation-permit stamp duty	€32.00

On top of these, you pay IPT (Imposta Provinciale di Trascrizione — the provincial vehicle-registration tax), which scales with the car's power output in kW. The Province of Rome applies a 30% surcharge on the national base rate, making it one of the highest in Italy:

• Cars up to 53 kW: ~€150.81
• Cars at 70 kW: ~€210.48
• Cars at 100 kW: ~€315.80
• Cars at 150 kW: ~€491.28

Add the STA agency fee (€80–200) and, for a 100 kW car, the total lands somewhere between €520 and €620. If a dealership handles the transfer, their commission alone can run €300–500.

Mistakes to avoid

1. Skipping the PRA check before buying. You risk purchasing a car with an administrative seizure or lien — you won't be able to sell it or use it freely until it's resolved.
2. Waiting more than 60 days from the date you signed. The fine ranges from €728 to €3,629 (art. 94 of the Highway Code, D.Lgs 285/1992). There's no good reason to delay.
3. Underestimating the IPT in Rome. The 30% provincial surcharge makes a real difference on a powerful car. Always get a written quote from the STA agency before you commit.

Special cases

Are you a foreigner with Italian residency? The process is identical. Non-EU citizens need a valid permesso di soggiorno. If you don't have Italian residency, you cannot register an Italian vehicle in your name.

Is the car jointly registered? All co-owners are jointly liable for road tax, fines, and insurance. There is no IPT discount for transfers between family members — parents passing a car to a child pay the full rate as if dealing with a stranger.

Does the car have an active finance agreement? The seller must obtain written consent from the finance company before selling. In practice, the loan is usually paid off first.

Did you inherit a car? Transfers by inheritance require additional documents (the succession declaration, tax codes of all heirs) and in some cases attract partial IPT exemptions.

Is the car being scrapped? If you sell to a licensed demolition centre, the transfer to the scrapper is free of charge. You still do it through the STA.

Official sources

• ACI — Ownership transfer
• ACI — PRA services
• Portale dell'Automobilista — Ownership transfer
• ACI — PRA check online
• Motorizzazione Civile

Legal references: D.Lgs 285/1992 (Highway Code) arts. 93–94, RDL 436/1927 (establishment of the PRA), Legge 248/2006 (Bersani — Sportello Telematico Automobilista), DM 09/11/2009 (Documento Unico), Codice Civile arts. 1470 ff.