Updated on October 16, 2026
In 30 seconds
If you live in Germany and have a link with Italy (heirs, a house, a pension, children, family), you often have to apply two legal systems. European rules help, but every case needs the right documents, in the right language, at the right office. This guide shows where to start and points to the detailed articles.
In this article
- Where to start
- The articles in this guide
- Frequent case
- The best solution for you
- Questions people search for
- Frequently asked questions
- Official sources
Where to start
Three steps concern almost every Italian living in Germany.
- Registration with AIRE (the register of Italians residing abroad). It is compulsory for those who set their habitual residence abroad, as a rule within 90 days of the move, according to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- Foreign documents. For German records you need, depending on the case, a multilingual extract, a translation or an apostille (the stamp that certifies that a public document is authentic).
- Notary. Since January 1, 2012, the consulates in Germany no longer perform notarial functions, except for wills. For deeds and powers of attorney you go to a notary.
The articles in this guide
Each article covers one topic, with practical steps and frequently asked questions.
Succession
- Inheritance of an Italian Living in Germany: Erbschein and European Certificate of Succession
- German Pflichtteil and Italian Forced Heirship: What Share Do Children Get
Pensions
- German and Italian Pensions: Contributions in Two Countries and Return
- German Pension and Return to Italy: Documents and Taxation
Family
- Divorce in Germany: How to Make It Valid in Italy
- Child Support (Unterhalt) Between Germany and Italy
- Italian and German Dual Citizenship: What Applies Today
Daily life
If your situation also involves Switzerland, read the guide Italians in Switzerland: Legal Guide.
Frequent case · A problem that happens often
An Italian family has lived in Germany for twenty years. The father has a German pension, the mother has a house in Italy inherited from her parents, and the daughter was born in Munich. Each topic has its own office and its own law. The first step is to make a list: documents, residences, citizenships, assets in Italy. Then you can see which article to start from.
Frequent case described in general terms: names, places and details do not refer to real people or cases.
The best solution for you
First: Make a list of documents, residences, citizenships and assets in Italy and in Germany.
Then: Choose the most urgent topic, for example a deadline or a stalled file, and read the practical steps in the dedicated article.
If the office or the other side does not cooperate: If an office does not reply or asks for unclear documents, ask in writing which documents are needed and in which language.
It usually pays to: Usually it pays to start from the deadlines, because they are the only things that cannot be recovered.
What to do now
- Check that you are registered with AIRE.
- Gather civil status documents with a translation or an apostille, if needed.
- Choose the article for the most urgent topic.
No route guarantees an outcome.
Read also: Inherited an Apartment in Rome: Accept or Renounce · A Fixer-Upper in Procida: Restrictions, Permits and Neighbors · Renovating a Trullo or Masseria in Puglia · Preliminary Contract and Deposit in Puglia: Seller and Mortgage · A Home on the Amalfi Coast: Buying, Tourist Rentals and Rights of Way.
Learn more: Legal guides from Studio Legale Fiorentino.
How attorney Fiorentino can help you
- Prepare a list of documents and assets in Germany and in Italy.
- Note the deadlines you know about, even if you are not sure they apply to you.
- Keep readable scans of your documents ready for the first meeting by video call.
Frequently asked questions
If I live in Germany, which law governs my inheritance?
As a rule, the law of the State where you had your habitual residence at the time of death. With a will you can choose the law of the State of which you are a citizen.
Is a divorce issued in Germany valid in Italy?
It is not considered automatically valid: you need a certificate from the German court and registration in Italy, according to the Italian Consulate General in Frankfurt.
Can I keep my German car if I move back to Italy?
An owner who resides in Italy must as a rule register the car in Italy within three months of becoming resident, according to ACI (the Italian automobile club, which keeps the vehicle registry).
Can I have dual citizenship?
For Germany, since June 27, 2024, acquiring a foreign citizenship on application does not make you lose German citizenship. For children born abroad, the more recent Italian rules apply.
Who helps me with my German pension in Italy?
The Deutsche Rentenversicherung pays pensions in Italy too and asks every year for proof that you are alive. For pension matters you go to the pension bodies or to a patronato (an Italian assistance office that helps with pension and social security files).
Can the firm assist me if I live in Germany?
Yes, for questions of Italian law. The first meeting can be held by video call.
Questions people search for
- How do you settle the estate of an Italian who died in Germany?
- What is the difference between an Erbschein and a European Certificate of Succession?
- Does the German Pflichtteil also apply to a house in Italy?
- How do I get an Italian pension if I worked in Germany?
- What happens to my German pension if I move back to Italy?
- How do you register a German divorce in Italy?
- What can I do if the father of my children, in Germany, does not pay child support?
- Can you drive in Italy with a German plate?
- Is my child born in Germany Italian?
Official sources
Institutional pages consulted; the official source always prevails for up-to-date texts.
- Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: services for Italians abroad (AIRE, succession, civil status)
- Italian Embassy in Berlin: guides to consular services and succession
- Deutsche Rentenversicherung: pensions abroad and proof of life
- ACI: Register of Vehicles with Foreign Plates (REVE)
- Auswärtiges Amt: nationality law and dual citizenship
Where to find us
The firm is based in Naples (Piazza Giovanni Bovio 22 and Via Monte di Dio 14) and works throughout Italy; the first meeting can be held by video call.
Informational text, prepared with the help of artificial intelligence tools. Author: attorney Renato Giuseppe Fiorentino.
Do you have a similar issue?
Every situation depends on the documents of the specific case. You can contact the firm from anywhere, remotely.