Italian company formation, filed within 48 hours of the signed deed
Setting up a company in Italy from abroad
Your file prepared in Rome. With the codice fiscale, documents, both PEC addresses and the registered office ready, our practice puts the deed and the notary's filing within 48 hours; the Register keeps its own terms.
- Deed in person, by attorney or video
- Office on Via dei Fori Imperiali, Rome
- State fees with their source
- English and Italian
Services for founders abroad
Formation first, then what the company needs in its first year.
Open an S.r.l. from abroad
A limited company formed without the trip, the deed signed remotely.
Formation in Rome or Milan
A registered seat in either city, with the notary and the filing coordinated.
Ready-made companies and later changes
An existing S.r.l. taken over now; capital, director or liquidation changes later.
Registered office and business address
The Italian sede legale the deed must name, and a working address in Rome.
Bank account and fiduciary holding
The bank file for a non-resident director; a fiduciary mandate held by an authorised società fiduciaria.
VAT number and tax advice
The partita IVA for non-residents, tax advice and holding structures.
Bookkeeping, filing and payroll coordination
Books and the corporate return prepared; returns sent by an authorised intermediary, payroll run by an enrolled consulente del lavoro.
Licences and intellectual property
CASP and e-money authorisation files; trade mark and patent applications prepared.
Investor visa for the founder who moves
For a founder relocating: the investor visa and the residence steps after it.
Italian company forms at a glance
Four routes and the conditions the law sets for each. Which one fits your plan is a conversation, not a table.
| Form | Who may found it | Minimum capital | How it is formed | Deed by videoconference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S.r.l. (limited company) | any founder; non-EU founders under reciprocity | EUR 10,000, or EUR 1 to below EUR 10,000 paid in full in cash with one fifth of profits to reserve (Art. 2463 c.c.) | notarial public deed; at least 25% of cash contributions paid at the deed, 100% for a single founder (Art. 2464 c.c.) | yes |
| S.r.l.s. (simplified) | natural persons only | EUR 1 to below EUR 10,000, fully paid in cash (Art. 2463-bis c.c.) | the ministerial standard model, whose clauses cannot be changed | yes |
| S.p.A. (joint-stock) | any founder; non-EU founders under reciprocity | EUR 50,000 (Art. 2327 c.c.) | notarial deed; at least 25% of cash contributions into a bank before it, 100% for a single founder (Art. 2342 c.c.) | no |
| Branch (sede secondaria) | an existing foreign company | none: no new company is formed | registration asked within 30 days; permanent representatives published (Arts. 2197, 2508 c.c.) | not applicable |
Four routes for a founder abroad, each condition with its article.
Source: Civil Code; Art. 2 D.Lgs. 183/2021 (videoconference).
The detail of each form sits on open an S.r.l. in Italy and in the guides below.
How formation works: before the clock, then 48 hours
Two bands: what has to be ready first, then the steps the law times.
- Before the clock
Tax code and documents
A codice fiscale per founder and director from the consulate; documents apostilled or legalised and translated; a procura if absent.
PEC, office and capital
A company PEC and a separate director's PEC (Art. 13(3) D.L. 159/2025), the registered office, the capital ready.
- The clock
The deed
In person, through the attorney, or by videoconference for an S.r.l. or S.r.l.s. (Art. 2 D.Lgs. 183/2021); the notary must take it when every party lives abroad. The clock starts.
The notary's filing
One Comunicazione Unica for the Register, partita IVA, INPS and INAIL. The law allows 10 days (Art. 2330 c.c.); our practice: within 48 hours of signing.
Register entry
A receipt valid for starting the business reaches the company's PEC on filing; entry within 10 days of protocol, 5 for an electronic filing (Art. 11 D.P.R. 581/1995).
Agencies, first 30 days
Chamber confirmation within 5 days, agencies within 7 (GuidaComUnica, Registro Imprese); first diritto annuale within 30 days; beneficial-owner filing in Italy applies.
Request a formation plan mapped to your documents.
Before the clock: no published duration
- A codice fiscale for each founder and directorThe consulate, or an in-person appointment in Italy
- Apostille or legalisation, certified translationThe founders' own authorities, then a translator
- The procura or the video bookingWith a digital signature for the videoconference deed
- Two PEC addresses, the office, the capitalThe company's PEC and the director's own PEC
The clock
48 hours: firm practice, not a legal term
- The deedOne sitting with the notaryThe clock starts
- The notary's filingOne Comunicazione UnicaAt most 10 days (Art. 2330 c.c.)
- Register entryThe receipt reaches the company's PEC on filing10 days from protocol, 5 for an electronic filing
- Confirmations and first dutiesChamber, agencies, diritto annuale5 days, 7 days, 30 days
What the state charges at incorporation
The state's charges for an S.r.l., each with its source. Our own fee is quoted on request.
| Item | Amount | Who pays and when | Source and year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration tax on the deed (imposta di registro) | EUR 200, fixed | on the deed | Art. 26(2) D.L. 104/2013 |
| Stamp duty on the notarial deed (imposta di bollo) | EUR 156 | the notary, through the MUI | Romagna chamber, stamp duty through the MUI |
| Register stamp duty, capital company | EUR 65 | with the Register filing | Romagna chamber, stamp duty through the MUI |
| Secretarial fee for entering the deed (diritti di segreteria) | EUR 90 | with the Register filing | Romagna chamber fee table of 27 January 2026 |
| Registering the company's PEC | EUR 0 stamp duty, EUR 0 fee | with the Register filing | Romagna chamber fee table, 2026 |
| First annual chamber fee (diritto annuale) | EUR 120 in the Marche table | the company, by F24 within 30 days of the registration application | Marche chamber, 2026; chambers may add up to 20% for 2026 to 2028 (MIMIT decree of 17 March 2026) |
| Notary's fee | no general official tariff; on the uniform online models, capped at half of Tabella C of D.M. 140/2012 | the founders, to the notary | Art. 2(3) D.Lgs. 183/2021 |
| S.r.l.s. on the standard model | deed and entry exempt from stamp duty and secretarial fees; no notarial fees | not applicable | Art. 3(3) D.L. 1/2012 |
S.r.l., cash contributions, no real estate, 2026. Chamber figures are the Romagna and Marche tables, not Rome's.
Source: as named in each row. EU target, not Italian law: set-up within 3 working days for under EUR 100 (Your Europe).
Tell us what you are setting up
Tell us the form you have in mind, where the founders live and when you want to start. The reply comes from info@company-registration-italy.com, Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 18:00 Rome time.
Ready-made Italian companies
When an existing company suits your timing better than a new one.
An S.r.l. already in the Register
Already entered in the Registro delle Imprese, for a founder who wants a company in place now.
How it changes hands
The quotas pass by a cessione di quote, signed as a notarial deed or with digital signatures.
Checks before you buy
We run the buyer-side checks before the transfer. Each company on the list has its own Request button, which opens an enquiry about that company.
Who we help, and where to read more
Find your situation and the page that answers it. New to the subject? Start with the full guide to starting a business in Italy.
- A founder abroad forming an S.r.l. alone
One founder, no trip: the deed by videoconference or procura, all cash capital paid at signing.
- A foreign group opening a subsidiary or branch
A group-owned S.r.l. or S.p.A., or a sede secondaria naming its permanent representatives.
- our foreign-owned company set-up service
- our guide to the Italian S.p.A.
- searching the Register of Companies
- our guide to the visura camerale
- A founder assembling the paperwork
Tax codes, apostilles, translations, two PEC addresses and the digital tools filings use.
- the deed of incorporation
- our guide to the notary's role
- PEC Certified Email in Italy
- the SPID digital identity
- chamber of commerce in Italy
- A founder who will trade from premises or hire
Permits and staff: the INAIL notice when work starts (Art. 12 D.P.R. 1124/1965); payroll by an enrolled consulente del lavoro we coordinate.
- the SUAP one-stop shop
- Innovative Start-up Status in Italy
- the payroll services page
The people who prepare your file
Lorenzo Gatti, Formation and corporate changes lead in Rome, has spent eleven years on Italian company files. Lorenzo assembles the file the notary works from and follows the deed through the filing to the Register entry, the PEC and the partita IVA. Italian, English and Spanish. The notary receives and files the deed; ItaliaRegist prepares and coordinates. Meet the team
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to travel to Italy to form the company?
Not for an S.r.l. or S.r.l.s. with its seat in Italy and capital paid in cash. The notary can receive the deed by videoconference and must receive it when every party lives abroad (Art. 2 D.Lgs. 183/2021). Otherwise a founder signs a power of attorney abroad, legalised or apostilled and translated into Italian.
Can the company be registered in 48 hours?
No statute makes 48 hours a term, and we do not promise one. Our practice is to hold the deed and the notary's filing inside 48 hours of signing, once everything before the clock is in hand. The Register then enters the company within its own term: up to 10 days from protocol, 5 for an electronic filing.
Do I need an Italian bank account before incorporation?
Not by law for an S.r.l. At the deed, at least 25% of the cash contributions, or all of it for a single founder, goes to the director appointed in the deed; on the videoconference route, by transfer to the notary's dedicated account. An S.p.A. is different: its capital goes into a bank before the deed.
Can a foreigner own 100% of an Italian company?
Yes. A founder from outside the EU is subject to the reciprocity condition of Art. 16 of the disposizioni sulla legge in generale, which also covers foreign companies as founders. It does not apply to EU and EEA nationals. A single founder pays in all of the cash capital at the deed, not the 25% minimum.
What do I need before the deed?
A codice fiscale for each founder and director, foreign documents legalised or apostilled and translated into Italian, a PEC for the company and a separate PEC for the director, a registered office in Italy, and the capital ready to pay. Our guide to the deed of incorporation shows what the notary drafts from them.
How do I get a codice fiscale from abroad?
From the Italian consulate in the country where you live. A first codice fiscale requested at an Agenzia delle Entrate office in Italy needs an in-person appointment. No turnaround for the consular route is published, so this is the step to start first: the documents, the PEC addresses and the deed all depend on it.
How long does company formation in Italy take?
The law bounds the part the state controls: the notary files within 10 days of the deed (Art. 2330 c.c.), the Register enters the company within 10 days of protocol, 5 for an electronic filing, and the agencies answer within 7 days. The calendar is set mostly by the preparation before the deed, which has no published duration.
How much does the state charge to form an S.r.l.?
For an S.r.l. formed with cash contributions in 2026: registration tax EUR 200, stamp duty on the deed EUR 156, Register stamp duty EUR 65 and a secretarial fee of EUR 90, then the first annual chamber fee within 30 days (EUR 120 in the Marche chamber's 2026 table). The notary's fee is separate; ours is quoted on request.
What are notary fees in Italy?
There is no general official tariff for the notary's work. Two points are fixed by statute: no notarial fees are due on the standard model of the S.r.l.s. (Art. 3(3) D.L. 1/2012), and on the uniform online models the fee is capped at half of Tabella C of D.M. 140/2012 (Art. 2(3) D.Lgs. 183/2021). Anything else is the notary's quote.
When does the company exist and get its VAT number?
It exists on registration in the Registro delle Imprese, not on signature; anyone acting for it before then is jointly and unlimitedly liable (Art. 2331 c.c.). The tax code and partita IVA are requested in the same Comunicazione Unica, and the receipt sent to the company's PEC is valid for starting the business.
What is the Italian equivalent of a public limited company?
The S.p.A. (società per azioni). Its capital is at least EUR 50,000, and at least 25% of the cash contributions, 100% for a single founder, goes into a bank before the deed; the deposit is returned if registration does not follow within 90 days. There is no videoconference route. The detail is in our guide to the Italian S.p.A..
How do I set up a company in Italy from abroad?
In order: a codice fiscale for each founder and director, with the foreign documents legalised or apostilled and translated; the company's PEC, the director's own PEC and a registered office; the deed, in person, through an attorney or by videoconference; the notary's filing within 10 days; and the Register entry, up to 10 days from protocol, 5 for an electronic filing.
Ready to plan your Italian company?
One conversation settles the form, the route to the deed and what has to be ready before the clock starts.
Get a formation plan · Already decided? Start the onboarding form