Can I have a lawyer for free?
Income-dependent: you have a right to a free lawyer if your income is within the legal threshold. It's called legal aid at the State's expense (D.P.R. 115/2002). The taxable-income limit is €13,659.64 a year (updated July 2025; it replaced the prior €12,838.01). If you live with a spouse or family, the incomes of all cohabitants are summed. It covers the lawyer's fee and court costs in civil, criminal, administrative and tax proceedings. You apply: in criminal matters to the trial judge; in civil/administrative to the Bar Council (Consiglio dell'Ordine). You pick a lawyer from the dedicated list. In short: yes, if income is below the threshold.
📋 The rules
- Taxable income up to €13,659.64
- Cohabitants: incomes are summed
- Covers lawyer and costs in civil, criminal, administrative
- Criminal application to the judge; civil to the Bar
- Lawyer chosen from the dedicated list
🔓 Exceptions
- Organised-crime offences: exclusion/extra scrutiny
- Victims of sexual/domestic violence, stalking: regardless of income
- False self-certification: a crime, with revocation and cost recovery
⚠️ Penalties & fines
There's no "fine" — it's an income-linked right. The key limit is €13,659.64 of annual taxable income: all income counts (employment, business, capital, property, even IRPEF-exempt income). Making a false declaration to obtain it is a crime: 1 to 5 years in prison and a fine of €309.87 to €1,549.37, plus revocation and cost recovery. Beware a myth: "the limit is still €12,838" is outdated — since July 2025 it's €13,659.64. And "only Italian citizens qualify" is false: foreigners and stateless persons lawfully in Italy also qualify. To apply: check your income, file the application with the Bar Council (or the judge in criminal cases) and pick a lawyer from the list.
📎 Official sources
- Ministry of Justice — criminal legal aid →
- Ministry of Justice — civil legal aid →
- D.M. 22 April 2025 — income threshold →
❓ Frequently asked
Who qualifies for legal aid?
Whoever has an annual taxable income not exceeding €13,659.64 qualifies for legal aid at the State's expense, a threshold updated in July 2025. If you live with a spouse or family, the incomes of all cohabitants are summed. Italian citizens, foreigners and stateless persons lawfully in Italy can all benefit.
What's the income limit in 2026?
The taxable-income limit to access legal aid is €13,659.64 a year. This figure, set by a 2025 decree, replaced the prior limit of €12,838.01. All incomes of the cohabiting household must be considered, including those exempt from IRPEF, to determine whether you fall within the threshold.
What does legal aid cover?
It covers the lawyer's fee, court costs, fees of consultants and experts, and the acts of the proceedings, in civil, criminal, administrative, tax and voluntary-jurisdiction matters. The assisted person picks a lawyer registered on the dedicated list of lawyers for legal aid at the State's expense.
How do I apply?
In criminal matters, the application goes to the judge handling the case. In civil or administrative matters, it goes to the Bar Council of the competent court. The application contains the income self-certification, which must be truthful: a false declaration is a crime and means revocation of the benefit.
Do violence victims always qualify?
Yes. Victims of certain crimes, like sexual violence, domestic violence, stalking or female genital mutilation, can access legal aid regardless of the income limit. It's a reinforced protection, meant to ensure legal assistance even to those who wouldn't fall within the ordinary threshold.
🔎 Common searches
What people search to land here:
- “legal aid requirements 2026”
- “legal aid income limit”
- “free lawyer state italy”
- “legal aid application bar”
- “legal aid income 13659”
- “legal aid foreigners”