Italy Representative office VISA: what you need to know
There are common misconceptions about the business VISA options in Italy; many people think that you need to invest large sums of money to secure a VISA to Italy. In Italy there is an often overlooked VISA that allows you to enter Italy without investing large sums of money, and this falls outside of the quota system.
This VISA is called the Representative office VISA, allowing the managing director of the foreign company to enter Italy to oversee the Italian Representative office operations.
Let’s find out how the Representative office VISA in Italy works.
How to set up your Representative office in Italy
The first thing you have to do is to set up the representative office in Italy and register it at the local Chamber of Commerce. In order to register your office you need to obtain the following documents:
- Foreign company certificate of registration;
- Sworn translation in Italian of the above;
- Managing director’s codice fiscale;
- Foreign company’s codice fiscale
Note that you can set up a representative office in Italy for any company in the world, as long as they belong to a country associated with the WTO (Check the WTO member countries here).
If all the documents are in place, you can register your representative office in Italy, supplying the following information:
- Foreign company details;
- Registered office address in Italy;
- Director appointed to oversee
In addition, you don’t need to file any annual tax return, as well as prove to have certain income sources to secure your VISA. Finally, the representative office in Italy does not attract your foreign business to the Italian taxation.
You can register your representative office in roughly 2/3 weeks depending on the promptness of the local Chamber of Commerce.

Documents needed to obtain your representative office VISA
Once the representative office is up and running, you can obtain the Visura Camerale, which certifies that your office exists in Italy. You must also obtain the following documents:
- Managing director remuneration statement;
- Chamber of commerce clearance certificate;
- Local county labor office clearance certificate;
- Italian immigration office Nulla Osta.
The foreign company needs to state the annual remuneration granted to the managing director moving to Italy, the remuneration must be in excess of € 8,500 per year in order to secure the VISA.
Subsequently, the chamber of commerce must provide the clearance statement saying there are no impediments to
Once you secure the Italian immigration office Nulla Osta, you can apply to the foreign Italian consulate to secure the VISA; you need to submit the following documents:
- Representative office Visura camerale;
- Managing director remuneration statement;
- Chamber of Commerce clearance certificate;
- Local county labor office clearance certificate;
- Nulla Osta;
- Proof of lodging;
- VISA application form;
- VISA Fee payment;
- Valid passport;
- One recent passport photo;
- Prepaid return envelope.

Representative office VISA and arrival to Italy
After the consulate procedure is completed, you are rewarded with a one year VISA to Italy, and you can move to Italy on any day after the Representative office VISA first validity date. Within 8 days from your arrival, you need to register with the local police department and you must convert your VISA into a residence permit.
The residence permit issuance procedure is as follows:
- You must go to the post office and fill the kit application;
- The post office will provide you a temporary residence permit and the Immigration Office appointment;
- On the appointment day you must provide all the original documents supplied to the foreign consulate;
- The Immigration Office will issue the 1 year VISA, advising on the pickup date.
How can Accounting Bolla help you secure the Representative office VISA
- Advise on the best immigration strategy;
- Set up the Italian representative office;
- Gather all the documents requested to obtain the Italian representative office VISA;
- Support your application at the foreign consulate;
- Deliver the residence permit;
- Annual permit renewal.
Hi We want to set up a representative Office In Italy and VISA needs for the permanent representative of the office.
Regards
Vinod Raheja
New Delhi, India
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