How to apply for the CIN for your vacation home in Sicily: step by step, with and without SPID

In Sicily first: the CIR

In Sicily, the regional code CIR comes before the CIN. For regions with their own code, the law provides that the Region converts it into the CIN itself. You apply to the Ministry yourself only if the Region has no code, does not assign it in time (then within ten days after the deadline), or does not convert it within 30 days (Art. 13-ter paras. 2 and 3 D.L. 145/2023) ¹. According to the Ministry's FAQ, as trade associations reproduce it, you must hold a regional code that is provided for before you request the CIN ⁵. Sicily assigns the CIR through the Turist@t system, where you register the dwelling (Arts. 1 and 3 D.A. 1783/2022) ⁷. On July 10, 2024, the Region of Sicily reported that its properties are in the BDSR and announced the conversion of CIRs into CINs as the second phase ⁶.

Why the code is needed and which fines apply is covered in CIN duty and fines for vacation rentals in Italy and what a breach costs in Sicily. The CIN for vacation rentals in Italy: who needs it, where it must appear and what Sicily adds gives an overview of all the duties.

Access to the BDSR with SPID or CIE

You apply for the CIN in the BDSR at bdsr.ministeroturismo.gov.it, the Ministry of Tourism's database. Login works with SPID or with the CIE electronic identity card ³. If you hold one of these Italian digital identities, you file the application yourself. The Ministry publishes a manual for it, “Manuale Operatore Privato: Richiesta CIN”, currently version 10.0 of March 31, 2025 ².

Without SPID and CIE: accreditation for foreign owners

Many owners of a vacation house in Sicily live in Germany, Austria or Switzerland and have neither SPID nor CIE. For foreign nationals who are owners, operators or delegates of a property, the manual provides a separate access route ². It works like this:

• You register through the “Accreditamento Utenti Stranieri” form.
• Ministry staff check the registration by hand. It is not instant, so allow time.
• Your username and instructions arrive by e-mail. Using the link “Sign in to Banca Dati Strutture Ricettive (BDSR)”, you first set a new password: at least eight characters, upper and lower case, a digit, a special character and no more than two identical characters in a row.
• Then you set up two-factor login. You scan a QR code with the Microsoft Authenticator or Google Authenticator app. At every login you enter the six-digit code from the app, which changes about every 30 seconds.

The app is only the second factor at login; Ministry staff check your identity beforehand from the form ².

Applying through a delegate

You can also leave the application to someone else, for example a tax adviser or a commercialista on site. The delegate uploads a power of attorney signed by you and a copy of your ID in the BDSR ². Your duties as landlord stay with you. Terra Mia Immobiliare does not file CIN applications for hosts.

The details in the application

The Region has already set up the property in the BDSR. Fields with a gray background are pre-filled and cannot be changed. You complete the white required fields marked with an asterisk ²:

• “Tipo persona”: natural person, natural person with a Partita IVA, or legal person. For ISTAT categories C1 and C2, only a natural person is possible.
• With a Partita IVA, the business name and the number. For a legal person, also the type: company, consortium or other.
• The ATECO code. For categories C1, C2 and C201 to C204, enter “Assente”.

The application is a self-declaration under Arts. 46 and 47 of d.P.R. 445/2000. In it you confirm the cadastral data of the unit and, as a landlord, the safety requirements of Art. 13-ter para. 7 ³. These are working gas and carbon monoxide detectors and portable fire extinguishers in every unit ¹. Check before you apply that both are in place. If data do not match, the BDSR reports the discrepancy to the Region ³.

Finally you acknowledge the privacy notice and click “Ottieni CIN”. You receive an e-mail, and in the BDSR you download the certificate with the Ministry's protocol number under “Scarica pdf protocollato” ².

After the CIN is assigned

With the CIN in hand, you do three things:

• Display the CIN outside the building. Under Art. 13-ter para. 6, it has to be visible on the outside of the building ¹.
• State the CIN in every ad wherever it appears. The duty also covers intermediaries and portals ¹. In Sicily the CIR goes next to it ⁷.
• Enter CIN and CIR at Terra Mia Immobiliare in the Basics step of the owner area. On the listing page they appear below the description.

If the CIN is missing from an ad, the fine is 500 to 5,000 EUR per unit and the ad is removed at once. Renting out without any CIN risks 800 to 8,000 EUR ¹. The rules apply from November 2, 2024, and the Ministry postponed the deadline for obtaining the CIN to January 1, 2025 ³⁴.

How to write a vacation rental listing in Sicily: photos, description, prices, CIN and CIR shows how to build the listing. Listing with Terra Mia Immobiliare is free. A commission of 16% plus VAT is charged only when a booking is made, and the guest pays you directly.

Common problems

The property does not appear in the BDSR. You can report it through “Segnalazione struttura mancante”, but only if you already hold the CIR. The report goes to the Region. If it is not concluded after 30 days, you can request the CIN as “non verificato” and upload proof that the activity has started, such as an SCIA, a CIA or a notice to the competent office. The Region can later set the entry to “Verificato” or “Revocato” ².

The login details for foreign users do not arrive. The check is not an instant function. Help is available from the BDSR contact center at +39 06 164169910 (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and by e-mail at info.bdsr@ministeroturismo.gov.it ⁴.

Whether your house can claim an exception for the gas and CO detectors, and what the Ministry's reading is worth, is explained in CIN duty and fines for vacation rentals in Italy and what a breach costs in Sicily.