Professional Italian Company Formation Services

Universal Company Incorporations Ltd will manage this whole process from beginning to end. The only documents you will have to provide us with are your passport and proof of address to start your company formation!

Additionally, we will organize all the meetings for you and you will only need 24 hours in Italy if coming from abroad to meet with notaries, lawyers, accountants and banks so you save time as well as money. In some cases, we can organize this for you remotely so you do not have to travel – please call us on +390287393909 to review your specific situation.

We have also developed a total incorporation fee package of just €4000 which includes SHARE CAPITAL so you do not have to pay this as a separate sum on top of your incorporation costs. A real cost saving if you are on a tight budget. There are no hidden costs. You should, however, contact us to discuss your accountancy and office requirements

As part of the process and fully included in the €4000 fee quoted above, our skilled team will as standard organize the following to get your company in Italy ready to use in the shortest space of time:

Fee based upon: 1 director and 2 individual shareholders

• Company name availability check
• Set up an Italian identification code "codice fiscale" for each shareholder and director of the company
• Set up an e-signature smart card for each director of the company
• Prepare the Memorandum and Articles of Association
• Incorporation of the company by a public notary
• Registration of the company with the Chamber of Commerce and Italian Tax authorities
• Open a bank account
• Provision of registered address and company secretary (company bookkeeping) for one year

Universal Company Incorporations Ltd are here to help you save time and money that can be effectively used to expand and develop your business interests effectively and efficiently!

Contact us now to receive your FREE quote.

An Srl is a private limited company. Liability is limited to the amount of capital paid up and is the most common company form in Italy. You can have a sole member Srl or a Srl with several members. If a sole member then you will need to deposit fully paid up share capital. Please contact us for assistance

• minimum share capital is €10,000
• no restrictions on foreign shareholders
• audited accounts to be filed annually

What is the minimum number of directors of a SrL?

One director is required for a Srl. It is, however, best to have a minimum of two shareholders otherwise if using just one shareholder only, the company will have to have the words 'Società Uninominale' in its title and liability will be deemed to be unlimited.

The liability of members of a SPA (Joint Stock Company) is limited to the amount of capital issued by shares. This is essentially a stock company in so far as it can offer shares publicly to the market or through a private offer to its founders. Please contact us for assistance

• main format for medium to large companies
• minimum share capital is €120,000
• Italian Incorporation specialist minimum number of directors is one
• no restrictions on foreign shareholders
• audited accounts to be filed with the Registrar of Companies

A branch is a local office of the mother company*, with its own local VAT number. This is quite effective for establishing a small local presence or employing local staff when the major production is outside Italy.

• foreign parent responsible for all liabilities of Italian branch
• minimum of one director required
• accounts to be maintained but no reporting requirements
• Contact us now to speak to an Italian incorporation specialist

In Italy a representative office is known as “Ufficio di Rappresentanza”. As with international rules, a representative office is strictly prohibited from trading, including sending invoices, receiving payments from customers, and paying providers.

Setting up an Italian representative office is advantageous for establishing a presence in the country and forming good relationships with consumers, providers and contacts. This is especially beneficial in Italy where personal relationships are an important part of the business culture. A representative office is also the cheapest form of business entity to incorporate and is easy to manage, with exemption from taxes and VAT administration.

In Italy there are two company numbers: the first is called a “Codice Fiscale“and is provided by the Tax Agency. Even if you are exempt from taxes such as with a representative office, a “Codice Fiscale“is required for both the director of the foreign company and the representative office. The second number is provided by the Chamber of Commerce and in order to obtain it an annual tax payment is required.

Once your representative office is fully registered you will receive a green certificate with a gold legal stamp. It is possible to make this effective in your domicile country by legalising with apostille

Representative offices require a registered address in Italy. This can be achieved by renting either a serviced office or a virtual office.

A sole trader is a popular type of company to incorporate in Italy as it is relatively cheap and straightforward.

Unlike an Italian limited company (S.R.L.) and Italian joint stock company (S.P.A.), the incorporation of a sole trader does not require a notary public. The process occurs directly at the Chamber of Commerce, and is consequently a much cheaper option.

The name of your Italian sole trader is made up of two parts. This includes a name chosen by the owner, which is then added to the end of the owner’s actual name as a suffix. This is required by law to highlight the owner as the individual holding liability for the company.

The advantages of a sole trader include a simple registration procedure, more manageable accountancy, and personal expenses from your bank account. However, there is one considerable disadvantage; sole traders have unlimited liability, meaning that the responsibility of failure falls completely to you, and creditors can even use personal wealth outside of Italy to pay off significant debts. A sole trader also lacks the prestige of a limited liability company.

Incorporating a sole trader in Italy is a good way to test the local markets. If you want to ‘upgrade’ to a limited company in the future it is possible to dissolve the sole trader and move all the assets to the new limited company. However, this does require you to negotiate the longer and more expensive incorporation process of a limited company.

In common law legal systems, a trust is a relationship whereby property (including real, tangible and intangible) is managed by one person (or persons, or organizations) for the benefit of another person.

Please contact us today for further information relating to trusts in Italy and how we can assist you.

Holding
A holding is a firm or company that owns other companies outstanding stock. In most cases it refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself, usually its only purpose is to own the shares of the other companies. The advantage of a holding company is that it reduces the risk for the owners and can allow the ownership and control of several different companies.

Our specialist team of consultants is on hand today to assist you with any issues relating to the registration of a holding company, please contact us on the enquiry form below or call us now on +39 02 8739 3909