Italian Civil Code

Italian Civil Code

The Civil Code in Italy contains elements from older and trustworthy rules of law, such as the Roman law, Napoleonic Civil Code, the German laws and the Italian Constitution that came into force in 1948. The present Civil Code also contains parts of the regulations of the former Kingdom of Sardinia; our team of Italian lawyers can provide an in-depth presentation on the main sources of law on which the Italian legislation is based upon.

The Italian Civil Code prescribes a wide range of regulations, which are structured in books, sections, chapters and articles. This legal act also prescribes the hierarchy of the main Italian rules of law. It is necessary to know that the main source of law in Italy is the Italian Constitution, followed by the constitutional laws.

Considering that the country is a member state of the European Union (EU), the next source of law is the EU legislation. Other primary sources of law prescribed by the Italian Civil Code are the following: the ordinary law, the legislative decrees and the regional legislation. Our team of lawyers in Italy can provide more information on any other sources of law applicable in this country. The Italian Civil Code is divided as follows:

• Book I – Articles 1 to 455 (it regulates matters related to natural persons and family);
• Book II – Articles 456 to 809 (it regulates legal rights and procedures on succession);
• Book III – Articles 810 to 1172 (it refers to property matters);
• Book IV – Obligations (Articles 1173 to 2059) and Book V – Work (Articles 2060 to 2642);
• Book VI – Articles 2643 to 2969 (it regulates aspects referring to the protection of rights).