Company Types in Italy

Choosing the right structure for your activity in Italy is one of the most important decisions to make during the initial set up phase. There are a number of options available and below we have chosen the three most prevalent ones. The main points for each activity are covered below but if you want more information than please contact us. 


Please note that all the information that appears on these pages refer to a generic case. Each activity will have certain guidelines and rules that are not covered here. These pages attempt to let you decide in advance what is the best structure for your activity after which feel free to contact us here.

Sole Trader

Generally Speaking this is the most cost-efficient way for a one person operation to start operating in Italy. Sole Traders are registered for VAT and can, if they wish, operate their business from their home address (and write off 50% of their home costs). 

At present there are also generous tax breaks for people wishing to operate as sole traders, for more information please contact us at the numbers listed below or fill out our online form by clicking here.

SRL

Equivalent to a PLC or LLC, this is the most common solution for the formation of a company. This allows the owners to limit the exposure of their assets should the company not succeed. Unlike other countries, however, there are certain requiements for opening an SRL including:

  • An initial deposit of the working capital in a holding account prior to incorporation (100% of capital if unipersonal, 25% if more than one director)
  • Company must be incorporated legally through a public notary


CO-OPS/ASSOCIATION

This solution is best used when professionals in the same field of expertise want to pool their resources. This is also a good solution for non profit organisations and associations.