Doing Business in Italy

Preparing to export

Start-up considerations

Selling to Italy is often best achieved by appointing an agent or a distributor.

Contact the DIT team in Italy at: www.gov.uk/government/world/organisations/uk-trade-investment-italy#contact-us to help find tax and legal advisers before entering into any distribution or agency contracts. Always seek appropriate trade and bank references before consigning goods.

Italian corporate law differentiates between

• partnerships

• corporations

• limited liability companies
  
  

The most common types of companies are:

• Società per Azioni (S.p.A) which are companies with liability limited by shares

• Società a responsabilità limitata (S.r.l) which are companies with liability limited by quotas
  
  

If you want to set up a company in Italy, you can complete the necessary procedures through business assistance organisations known as Sportello Unico Attività Produttive (SUAPs). See: www.impresainungiorno.gov.it/en/services-directive/establishment/setting-up-a-new-legal-entity