SCIA for an Italian company

What is a SCIA and why do I need one for my Italian company?

Once an Italian company has been incorporated and the corporate entity has been assigned a VAT number, a company number, and the paid-up share capital has been credited on the company’s bank account, one last step may be needed for the company to be considered active and in business. This last step is the SCIA communication, literally “segnalazione certificata di inizio attività”, this communication was established in Decree 30 June 2016 n. 126, in order to simplify the more complicated bureaucratic scenario existing before that date.

This formal communication stating the start of the company’s activity must only be undertaken in the event that the company’s scope and ATECO code, aka business activity code, is such that the company is required to file this specific communication. This is mainly when the business will involve activities with the public. The SCIA in this case must be filed before the business is started, if there are changes made during the business lifecycle, or when the company business comes to an end.

The current SCIA document is a self-declaration in which the company’s legal representative states that s/he has the moral and professional skills to undertake the specific business activity, as well as the objective skills pertaining, for example, to the urban planning of the company’s operative site, building, sanitization and environmental aspects, company equipment etc. In specific cases it may be necessary to obtain a report from an appraiser, for instance, an engineer may be required in order to draft a technical drawing to demonstrate compliance with fire prevention measures.

The SCIA is filed with the relative office, within the Municipality of the operative business location, and is filed on-line by completing the form in all its required parts, it is an easy and fast procedure. Once the communication has been filed, it is then possible to start working immediately. The public authorities have 60 days from the filing date to ascertain that what has been declared is true. In the event that some issues emerge, the company might be required to take the necessary measures in order to ensure that the communication conforms to what is required.

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