Opening an Italian Company from Australia or the UK: The Complete Remote Guide

For UK businesses, Brexit turned EU market access into a maze of customs, VAT registrations and regulatory barriers. For Australian companies, the EU has always been a distant but lucrative market. An Italian SRL solves both problems: it gives you a full EU legal entity, an EU VAT number, and the credibility of the Made in Italy ecosystem.

Why Italy instead of Ireland or Estonia?

• Full EU single market access with a respected jurisdiction (not flagged as a 'letterbox' location)
• Minimum capital from €1 with the SRLS structure
• The Made in Italy brand premium for products in fashion, food, design and manufacturing
• A large domestic market: Italy is the EU's third-largest economy
• Remote incorporation is fully legal — no travel required

What you need as a UK or Australian citizen

Both the UK and Australia satisfy Italy's reciprocity requirement, so citizens of both countries can freely own and direct Italian companies. You will need: a valid passport, an Italian Codice Fiscale (we obtain it for you remotely), and either a qualified digital signature for the video-conference notary deed or a power of attorney signed before a notary in your country (with apostille).

The remote process, step by step

• Week 1: strategy consultation, Codice Fiscale application, document preparation (bilingual)
• Week 2: digital signature setup and remote notary incorporation via video call
• Week 3: registration with the Business Register, VAT number activation, PEC certified email
• Week 4: bank account introductions, accounting setup, INPS/INAIL registrations where needed

VAT and selling into the EU

Your Italian SRL gets an EU VAT number valid for intra-EU trade (OSS/IOSS schemes available for e-commerce). For UK companies this restores the frictionless EU sales lost with Brexit; for Australian companies it eliminates the need for fiscal representatives in multiple EU countries.

Costs and ongoing obligations

Setup fees start at €2,500 (SRLS) or €3,500 (SRL), plus notary and government charges. Ongoing obligations — bookkeeping, VAT communications, annual financial statements and the corporate tax return — are covered by our monthly plans from €290. Time zones are never an issue: we work async and schedule calls in AU/UK friendly hours.