Our website uses  cookies for statistical purposes.

Our Articles

Virtual Office in Italy

Virtual Office in Italy

If you want to show professionalism and, at the same time, gain efficiency, then a virtual office is the perfect choice for your business. As virtual offices have become interesting choices among investors due to the low office expenses, our Italian agents in company formation offer you the possibility of renting a virtual office in Italy. We know all the procedures for company registration in Italy; as such, we can offer assistance when you decide to set up a company in Italy. We offer professional services to those interested in doing business, including virtual offices in Milan or Rome.

 Quick Facts  
Who can benefit from virtual office services

Investors who want to expand their businesses, startups etc. 

The purpose of a virtual office

Registered business address

Facilities of a virtual office

– mail collection and forwarding,

– call answering and redirecting,

– voice mailbox services

Local business address (YES/NO)

Yes

Registered office (YES/NO) Yes
Dedicated fax services (YES/NO)

Yes

Timeframe for receiving virtual office package

Around 24 hours

Collection of bank statements

On request

Meeting rooms (YES/NO) Yes 
Local phone number (YES/NO)

Yes

Dedicated office plan 

On request

Virtual assistant (YES/NO)

Yes

Location rent (YES/NO)

No

Work remotely (YES/NO)

Yes

Costs of a virtual office At a fraction of price for a traditional office

Services related to buying a virtual office in Italy

Having a virtual office in Milan or Rome, you will benefit from all the advantages that a traditional office offers, but with a fraction of a cost. You will have a high-profile office in two of the most important cities in Italy. We have a vast experience in company formation services, as well as in virtual office services, so rest assure that you make the right choice.

Our agents in company formation in Italy offer you a great virtual office package and you will benefit from the following:

  • prestigious business address in Milan or Rome that will offer you a credible and risk-free base for corresponding with clients;
  • you will have the necessary registered office in order to open a company in Italy;
  • we will collect your mail and forward it, as you require. In addition, we can receive packages on your behalf and send them to you, according to your instructions, using e-mail, fax or post;
  • we can provide assistance regarding incoming and outgoing faxes. We will collect all faxes you receive in your virtual office and we will send all the needed faxes on your behalf, regardless of where you are;
  • you will benefit from a local phone in either Rome or Milan;
  • you will have a voice mailbox. As such, we will send you by e-mail all voice messages received at the virtual office.

We also invite you to watch our video on how to purchase virtual office services in Italy:

Additional services offered by an Italian virtual office

Moreover, the extra services offered when purchasing virtual office services from our company registration advisors in Italy are:

  1. Communication channels: dedicated fax service with your own dedicated and private number;
  2. Call redirecting: you will benefit from a specialized technology that enables call redirection to your preferred number;
  3. Bank operations: we can collect all your bank statements and forward them wherever indicated;
  4. Extra space usage: we can supply extra usage of the meeting room, based on a previous appointment.

Most virtual office packages include only the standard services. It is useful to note that some of these, such as access to extra meeting room space, may not be readily available and entrepreneurs will need to check their availability and schedule their use as needed. However, most buildings where virtual offices are located are spacious enough to accommodate all clients and have several meeting rooms of different sizes that are fully equipped for videoconferencing, meetings and presentations. Office and meeting room availability as well as the quality of the internet connectivity are two things that should be taken into consideration when choosing a virtual office package.

Setting up a business in Italy is not complicated if you take into account the formalities involved. SRL is the most used and appreciated business structure and is suitable for both local and foreign entrepreneurs, and our local agents can take care of preparing the necessary documents, obtaining a license, and registering for the payment of taxes. We, therefore, invite you to contact us and discover our services. We mention that a company can be established in a maximum of 7 days.

We also prepared an infographic on this subject:

Virtual office or traditional office in Italy?

Many foreign investors who open companies in Italy and need to have a legal address often wonder whether they should go for a virtual or a traditional office. This is why we have made a brief comparison between the two types of offices:

 Virtual Office  Traditional Office
 Is cheaper to maintain Is more expensive to maintain
 No employees are required At least one employee is required
 Is usually located in a prestigious business center The location is usually chosen based on the price
 The office is already equipped when bought The client needs to equip the office

This comparison is different for companies that also need to establish a production center or need to set up a warehouse to deposit certain materials or goods. For these companies, that can be involved in manufacturing products or foodstuffs, the virtual office may only be a solution to a certain extent. In selected business fields, where production is handled in Italy, investors will need to take into consideration the sector-specific costs for ensuring the production equipment.

Investors should remember that the company will need to meet other requirements, apart from having a registered office in the form of a virtual office. These include VAT registration in Italy.

We mention that our accountants in Italy can offer you complete services in this field, respecting the legislation in force. You will need payroll, bookkeeping, audits, preparation and submission of annual financial statements, and many more. We can also offer human resources management services, and the prices in this sense are calculated according to the size of the company, activities, and the number of employees.

The benefits of a virtual office in Italy 

Having a virtual office in Italy is more convenient than a traditional office due to the low maintenance costs. According to the business needs of the investors, the virtual office can offer secretarial or receptionist services, IT support; our team of Italian lawyers can offer more details on the available services. In case you need a virtual office and support for opening a company in another European country, for example in Greece, we can put you in contact with our partners.

virtual office is recommended to small companies with few business operations, that can be carried out from a remote location. It is also suitable for investors who prefer doing business in a more flexible manner. In the situation in which the company has employees, they can also perform their work activities from a remote location, this being one of the main advantages of a virtual office, as more and more persons searching for a job prefer to conduct their activities following a flexible schedule

It is also acknowledged that through a virtual office, the productivity of the company’s employees increase, as they work in less stressful environments and they no longer lose time on the commute, which, in large cities can add up to 10 hours a week to the overall weekly work program. 

More importantly, the company can benefit from employees who have a high degree of independence, who can prove that they can handle the work requirements without a strict supervision, which is generally the case of a traditional office. It is also a great opportunity to hire persons who are not able to move due to various physical conditions. 

Interested in payroll in Italy? Our company can offer you such services, if you have a company registered in this country and if you are interested in a customized package in this sense. Calculating salaries, paying related taxes, and then distributing them to employees’ accounts are just some of the tasks that come to the attention of our specialists. Contact us to discover more about the services we can offer you.

Lower costs with a virtual office in Italy 

One of the most important aspects of the costs incurred by a virtual office refers to the fact that the company can make substantial savings, as there are no leasing or purchase costs. Since the office already provides the minimum requirements to perform a business activity, the investors will not have to spend on furniture, monthly rent, utilities and other associated costs that usually arise when opening a business.

Most virtual office packages are based on monthly or yearly subscriptions and the price per month may vary according to existing offers or whether the client is able to make the entire payment. The actual costs will vary from one office provider to another and can be influenced by the location of the building and the number of basic services included in the standard package (not considering the extra services, available upon request). These costs should be taken into consideration when deciding to open a company in Italy.

Small businesses or start-ups can benefit the most from working via a virtual office, especially if remote work is possible in their business field, such as for a software company or a consulting firm. The costs that could otherwise be directed towards renting an office space can be used to fund various other projects or increase the new company’s market visibility. The company will have all of the basic services, most notably a local address and telephone number to easily communicate with the Italian business partners and clients, and it will also have the advantages that come with a flexible schedule.

Having a virtual office is a suitable choice for many companies, including ones that have already been present on the market and are looking to cut the office-space costs. In this case, we recommend getting gin touch with one of our agents who specialize in company formation in Italy as any changes to the company’s particulars (in this case, the address), need to be notified with the Italian Business Register (Registro Imprese).

Company formation in Italy

Opting for a virtual office is only one step in the company incorporation process that provides for the mandatory registered office address for any new business. However, investors should know that they will also need to handle a number of steps in order to open an Italian company.

In order to open a company in Italy, investors have to:

  1. Choose a business form: there are two types of corporations available for registration: the private limited liability company and the public limited liability company; the choice depends on the business size and available capital.
  2. Choose a company name: each company needs to have a unique name; availability can be verified prior to commencing the process.
  3. Establish the company registered office: determining the registered office location is important because it will be included in the company’s constitutive documents.
  4. Draw up the Articles: the Articles of Association and the Memorandum contain essential information about the business.
  5. Register the new business: once these steps are complete, and the founders have also deposited the minimum capital, the company can be registered with the Business Register.

All companies in Italy need to observe the taxation regime, set forth by the Ministry of Finance. Some of these taxes are the following:

  • the 24% corporate income tax rate (IRES) and the regional tax on productive activities of  3.9%;
  • the general 26% withholding tax on dividends (subject to a refund policy or a reduced rate under a double tax treaty);
  • the 22% standard value-added tax, with its reduced rates of 4%, 5% and 10%.

Please keep in mind that this is only a brief description of the mandatory steps for company formation in Italy and the requirements regarding taxation. Our agents can provide more details and can assist investors throughout this process.

If you are interested in the services of a virtual office, you may contact our Italian law firm, for assistance in this matter. We can also put you in touch with our partners if you need financial services for your company.

For more details, you may contact our specialists in company formation who may also offer you additional services in other countries, such as Czech RepublicMalaysia and Russia. We can help you contact local lawyers in Czech Republic or other states where you may be interested in doing business.