Written complaint to a bank (Italy)
Published byDocMuse
This document is in Italian
The PDF you download is in Italian — that is the language it has to be filed in, so it is not translated. Everything on this page is here to tell you what it says.
A complaint to the bank costs nothing, and many banks have an online form or a PEC address for their complaints office. This letter, in Italian under Italian law, is for writing it yourself: it describes the problem – an undue charge, an unexpected cost, a service not provided – states what you ask for and, if needed, copies of documents (article 119(4) of the Italian Consolidated Banking Act). It is the step that opens a claim to the Arbitro Bancario Finanziario, filed online for a €20 fee. Send it by registered post or by PEC.
- Made for use in Italy
- Last updated October 14, 2026
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When to use this document
- Your bank in Italy has charged you fees it never told you about.
- You disputed an unauthorised transfer and the bank will not refund your money.
- The branch does not reply to your requests and you want to put the problem in writing.
- You want to complain to the bank before taking the case to the ABF, the banking arbitrator.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Sender
- Sender's address
- Sender's codice fiscale (Italian tax code)
- How the letter is sent (printed above the recipient)
- Bank
- Address of the bank that holds the account
- City
- Date
- IBAN or contract number
- What the complaint is about
- Requested outcome
- Documents you want copies of from the bank (optional)
- Attachments
Common questions
- How long does a bank in Italy have to answer a complaint?
- Sixty days from receipt, or fifteen working days when the complaint concerns payment services such as transfers, cards and direct debits. Address the complaint to the complaints office, at the postal or PEC address on the bank's website and information sheets. Keep the registered-post or PEC receipt: the complaint's date starts the time for the answer and the twelve months for the Arbitro Bancario Finanziario.
- When and how do you go to Italy's Arbitro Bancario Finanziario?
- After the complaint, if the bank does not answer in time or the answer is unsatisfactory, and within twelve months of the complaint. The claim is filed online on the ABF website, with no need to be represented, for a €20 fee that the bank refunds if the claim is upheld even in part. For claims for money the limit is €200,000. Disputes over investment services go instead to Consob's Arbitro per le Controversie Finanziarie (ACF).
- Why write a bank complaint with this letter instead of the bank's own form in Italy?
- The bank's online form and a PEC to the complaints office are free and count as much as a letter: a complaint has no required form as long as it is in writing. A letter of your own helps when the problem needs the facts set out in order, a request for copies of documents at the same time and proof of the date, which matters for the ABF time limits. Consumer associations also offer complaint templates.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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