Bon Giorno!

Just got back from Italy on a "personal-business research" mode. Is it easy to set up a company in Italy by a US/ Foreigner person/company? How much investment (US$) are accepted to be legally operating In Italy?

What's the best resource to get a small business registered & started in Rome, Naples or other smaller communities like Tivoli?

Grazie,

MAC

Mac
The worse part of operating a business in Italy is the tax system.
If you are use to the US tax system where the IRS stays out as much as they can in Italy it is a true nighmare.
It is very hard to make it in business if you pay all your taxes and if you cheat ( like evrybody does one way or another ) and you get got then you go into trouble... Anyway I do not think there is a fix amount you need to start the business in Italy.
Paolo

Setting up a company is easier for a U.S. individual than it is for a U.S. company, becasue of the formalities to be performed getting the paperwork together proving the existence of the U.S. company and the authorites to its officers. These procedures are more or less complex depending on the U.S. state in which the shareholder is incorporated. The minimum share capital for an Italian limited liability company is Euro 10,000 and if you are trading through such a company you will need to inject sufficient capital to cover your initial expenditure, sicne Italian rules are quite strict on the requimrent to maintain that capital. Of the Euro 10,000 only 25% needs to be paid in initially, unless the company has a sole shareholder in which it needs to be paid before constitution. Remember though that this money belongs to the company and after being injected into the company is available to be used for investment (and payment of the notary's fees for the constitution).

If that kind of cash is too much you can consider trading as a self employed person or through a partnership (snc or sas) which do not have any minimum capital requirments (although you should always ensure that you have enough cash to meet your liabilties).

The best resource in my view is to find a "Commercialista" - these are professionals who deal with tax, accounting and legal issues for businesses. They will be able to assist you with the choice of vehicle, incorporation and, fundamentally, the tax and bookkeeping issues going forward. The costs vary enormously from the Italian firms' in the international Big 4 audit/accountants networks who have correspondents abroad and foreign language skills (but you pay for the pleasure) to one-man bands who may have difficulty with the non Italian legal and tax aspects. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Italy may be a good start for references, but ultimately you should be looking for recommendation from other expats in your area who have already trodden the path.