Updated 6 November 2026
In short
The CIN (Codice Identificativo Nazionale, national identification code) is compulsory for anyone letting a home to tourists or with short-term rentals in Italy. The Ministry of Tourism issues it on the BDSR portal.
In Lombardy, where Lake Como is, the order is fixed: first the CIR, the regional code, then the CIN. The CIR comes from a notice to the town hall (CIA, or SCIA for a business), which goes to the Province and to the regional system ROSS1000.
You have 30 days from the assignment of the regional code to request the CIN. Foreign owners without SPID can register with a form.
Neither the law nor the Ministry FAQ sets a fee for the CIN. It must be displayed outside the building and shown in every listing.
No CIN: fine of €800 to €8,000. CIN not displayed or not in listings: €500 to €5,000 per unit.
If you want to list your Lake Como home on Airbnb or Booking.com, the CIN is one of the first things you need. Here is the right order of steps. The wider picture (tax, police reporting, tourist tax) is in how short-term rentals work on Lake Como.
What the CIN is and who needs it
The CIN was introduced by article 13-ter of decree-law 145/2023, converted by Law 191/2023. The Ministry of Tourism assigns it through an automated procedure to three categories:
homes and apartments let for tourist purposes;
homes let with short-term rentals (locazioni brevi), that is contracts of up to 30 days under art. 4 of DL 50/2017;
hotels and other accommodation businesses.
The rules have applied since 2 November 2024 and the fines since 2 January 2025, according to the Ministry FAQ. According to the same FAQ the obligation is general, with no exceptions. Only genuinely free hospitality is excluded: a voluntary donation from the guest does not change that.
Does the CIN cost anything? Neither art. 13-ter nor the Ministry FAQ provides for a fee. You may still pay for the plate, the safety devices and any municipal fees for the notice: check with the town’s SUAP (one-stop desk).
CIN and CIR: two codes, one path
The CIR (Codice Identificativo di Riferimento) is Regione Lombardia’s code, provided for by art. 38, paragraph 8 bis, of Regional Law 27/2015 and regulated by regional resolution XII/169 of 2023. According to the Region, the CIR is the code generated by ROSS1000, the regional system for reporting tourist flows.
The Ministry FAQ is clear: if your Region has its own code, you must have it before requesting the CIN. In Lombardy ROSS1000 data also flow into the national database (BDSR). So when you enter the Ministry portal you will normally find your home already listed and only complete the missing data.
CIR | CIN | |
|---|---|---|
Issued by | The Province, based on the notice filed with the Comune | Ministry of Tourism (BDSR portal) |
Where you find it | In your ROSS1000 account | In the BDSR portal, with a summary PDF |
When | After the CIA or SCIA to the Comune | Within 30 days of the CIR being assigned |
Legal basis | Lombardy Regional Law 27/2015, art. 38 | DL 145/2023, art. 13-ter |
Step 1: the notice to the Comune (CIA or SCIA)
The Comune is the municipality where the home is. In Lombardy the notice depends on how you let.
Private tourist let or short-term rental. You need a CIA (comunicazione di inizio attività, start-of-activity notice), filed before you start with the Comune where the home is. This is art. 38, paragraph 1 bis, of Regional Law 27/2015.
Let run as a business. You need a SCIA (segnalazione certificata di inizio attività) at the Comune’s SUAP, under both the regional law and art. 13-ter, paragraph 8. From 2026 the activity is presumed to be a business if in the same year you let short-term more than two apartments: the 2026 budget law (Law 199/2025) lowered the threshold. The tax side is in Italy’s flat tax on short-term rentals.
The Region says the notice is filed with the SUAP, also online through the portal impresainungiorno.gov.it. Some towns use their own digital desk. The Comune di Como, for example, has a “locazione turistica” (tourist let) page on its Sportello Unico Digitale, where you find the form and attachments. According to the Region’s clarifications, the notice must include the floor plan, the cadastral references (the land registry data of the property) and the address of each unit.
Lombardy also has holiday homes and apartments (CAV), with their own rules (art. 26 of Regional Law 27/2015). If you are not sure which fits you, ask the Comune before filing.
Step 2: from the Comune to the Province, up to the CIR
After the notice, according to the Region, the Comune forwards it to the Province (for homes in the province of Como, the Provincial Administration of Como). This creates your home’s section in ROSS1000. The Province then contacts you to give you access to ROSS1000, where you find your CIR.
How long does it take? The Region’s pages give no deadline for issuing the CIR: timing depends on the Comune and the Province. If you hear nothing after a few weeks, contact the Province, which has a page on ROSS1000, the CIR and login credentials.
You will also use ROSS1000 to report tourist flows, which the regional law requires (art. 38, paragraph 8).
Step 3: requesting the CIN on the BDSR portal
Once you have the CIR, go to the Ministry of Tourism’s accommodation database portal (bdsr.ministeroturismo.gov.it). These are the steps described in the official manual for private operators (version 5.0, June 2024), the Ministry FAQ and art. 13-ter:
Log in with SPID or CIE (Italian digital identities) from the “Ottieni CIN” section. If you are a foreigner without SPID, you register with a form and receive credentials by email after a check by the Ministry.
You see the list of properties linked to your codice fiscale (Italian tax code). In Lombardy the data come from ROSS1000. Open the record with “Dettaglio scheda”.
Choose your role. You can act as declarant, that is owner or manager. Or as a delegate: in that case you upload a delegation signed by the holder and a copy of their ID. This is how a local manager can file for you.
Complete the missing data. Grey fields come from the Region and cannot be changed. White fields with an asterisk are compulsory. According to Lombardy’s information note you need the cadastral category and references of each unit, the ATECO code (business activity code) if it is a business, and the declaration on safety requirements.
Remember what you are declaring. Under art. 13-ter, paragraph 3, the request comes with a formal self-declaration (DPR 445/2000) confirming the cadastral data and, for those letting, the safety requirements. Check the data before sending.
Click “Ottieni CIN”, after reading the privacy notice. The manual says the email notification arrives within a few minutes. From the same area you download the summary PDF with the code.
Wrong regional data cannot be changed in BDSR: the FAQ say they are corrected with the Region or Province. Screens may have changed since the 2024 manual: if something does not match, follow the on-screen instructions.
If your home does not appear
First check that the regional registration is complete. If it is, use the “Segnala Struttura mancante” (report missing property) button. The check takes 30 days and during that time, according to the FAQ, no fines apply. There are three possible outcomes:
positive: you get a “verified” CIN;
negative: the CIN cannot be issued;
no answer within 30 days: you receive an “unverified” CIN, which you can use straight away but which can be revoked if irregularities emerge.
The safety requirements you declare
Before signing, make sure you comply. For homes let to tourists or short-term, art. 13-ter, paragraph 7, and the Ministry FAQ require:
working detectors for combustible gas and carbon monoxide;
compliant portable fire extinguishers: at least one per floor and one every 200 m² of floor or fraction. The FAQ indicate a minimum rating of 13A and a minimum charge of 6 kg or 6 litres.
The FAQ exempt from detectors homes without a gas system, when the risk of leaks or carbon monoxide is excluded with certainty. Business lets also need the system safety requirements of national and regional law. Each apartment needs its own devices, even in the same building as others.
Where to display the CIN (and the CIR)
Art. 13-ter, paragraph 6, requires you to display the CIN outside the building, in line with any planning and landscape restrictions, and to show it in every listing, wherever published. Agencies and platforms must also show it in their listings. The law sets no format for the plate. The FAQ also accept ways other than a sign, as long as the code is clearly visible to the public. Regione Lombardia has given no specific guidance. If the home is in a condominium or a protected area, check first what you can put up.
Only the CIN, or the CIR too, in listings? Official sources do not agree. The regional information note on ROSS1000, undated and written when the CIN started, says only the CIN goes in listings. The Ministry FAQ, updated in May 2026, say that anyone subject to a regional code must display both. The prudent choice is to show both, on the plate and in listings. If in doubt, ask your Comune.
Fines under art. 13-ter
Violation | Fine (art. 13-ter, paragraph 9) |
|---|---|
Home or property without a CIN | €800 to €8,000 (depending on size) |
CIN not displayed or not shown in listings | €500 to €5,000 per unit, plus immediate removal of the listing |
Missing detectors or extinguishers | €600 to €6,000 per violation |
Business let without a SCIA | €2,000 to €10,000 (depending on size) |
Checks and fines are up to the Comune, through the local police (paragraph 11). The Agenzia delle Entrate (tax agency) and the Guardia di Finanza (financial police) use the data to find people letting without a CIN (paragraph 12). National fines do not apply if the same conduct is already fined under regional law (paragraph 10). For CIN violations, Lombardy’s information note says only the national fines apply.
How to check a CIN
The Ministry of Tourism has a “Ricerca CIN” (CIN search) page on the BDSR portal (bdsr.ministeroturismo.gov.it/ricerca-cin). For your own code, the BDSR private area shows its status (“verified”, “unverified” or “revoked”) and lets you download the summary PDF.
More homes, a new manager, closing
Several units. Each apartment has its own CIN, with separate BDSR access. Fines for not displaying it are per unit. For CAVs, the Region allows a single CIR for several units in the same complex or condominium, or one CIA per unit.
New manager or holder. The Ministry FAQ say the CIN can be transferred only if regional rules allow it, after a check, and only if the holder’s status (business or private) stays the same. The Regione Lombardia pages we consulted contain no procedure for a change of holder: before signing with a new manager, ask the Comune whether you need to update the CIA or file a new one.
Changes and closing. If the classification, Comune or Province changes, the old CIN must be cancelled and a new one requested. If you stop letting, you tell the local offices, not the Ministry. The CIN stays linked to the closed property and can no longer be used.
What may change in 2027
The Ministry FAQ updated in May 2026 carry the same rules and fines described here. The 2027 budget bill (A.C. 3174, presented to the Chamber of Deputies on 30 October 2026 and now continuing as A.C. 3174-bis) is not yet law. In the official summary of its measures and in its flat-tax articles we found no changes to short-term rental tax; it can still change before approval (our article on it, in Italian). Regione Lombardia also presents its CIN guidance as provisional, pending alignment of the regional law with the national one. We will update this guide if anything changes.
Frequently asked questions
Is the CIN compulsory if I let my home only a few weeks a year?
Yes. It applies to every home let short-term or to tourists, with no minimum number of days. Only genuinely free stays are excluded.
I live abroad and have no SPID. Can I get the CIN?
Yes. The Ministry’s manual provides a registration form for foreigners without SPID, with credentials sent by email after a check. Alternatively, someone in Italy can act as your delegate with a signed delegation and a copy of your ID.
How much does the CIN cost?
Neither art. 13-ter nor the Ministry FAQ provides for a fee. You may still pay for the plate, the safety devices and any municipal fees: ask the SUAP.
When must I request the CIN?
Within 30 days of the regional code (CIR) being assigned. Since every listing must show it, it makes sense to have it before you publish.
How do I get the CIR in Lombardy?
With a CIA to the Comune, or a SCIA to the SUAP for a business. The Comune forwards it to the Province, which gives you access to ROSS1000, where you find the CIR. The Region publishes no deadline: timing depends on the Comune and the Province.
Do I need a SCIA for a short-term rental in Lombardy?
Only for a business. From 2026 it is presumed to be one if you let short-term more than two apartments in the same year. Otherwise the CIA is enough.
Sources
Normattiva: DL 18 October 2023, no. 145, art. 13-ter, current text
Senate: text of the conversion bill for DL 145/2023 approved on 7 December 2023 (art. 13-ter)
Ministry of Tourism: FAQ on the BDSR database, updated 11 May 2026
Ministry of Tourism: BDSR manual for private operators, version 5.0 of 17 June 2024
Regione Lombardia: Codice Identificativo di Riferimento (CIR)
Lombardy Regional Law 1 October 2015, no. 27, arts. 26 and 38 (NormeLombardia)
Provincia di Como: ROSS1000 registration, CIR and credentials
Chamber of Deputies, A.C. 3174, 2027 budget bill (record and progress) and text of the articles, Tomo II
Own a home on Lake Como?
CIA, CIR, CIN, ROSS1000, police reporting and tourist tax have to be done in the right order, then kept up to date, which is harder from abroad. If you are thinking of letting a home on Lake Como and want to know what it could earn and what you need to start legally, ask Breva Collections for a free evaluation. More on our short-term rental management in Como; costs are in Lake Como property management fees.
This article is for information only and does not replace advice from an Italian accountant (commercialista) or tax adviser.
