How to Italy

Starting a business in Italy for Eur1 (and no, there aren't any zeros missing)

Earlier this week I was interviewed on starting a business in Italy by Katie Morell for AmEx OpenForum. As part of that, I was explaining how you should never ever underestimate the amount of time it's going to take you to get things done. What take a two-minute phone call in the UK, can drag on for months over here. If you really are determined to start a business in Italy, then don't let this put you off. But it is somethng you need to be aware of. 

On the upside, I mentioned how things are slowly getting easier because Italy is finally catching up with the rest of of Europe. Of course, much of that has been due to the dire economic situation Italy's found itself in and the reforms that the caretaker prime minister Mario Monti has pushed through as a result (two sentences don't do justice to the situation or the steps that have been taken to reverse Italy's fortunes but I'm not interested in discussing that here). One of those is the società semplificata di responsabilità limitata or, to put it into English, a semplified limited company. 

The beauty of this reform is that you can now launch a start-up for just Eur1 and also bypass all the longwinded, faffy red tape that usually goes hand-in-hand with doing just about anything in Italy. For example, instead of making an appointment to see the notary, you simply send an online notification to the Registro delle Imprese (Companies' Registry Book) of your new venture and hey-ho, you're in business. 

Monti explained this decision on the Italian current affairs show Otto e Mezzo when he was grilled by the journalist Lilli Gruber. He said: "I don't know how many Bill Gates there are in Italy but if there are any, we don't want complicated and time-consuming procedures to prevent the birth of start-ups. 

On a personal note, there is one aspect that miffs me mightily. Monti's governemnt brought in these reforms a month after my 35th birthday, the cut off age for taking advantage of this new law. Since I'm too old (eek) to pay my Eur1 and start a new business, I hope you do. 

Free Italian Legal Advice

We've got the coldest winter in 25 years here in Italy and even Sardinia, which is usually drenched in sunshine, is caught in its clutches. 

So while we've got the heating whacked up to the max (for as long as the gas lasts) and I'm guzzling back lots of hot drinks to keep warm, I thought I'd be the bearer of some, frankly, fabulous news. 

We've teamed up with the bods at Studio Legale Annino, which is a law firm with offices in Milan, Rome, Velletri (RM) and Cagliari, to offer you expert advice for (wait for it)...absolutely nothing. 

See, I told you it was good. 

Every Friday they're going to choose one of your emails to answer and I'll publish the email and the answer here. So if you need legal advice about life or doing business in Italy, get writing. Send a brief email to my yahoo address emma underscore s underscore bird at yahoo dot co dot uk with the subject header: 'howtoitaly/studio legale annino. 

Meanwhile, watch out for my interview with Allison Lyndsay Sutherland, a South African industrial psychologist who works with Studio Legale Annino and is behind the bilingual service to stop foreigners being taken advantage of when they don't speak Italian and don't understand the legal system. 

I look forward to your emails.