If you are thinking of starting a business in Italy, one of the first bureaucratic procedures you will have to deal with is registering with the Business Register. This is a mandatory requirement under the law and makes your company's key data public, ensuring transparency for customers, suppliers and public administrations.

In this article, you'll learn about the Italian Business Register, including who's required to register, what documents are needed, how much it costs and how to register correctly. You'll also discover what the Register can be used for, such as verifying the reliability of other companies.

What's in this article?

• What is the Business Register in Italy?
  
• Who must register in the Business Register?
  
• Which documents are required for registration?
  
• How to register with the Business Register
  
• How much does it cost to register with the Business Register?
  
• What can the Register be used for?
  
• How Stripe Payments can help
  

What is the Business Register in Italy?

Italy's Business Register is an official archive that is managed by the country's Chambers of Commerce. It collects and stores all the main information relating to Italian companies. In other words, the Business Register acts as a sort of identity card for a company, which can be consulted by anyone.

Registration in the Business Register certifies the legal existence of a company and makes its most important data public: name, registered office, activities carried out, directors, share capital, filed financial statements and, of course, registration number.

Thanks to this national database, anyone can check a company's registration in the Business Register to verify whether it actually exists and what characteristics it has. This transparency protects both customers and businesses, so that they can better assess who they are dealing with.

The institution of the Register is established by the Italian Civil Code (Article 2188 et seq.), which defines its public nature and legal publicity function. Each Chamber of Commerce manages the Register in its own territory, but the data is accessible nationwide via the Online Business Register platform.

What is the purpose of registering with the Business Register?

Registration in the Business Register gives legal validation to a business and makes its main details public (e.g. registered office, directors, capital, financial statements). This ensures transparency, legal certainty and reliability by protecting customers and suppliers, allowing banks and public bodies to verify company data, and enabling the business itself to operate properly in the market.

What is the difference between the Chamber of Commerce and the Business Register?

Chambers of Commerce are local public bodies that support and regulate economic activities in a given territory; they provide services to businesses, manage registers and lists, promote the development of the production system (i.e. the whole group of companies operating in Italy) and perform administrative functions (e.g. issuing certifications). The Business Register, on the other hand, is an official and public archive, managed by the Chambers of Commerce. The Register collects all the legal, economic and administrative information for Italian companies. In short, the Chamber of Commerce is the body, while the Business Register is the tool that the body manages to ensure transparency and legal certainty in economic activities.

Who must register in the Business Register?

The vast majority of economic activities require registration with the Business Register. Specifically, the following businesses must register:

• Corporations (i.e., those who've set up an LLC, corporation, or partnership) and partnerships (i.e. general partnerships or limited partnerships)
  
• Sole proprietorships engaged in commercial activities
  
• Cooperative societies and mutual insurance companies
  
• Consortia and business networks
  
• Branch offices of foreign or Italian companies
  

A special case is made for the small entrepreneur, a figure defined by Article 2083 of the Italian Civil Code and that includes, for instance, artisans, farmers and small traders who carry out their activities on their own or with their families. In general, small entrepreneurs are registered in the special section of the Business Register, which mainly serves as a registry and does not have the same legal publicity effects as the ordinary section of the Register. However, when the business takes on the characteristics of a commercial activity in the strict sense (i.e. an economic business organised for the purpose of producing or exchanging goods or services), registration in the ordinary section becomes mandatory. This is the case, for example, for a craftsman who opens a workshop and hires employees, or a retailer who sets up a structured point of sale (POS).

If you intend to set up a startup, be aware that innovative startups and innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Italy are also required to register with the Business Register. They must do so in a special dedicated section that ensures they have access to tax benefits and specific concessions.

However, professionals (e.g. lawyers, doctors, architects, accountants) who carry out intellectual activities with a value-added tax (VAT) number but are not considered entrepreneurs under the law are exempt from this obligation.

To check whether your business is required to register in the Business Register, we recommend consulting your accountant, who will help you assess the nature of your business and ensure compliance.

Which documents are required for registration?

To register with the Chamber of Commerce's Business Register, you will need to submit a series of specific documents and forms. Today, this procedure is almost always carried out online via the Comunicazione Unica (ComUnica) portal.

The documents required vary depending on your business's legal form, but generally include:

• A registration form (e.g. form I1 for sole proprietorships or S1 for corporations)
  
• The articles of incorporation and bylaws (specifically for companies)
  
• A copy of the certified email activation certificate
  
• A copy of the digital signature certificate
  
• The ID of the owner or directors
  
• The tax code and copy of the VAT registration certificate
  
• Any specific authorisations or licenses for regulated activities (e.g. pharmaceuticals, travel agencies or selling food online)
  

Certificate of registration in the Business Register

Once the registration procedure has been completed, the Chamber of Commerce issues the certificate of registration in the Business Register. This document is very important because it officially certifies that registration has taken place. The certificate of registration can be requested in various forms, depending on how you intend to use it. If, for instance, you only need it for internal verification or to attach it to an informal document, a simple copy downloaded online could suffice. However, when you need to present it to a public body, a bank to open a business account or for public procurement tenders or financing requests, a certificate with legal value is almost always required.

In this case you have two options:

• A signed digital certificate: This is issued by the Chamber of Commerce with the digital signature of the registrar. It has the same validity as the paper document and can be submitted via certified email or attached to electronic files.

• A certificate on watermarked paper with countermarks: This is issued in person, at the Business Register counter, or requested online with shipping. It is mandatory whenever the law requires the production of an original official document, for instance, for certain notarial or administrative procedures.

How to register with the Business Register

Now to the most practical point: how to register with the business register.

Today, the procedure is almost entirely digitised and goes through the Comunicazione Unica (ComUnica) portal, which allows all necessary communications to be sent in a single step to the Chamber of Commerce, the Revenue Agency, the National Social Security Institute (INPS) and the National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work (INAIL).

The main steps are as follows:

1. Prepare your documents: These include the articles of incorporation, bylaws, registration form, ID and any authorisations.
   
2. Use the ComUnica portal to complete your application: Access the ComUnica service using the software provided by your Chamber of Commerce. Then, complete the application form.
   
3. Provide a digital signature for the documents: Note that a digital signature is mandatory.
   
4. Pay the necessary fees: These include administrative fees and government concession fees.
   
5. Submit your application: Electronically submit the application to the Chamber of Commerce via the portal.
   
6. Wait for confirmation: The Chamber of Commerce has 30 days to review the application and notify you of the outcome of the registration.
   

At the end of the process, you will receive your registration number in the Business Register, which will become an important reference for the entire duration of your business.

How much does it cost to register with the Business Register?

Understanding how much it costs to register with the Business Register is important so that you have a clear idea of your startup costs. The costs are not the same for everyone; rather, they vary according to the company's legal form and that form's requirements. The main expenses are:

• Administrative fees: The amount of the administrative fees depends on the type of application submitted but can range from approximately €18.00 for a sole proprietorship to approximately €90.00 for a company.

• Stamp duty: Mandatory in many cases, stamp duty amounts to €17.50 for sole proprietorships and €65.00 for companies.

• Annual Chamber of Commerce fee: This fee is payable every year, even after registration. For sole proprietorships, it is €50.00 – €120.00 on average, whereas for companies, the fee can reach several hundred euros, in proportion to turnover.

In addition to these expenses, there might be notary fees required (e.g. to set up an LLC or a corporation), which can bring the initial total to over €500.00 – €700.00. On the other hand, for a sole proprietorship, the total registration costs are often around €100.00 – €150.00.

What can the Register be used for?

The Business Register is useful for setting up a company, as well as many practical functions. Specifically, you can:

• Confirm a company exists: Before starting a collaboration, you can check that the business in question is registered in the Business Register, thereby verifying its reliability.
  
• Request a certificate of registration in the Business Register: This can be used to participate in public procurement tenders, open a business bank account, obtain financing or participate in public grant calls.
  
• Get up-to-date information on a company: You can find information on directors, shareholders and filed financial statements.
  

How to find a registration number in the Business Register

Many entrepreneurs wonder where to find a registration number in the Business Register. The fastest way is to request an online Chamber of Commerce certificate on the official website registroimprese.it using the Chamber of Commerce portal. Simply enter the company name, VAT number or tax code to find the desired company. Then, select the type of report (i.e. standard or historical), pay a small fee, and immediately download the document in PDF format. Inside, you will find the company's registration number in the Business Register, along with certain information, including the company's registered office, business activities and directors. The certificate is public and anyone can request it, but it does require paying a fee.

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