FAQs - Customer Relations Office

Italian

BUSINESSES

1. How can I apply to obtain/cancel a VAT number? 
To register only for a VAT number or to cancel your VAT registration, please refer to the Italian Revenue Agency.
When a VAT number is related to a business activity (Italian civil code, art. 2082), it can be obtained/cancelled contextually to the registration/cancellation of the aforementioned business with the Business Register, via Single Business Communication (ComUnica, available only in Italian). 

2. How can I revoke my appointment as technical manager (TM)/person in charge of a business?

The application for revoking must be submitted by the owner/legal representative (LR) of the business in which the TM/person in charge was appointed. If the owner/LR does not want to apply, it is possible for the TM/person in charge to request the ex-officio registration of the revocation.
To get more information, and to download the application form, please refer to the specialised help website (available only in Italian).

3. I have to transfer the registered office of my business: is a notarial deed required?
If the business is registered as a sole proprietorship, you never need a notarial deed. 
Yet, if the business is registered as a company, you need to file a notarial deed only when the registered office is transferred to a different municipality or province. Therefore, a notarial deed is not required when the transfer takes place within the same municipality.

4. Can I file the company records at the Chamber of Commerce after the closure of my company?
According to art. 2496 c.c., the company records related to the last ten years in business of a limited company have to be electronically filed in the competent Business Register by the liquidator. In this way, the records shall be publicly available for consultation for the following ten years. The company records can be filed only after filing the liquidation balance sheet in the Business Register and after distributing company assets, or after the cancellation of the company. Partnerships, instead, must not file their company records in the Business Register.
For further information (available in Italian)

5. On behalf of my company, a registration application was sent to the Business Register. The registration procedure was suspended by the office and now I cannot contact the consultant who had submitted the application. Can my new consultant intervene in the procedure? 
Yes. After registering in the dedicated website, the new consultant can submit an application (in Italian: “accesso documentale”) for requesting the Business Register to send him a copy of the files which were sent by the former consultant and obtaining the information necessary to complete the procedure. The application can be submitted via the platform Online Services (available only in Italian, please refer to FAQ 14 for more details on the registration procedure) and must include a designation of proxy and a copy of the ID, both of the delegator and of the new consultant.

6. How can I urge the completion of a procedure in the Business Register?
You can use the online service “Solleciti Pratiche” (available only in Italian).
Please refer to FAQ 14 for more details on the registration procedure.

7. I spotted an error on my company profile. How can I have it corrected?
After registering, you can contact the online service “Rettifiche Pratiche RI” (available only in Italian). Please take special care to fill out the appropriate field with the relevant type of activity (e.g.: artisan company/regulated activities/annual accounts/Business Register). 
Please refer to FAQ 14 for more details on the registration procedure.

8. Can I send a registration to the Business Register via SPID? 
No, because the SPID is only a digital identification system. To send files to the Business Register, you must first sign it via a digital signature device (smart card or token).

9. I am a non-EU citizen and I have a residence permit for study purposes. Does this permit allow me to apply to start a business in Italy? 
No. If you already reside in Italy, or if you intend to reside here, in order to start an activity you must apply for one of the following permits: for self-employed,
employees and other workers waiting for employment; family reasons; humanitarian reasons; political asylum; or residence-and-employment single permit in accordance with Leg. Decree 40/2014 (available only in Italian). If a permit is issued for “special cases”, and in particular for “social protection” reasons, you cannot start an entrepreneurial activity but only work as an employee.

10. Which services does the Chamber of Commerce provide for those who want to start an activity or have access to credit?
The Chamber of Commerce provides an expert assistance, that is available in two formats: group meetings, where you can get general information, and personalized assistance. The assistance covers several topics, such as: How to start a business, Innovative Start-Ups, Innovation, Intellectual property, Credit facilities, International markets, Business networks, Environment and circular economy, Certificates of origin, Planning and Marketing for Start-Ups, and Business Register. 
The meetings are available in the webinar format. In order to join a group meeting, please check the dedicated webpage (available only in Italian). Please note that all the meetings are in Italian.

ANNUAL FEE

11. I was the owner of a sole proprietorship. My VAT number was cancelled, so why do I still receive tax demand notices for payment of the Chamber of Commerce annual fee? 
You possibly received tax demand notices, even if your VAT number had been cancelled, because your registration with the Chamber of Commerce has not been cancelled. 
Every year, the annual fee must be paid by every kind of businesses registered with the Business Register. As provided for in art. 18 of Law 580/1993, to cease economic activities is not sufficient to stop payment of annual fees. Besides, you must pay the full amount of the annual fee even if your enterprise has been in business only for part of the year.
For further information on the annual fee (available only in Italian).
For information on how to cancel a sole proprietorship, please go to Assistenza specialistica del Registro Imprese (SARI, Business Register Specialized Assistance, available only in Italian).

12. I have not paid the Chamber of Commerce annual fee: how can I check out my debt situation? 
You can check out the debt situation of your business on the platform Online Services (available only in Italian). Please refer to FAQ 14 for more details on the registration procedure.
For information on the annual fee (available only in Italian)

13. My company has not been in business for years, so why do I still receive tax demand notices for payment of the Chamber of Commerce annual fee? 
You possibly received tax demand notices, even if you had notified the Chamber of Commerce of your company’s inactivity, because the company’s registration with the Chamber of Commerce has not been cancelled.
The payment duty of the annual fee ends with the cancellation application sent by the business to the Business Register, and it has to be filed before the 30th of January following the day of the suspension of the activity, as established by the D.M. 359/2001. The simple "suspension of the economic activity" does not determine the end of the payment duty (L. 580/93 Art. 18)
For further information (available in Italian) and for the absence of the payment (available in Italian)

DIGITAL DEVICES

14. How can I register to the Online Services platform?
In order to register, you will provide your email address, your registration profile (private, company or self-employed professional) and your tax code. Alternatively, you can register via SPID (Digital Identity Public System), CNS (National Service Card) or the login account by which you access the websites of the Chamber of Commerce. When registering, you must provide an ordinary email address, not a certified one.

15. Can I request a certified email address (PEC) from the Chamber of Commerce?
No. To obtain a certified email address, you have to sign a contract with an authorized supplier.
This email is different from an ordinary one, because any communication sent/received via PEC has the same legal value as a registered letter with return receipt.
For further information, please refer to this list of authorised suppliers.

16. Who is obliged to have a certified email address (PEC)?
The obligation concerns all types of companies. The certified email address must be communicated when registering a company with the Business Register, and whenever a PEC is modified. Entities which are only registered with the Economic and Administrative Index (REA), such as associations, foundations, and Italian branches of foreign companies, can also (but are not obliged to) communicate their PECs. 
For further information (available only in Italian).

17. How can I request the Tachograph Card? 
You can visit the web page Carte tachigrafiche (available only in Italian). Alternatively, you can arrange an appointment at a One-Stop Desk. 

18. What is the  Digital Folder - "Impresa Italia"?
The Digital Folder ("Impresa Italia") is the website that allows you to have access to all the information and the official documents of your company. The service is available to legal representatives/owners of any business registered with the Business Register of the Chambers of Commerce, via SPID (Digital Identity Public System) or CNS (National Service Card). Depending on your position within the company, you will have differentiated access to the contents of the Digital Folder. 
For further information 

19. What do I need to request a digital signature device?
You need an Italian tax code, a valid identity document and an email address (please do not use a certified email address).
For further information 

PUBLIC FUNDING

20. I am going to start a business: can I apply to the Chamber of Commerce for a grant?
Yes. Grant calls can be found on the webpage “Contributi e finanziamenti” (available only in Italian).
The Chamber of Commerce organizes group meetings focusing on how to start a business; some of them will specifically deal with public funding for aspiring entrepreneurs.
For further information (available only in Italian)

ROLLS AND REGISTERS

21. How can I request the identity badge for real estate brokers? 
Personal identity badges for real estate brokers are issued by the Business Register. They can be requested by a company engaged in real estate brokerage, either via sending a relevant electronic application or while sending the relevant SCIA (Starting Activity Form), or subsequently, after sending the latter.
For further information (available only in Italian) 

22. In order to communicate any registration/modification/cancellation to the Register of environmental operators, can I submit an application to a Chamber of Commerce one-stop desk?
No. Applications must be submitted only electronically. Applications can be filled out online and digitally signed by a legal representative of the company. For more information, please call 02 8515 2016 (only in Italian) from Monday to Friday, 9:00 -12:30, write to pratiche.albogestori@mi.camcom.it or visit the website.

23. I would like to register with the Driver Roll. What should I do?
Registration with the Driver Roll is required prior to starting a private car hire business (which includes taxi and car hire with driver). In order to register, you must pass the relevant exam at the Metropolitan City of Milan or at the provinces of Monza-Brianza or Lodi. Prior registration with the Driver Roll is required to obtain a taxi/car hire license from the competent Municipality.
For further information (available only in Italian)

24. I have lost my certificate of passing the REC (Trade Authorization Register) examination: can I request a copy of it from the Chamber of Commerce? 
The copy of the certificate can be requested from the school/institution where you have attended your REC course. Please be aware that professional requirements for food trade and/or bar & restaurant business are verified by the Municipality where the business is going to be set up.

GENERAL INFORMATION

25. I have received tax demand notices from various public bodies (such as INPS, INAIL, Revenue Agency and Municipality) that could somehow be connected with the registration of my business at the Chamber of Commerce. What should I do?
First of all, you should verify if your tax code appears in one or more of these registrations. If a company is registered, you can cancel the registration by sending an electronic application to the Business Register, in which it is specified, if needed, the date of cessation of business activities. The latter could also be retroactive, which may involve the payment of the relevant penalties. 
By the same application, you can submit the cancellation of all your current registrations to other public bodies; subsequently, you could ask them to check out your debt situation and obtain, if due, a tax relief.

26. The social security contributions that have had to be paid during my apprenticeship turn out to be unpaid. To solve the problem, INPS (National Institute for Social Security) needs a certificate of registration relating to the company/sole proprietorship where I have worked, which was cancelled many years ago and is currently out of reach. What should I do?
You can request the aforementioned certificate or a social security profile (free of charge) sending an email to the One-stop desks of the Chamber of Commerce. Should these documents not be available for any reason (incompleteness, incorrect data, etc.), you can request a reconstruction of your Social Security Statement via the L'URP Risponde service (available only in Italian).

27. I have received a postal payment slip that could have been sent by the Chamber of Commerce - or so it seems. Should I pay immediately?
No. Lately, we have noticed an increase in the number of misleading commercial practices aimed at every kind of businesses. Therefore, you have to think twice before trusting postal payment slips or advertising messages with wording, logos and images that could be easily mistaken for the official fonts and characteristic marks of the Chamber of Commerce.
The communications of the Chamber of Commerce are identifiable by the letterhead, logo and exact title of the entity. If you have any doubt about it, please write to L'URP Risponde service (available only in Italian) or call our Contact Center (800 226372 from the provinces of Milan, Monza Brianza, and Lodi - or 02 2217 7700 from outside the aforementioned provinces and by mobile phone).
If you find out that the postal payment slip has not been sent by the Chamber ofCcommerce, and if the appearance of the slip is actually misleading, you should file a formal report by writing to the Italian Competition Authority.

28. Does the Chamber of Commerce of Milan, Monza Brianza Lodi organize courses on real estate brokerage?
No, because the courses are organised by schools that have been accredited by Regione Lombardia. The list of the accredited schools, organizing courses on the bar & restaurant business, sales agency and real estate brokerage, is published on this webpage (available only in Italian). 

29. I need a list of companies: how can I request it?
You can request it through the paid service provided by the Office for Studies, Statistics and Planning. You shall fill the relevant form and then send it to the email address statistica1@mi.camcom.it. The service is available in Italian (richiesta elenchi di imprese) and in English.

30. I am currently facing a commercial dispute: how could the Chamber of Commerce help me?
You can contact the Milan Chamber of Arbitration, which is specialized in commercial dispute resolution. The CAM provides an array of services and tools known as ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution), which allow for a time effective resolution of disputes through extra-judicial methods. This translates into lower costs and simplified/shorter procedures, in comparison to legal procedures of ordinary courts. 
For further information