How to check an Italian company registration
By the Vanguard Verify desk · Published 2026-10-27 · Updated 2026-11-03
Short answer: to check an Italian company's registration, look it up in the official Business Register (Registro delle Imprese, run by the Chambers of Commerce through InfoCamere at registroimprese.it), confirm its 11-digit Partita IVA is active with the Agenzia delle Entrate and, for cross-border EU trade, in VIES, and find its certified PEC email address in the free INI-PEC index. Then contact the company only through details you found yourself, never the ones in the offer.
Step by step
- Get the identifiers. Ask for the full legal name, registered office, codice fiscale / Partita IVA (11 digits; for companies the two are often the same number) and the REA number (the Chamber of Commerce registration). A real Italian company will give these without hesitation, because they appear on its invoices and website.
- Check the number format. A Partita IVA has 11 digits: the first 7 identify the taxpayer, the next 3 are the code of the tax office that issued it, and the last is a check digit. A number with the wrong length cannot be real.
- Verify the Partita IVA with the tax agency. The Agenzia delle Entrate website has a free "Verifica della Partita IVA" service (no login, captcha only). It shows whether the number is attiva, sospesa or cessata (active, suspended or ceased) and the relevant dates.
- Run it through VIES. The European Commission's VIES tool tells you whether the number is registered for intra-EU trade. An "invalid" result means the number does not exist, is not activated for intra-EU transactions, or registration is not finished. VIES does not show a name and address for every country, and the Commission does not guarantee the data, so treat it as one check, not the only one.
- Look up the company in the Registro delle Imprese. Search registroimprese.it (Italian) or italianbusinessregister.it (English, run by InfoCamere). Compare the legal name, legal form, registered office, business activity and officers with what you were told.
- Order a visura camerale. This Chamber of Commerce extract summarises the company's legal and economic profile: name, legal form, registered office, tax code, activity and directors. Office fees are about €4–8 depending on the type; an English version exists. A visura storica adds past filings and changes, which helps you spot a recent change of name, owner or directors. Each visura carries a QR code you can scan with InfoCamere's free "RI QR Code" app to confirm it is original, so ask for one and check it, or better, order your own.
- Find the PEC address in INI-PEC. Italian companies have a certified email (PEC) address. INI-PEC (inipec.gov.it), the national index fed by the Business Register, is free and needs no registration. Use that address, or a phone number from the official record, to confirm the deal with the company directly.
- Check its LEI if it has one. Companies active in financial markets often hold a Legal Entity Identifier. A GLEIF lookup should show the same name and address; see how to check an LEI number.
Which check proves what
| Source | What it confirms | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Agenzia delle Entrate – Verifica Partita IVA | VAT number active, suspended or ceased | Free |
| VIES (European Commission) | Number valid for intra-EU trade | Free |
| Registro delle Imprese / visura camerale | Legal name, form, office, activity, directors, history | About €4–8 per visura |
| INI-PEC | Official certified email address | Free |
| GLEIF | LEI record and status (if the company has one) | Free |
Red flags
- The Partita IVA shows as cessata or sospesa, or fails the format check.
- The name, address or directors in the visura differ from the offer, the letterhead or the bank details.
- You are sent a PDF "visura" whose QR code does not verify, or the seller refuses to let you order your own.
- Contact only through a free webmail address while the company's PEC and official phone point elsewhere.
- Payment is requested to an account in a different company's name or in another country with no clear reason.
- The visura storica shows a very recent change of name, directors or activity that nobody mentioned.
- A real, long-registered Italian company is named, but the person dealing with you cannot be reached through that company's own official channels (a sign of possible impersonation, not of wrongdoing by the company).
A clean registry record proves the company exists. It does not prove that the person you are talking to works for it, or that the goods exist. Confirm both through the company's official contacts before you send money or documents. For a general method, see is this company real?
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FAQ
Is the Italian business register free to search?
Basic searches are available at registroimprese.it and italianbusinessregister.it, but official extracts such as a visura camerale cost about €4–8 in office fees. The Agenzia delle Entrate Partita IVA check, VIES and INI-PEC are free.
What is a visura camerale?
A Chamber of Commerce extract summarising a company's legal and economic profile: name, legal form, registered office, tax code, activity and directors. It has a QR code you can verify with InfoCamere's RI QR Code app.
How many digits does an Italian Partita IVA have?
Eleven: 7 identify the taxpayer, 3 are the issuing tax office code, and the last is a check digit.
Does a valid VIES result prove a company is genuine?
No. It only shows the VAT number is registered for intra-EU trade. Combine it with the Business Register, the Agenzia delle Entrate check and the company's official PEC address.
How do I do a Partita IVA check in Italy?
Enter the 11-digit number in the Agenzia delle Entrate's free 'Verifica partita IVA' service, then confirm the same number and company name in VIES and in the Business Register (Registro Imprese).
Vanguard Verify is run by Vanguard Trade Capital Goods Wholesalers DWC-LLC, Dubai South, Licence 14282. This answer is general information, not legal or financial advice.