A resident of San Marino can get a loan from an Italian consumer credit company even without living in Italy. That’s the case with Fiditalia, part of the Société Générale group and one of Italy’s leading consumer credit firms. Neither Italian citizenship nor Italian residency is required: what’s needed is a demonstrable income, a passport, an Italian tax code and an Italian bank account to pay the installments.
And the checks applied are the same as for any other customer.
It was our readers who pointed us in this direction.
After our October 7 article on the closed doors facing those who live on Titano when it comes to credit, more than one tip mentioned the same name.
The underlying problem remains.
Accessing credit in San Marino is difficult: four banks, little competition, and none of the major Italian finance companies with a branch in the territory. And as soon as you look across the border, many application forms stop at the same box: residency in Italy.
Not all of them, though.
In the information sheet for personal loans that Fiditalia publishes on its website, the requirements state in black and white: residents “in Italy, San Marino or Vatican City.” Public and private employees, self-employed workers and pensioners aged 18 to 77 can apply.
We asked for confirmation from Giuseppe Pagano, sales manager for a network of Fiditalia Credit Points between Romagna and the Marche region.
Many Sammarinese say Italian finance companies ask for Italian residency. Is that the case with you?
No. With us, neither Italian citizenship nor Italian residency is required.
We also finance San Marino residents, without any issues.
What’s needed, then?
What’s needed is the same for anyone: a pay slip or, in any case, demonstrable income.
Is a Sammarinese customer viewed with more suspicion?
No. The checks we carry out are the same as for all our other customers.
Does this actually happen, or is it just on paper?
It happens. We already have several San Marino customers using our financing services.
And the famous sofa bought in installments? In Italian shops affiliated with Fiditalia, can a Sammarinese buy on installments?
Yes. In shops affiliated with Fiditalia, a Sammarinese customer can buy a sofa on installments, but also a car, windows and doors, a boiler or solar panels. The important thing is always to ask the shop whether it has an agreement with Fiditalia.
Your information sheet also asks for a health card. What does a Sammarinese bring instead? Is an Italian tax code required?
We only ask Italian citizens for a health card. For a Sammarinese customer, the certificate assigning the tax code is enough — the document issued by the Italian Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) or by the Italian embassy.
If they don’t have it, with a specific authorization we can retrieve it ourselves within 24 hours. One thing is essential, though: to submit the application, a Sammarinese customer always needs a passport.
Can the application be submitted online from San Marino? And can the installment be paid from an account at a San Marino bank?
The application can be submitted online. Then, for the checks required by law, a visit to a branch is needed, either in Rimini or Pesaro.
The installment, however, can only be paid from an Italian bank account: that’s why we have agreements with several banks in Rimini, which can open an account in just a few hours.
So why do so many Sammarinese get turned down?
Because they often search online, on loan comparison websites: these aren’t designed with a Sammarinese applicant in mind, and they reject the application automatically.
It’s better to contact Fiditalia directly: with us, the assessment is the same whether you’re Italian or Sammarinese.
For those living in San Marino, the point of reference is the Fiditalia Credit Point in Rimini, at Via XXIII Settembre 67, or by calling or messaging on WhatsApp the number 0541 083449.
To apply, you’ll need your passport, your most recent proof of income and your Italian tax code, which the agency can retrieve within 24 hours if you don’t already have it.
An open door doesn’t erase the problem.
It remains to be understood why, for any ordinary loan, a Sammarinese resident should have to look across the border.
And questions remain open that only banks and institutions can answer: how many credit applications are turned down, and how large a down payment is typically needed to buy a home.
In the meantime, one piece of advice applies to everyone, on both sides of the border: before signing, look at the total cost of the loan, not just the monthly installment.
Have you applied for a loan, in San Marino or in Italy?
Tell us how it went: write to our editorial team.
