I need to transfer money for apartment rent, but I don’t have an Italian bank account. I went to the post office to make a bonifico (bank transfer) — they refused, saying they don’t do it without a Poste Italiane card, and they don’t accept cash either even if the amount is small. Same story at the bank. Does anyone know any other ways to pay the landlord?
I asked my colleagues; we’ll publish an article on the topic soon. Thanks for the great question.
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Listen, try Western Union or MoneyGram — you can send a cash transfer to an Italian bank account there; the fees aren’t great, of course, but it works as a temporary option. Some landlords also accept Wise or similar services, so it’s worth asking. And meanwhile open a bank account — without a current account (conto corrente) it’s really hard to live here)
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Actually, without a bank account (conto corrente) in Italy you can hardly do anything — that’s the first thing you need to sort out. Western Union can work as a stopgap for a couple of times, but the fees are steep. What permesso (residence permit) do you have? Because that determines which bank will even open an account for you.
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Complete breakdown of which banks open accounts for Russians in 2026, how to pay rent without an Italian account, and a strategy from arrival to full banking services:
In short: Revolut + Wise work with a D visa. For rent you can transfer to the landlord’s IBAN via Revolut/Wise without an Italian bank account.
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Without a bank account here, yeah — it’s a vicious circle: to rent an apartment you need an account, to open an account you need a housing contract. Western Union is fine as a one-off option, but I wouldn’t rely on it for long. What document do you actually have now — a ricevuta (receipt) or already a permesso (residence permit)?
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Yeah, that vicious circle with needing an account to pay rent — classic for the first months in Italy. I used a patronato (an Italian social assistance office) to sign up at the bank; they helped gather the necessary documents and things started moving much faster. In the meantime, while you don’t have an account, ask the landlord if they can accept payment through an intermediary or at least give a written receipt for cash — some will agree to that if you explain the situation properly.
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A friend of mine in a similar situation just spoke with the landlord directly and he agreed to take cash for now in exchange for a written receipt — Italians often accommodate if you explain things properly. The main thing is to open a bank account at the same time; you won’t get far here without it )
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To be honest, cash against a written IOU is kind of a sketchy idea — if later the landlord says they didn’t receive anything, it’ll be hard to prove. A bonifico (bank transfer) via Western Union or Wise at least leaves a trace. But ideally you should just insist and open an account; some banks like Intesa will even open one with a receipt (ричевутой), it’s just that not all branches know about it and you’ll have to try a few.