Register a Company in Milan: The Honest 2026 Guide

If you want to register a company in Milan, you have picked the most commercially serious city in Italy, but the process runs through a notary rather than an online form, which surprises almost everyone arriving from northern Europe. This guide covers the structures, the notary and Registro Imprese steps, 2026 tax rates, real costs, and the registrations founders forget. It is general information, not legal or tax advice, so confirm your position with a licensed commercialista or notary.

Why Founders Register a Company in Milan

Ask ten foreign founders why they register a company in Milan rather than Rome or Turin and the answer is always density. Milan holds Borsa Italiana, the head offices of the major Italian banks, and the largest concentration of law and accountancy firms in the country. Italian company administration is relationship-heavy: you will deal with a notary, a commercialista, a Chamber of Commerce counter and often a labour consultant, and here you can find all four in English.

The law is national, so incorporating here gives no special tax status. What the city gives you is speed of access. Your company is entered in the Business Register held by the Camera di Commercio di Milano Monza Brianza Lodi, Via Meravigli 9/b, 20123 Milano, tel 02 85151.

SRL, SRLS or Ditta Individuale

Three structures cover almost every case. The SRL is the standard Italian limited company, with minimum share capital of 10,000 euros and limited liability. The SRLS, the simplified version, can start with one euro of capital, but only natural persons may be shareholders and it must use the fixed ministerial template, so the articles cannot be customised. The ditta individuale is the sole trader route: no notary, no capital, and no separation between you and the business debts.

Most people who register a company in Milan to serve clients or raise money choose the SRL, because banks, landlords and investors read it as a real company. Freelancers billing their own time usually open a partita IVA as a ditta individuale instead, which is far cheaper to run.

The Notary and Registro Imprese Process

An SRL cannot exist without an Italian notary, and that is the biggest surprise for people who register a company in Milan after doing it online elsewhere. Since 5 November 2022, under Legislative Decree 183/2021, the deed can be signed by video conference on the platform run by the National Council of Notaries using standard ministerial templates, useful if you are not yet resident.

1. Codice fiscale. Every shareholder and director needs one, from the Agenzia delle Entrate or an Italian consulate.
2. Articles and capital. The atto costitutivo and statuto are drafted and the cash capital is paid in.
3. Sign before a notary. In person or by video conference. Using the standard template online, the notary fee is capped at half the official Table C amount.
4. Filing with the Registro Imprese. The notary deposits the deed with the Business Register, which is when the company legally exists.
5. Comunicazione Unica. One electronic filing, ComUnica, reaches the Business Register, Agenzia delle Entrate, INPS and INAIL at once. The partita IVA is normally issued the same day.
6. PEC address. Certified email is compulsory and every official notice arrives there.

Tax in 2026: IRES, IRAP and the Forfettario

Italian companies pay two taxes on profit. IRES, corporate income tax, has a headline rate of 24%. A temporary reduced rate of 20%, the IRES premiale, applied to the 2025 tax period under the 2025 Budget Law and required three conditions together: retaining at least 80% of profits, qualifying 4.0 or 5.0 investments, and higher headcount. Whether a reduced rate survives into your financial year changes with each budget law, so ask your commercialista.

IRAP, the regional tax on productive activities, has an ordinary rate of 3.9% of net production value, and regions may move it by up to 0.92 percentage points. In Lombardy most limited companies pay the ordinary rate. Freelancers who register a company in Milan as a ditta individuale can often use the regime forfettario instead: revenue up to 85,000 euros, a substitute tax of 5% for the first five years of a genuinely new activity and 15% after that.

Costs and Timelines to Budget For

Two numbers get confused constantly when you register a company in Milan: government fees and professional fees. The Chamber of Commerce secretarial fee for a company filing is 90 euros, with stamp duty on top that varies by company type, so check the fee table on milomb.camcom.it. The annual diritto annuale follows: for 2026 a sole trader in the ordinary section pays 120 euros for the head office and 24 euros per local unit, already including the 50% reduction and the 20% increase authorised for 2026 to 2028. Companies pay on turnover brackets instead.

The notary is the real cost of an SRL and quotes vary widely, which is why the video conference route with its capped fee is worth asking about. Add a monthly commercialista retainer for the books and annual filings. Many founders run a multi-currency account such as wise.com or revolut.com alongside the Italian bank for cross-border invoicing, though a local account is what pays tax and payroll.

VAT, INPS and Trading Legally

ComUnica gets you the partita IVA, but the last stretch of work to register a company in Milan is being able to employ and trade legally. If you take on staff, including yourself as a working director, you register as an employer with INPS and insure them with INAIL through the same unified filing. The INPS contact centre is 803 164, free from an Italian landline, or 06 164 164 from a mobile, open Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 8am to 2pm, with foreign language support Monday to Friday 9am to 2pm.

Regulated activities also need a SCIA filed with the Comune di Milano through the SUAP desk. Non-EU founders should look at the Investor Visa for Italy, a two-year visa for 250,000 euros in an Italian innovative startup, 500,000 euros in an Italian limited company or 2 million euros in government bonds; it is currently suspended for Russian and Belarusian citizens. Small things help too: italki.com for enough Italian to read your own notices, housinganywhere.com for an address while you scout offices, and airalo.com for data on setup trips before you have an Italian number.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to register a company in Milan?

Once codice fiscale numbers, articles and capital are ready, the notary deed and the Registro Imprese filing move quickly, and most people who register a company in Milan get the partita IVA the same day the Comunicazione Unica is filed. Gathering documents beforehand and opening the bank account afterwards are the slow parts.

Do I need a notary to register a company in Milan?

Yes for an SRL or SRLS: the incorporation deed must be received by an Italian notary as a public act. Since November 2022 the signing can happen by video conference, and with the standard ministerial template the notary fee is capped at half the official Table C amount.

What tax will my Italian company pay in 2026?

IRES at a headline 24%, plus IRAP at an ordinary 3.9% of net production value, which is what most limited companies in Lombardy pay. A temporary 20% IRES rate applied to the 2025 period under strict conditions, so confirm what applies to your year.

Can I stay a freelancer instead of forming a company?

Yes. A partita IVA as a ditta individuale needs no notary and no capital, and the regime forfettario allows revenue up to 85,000 euros with a substitute tax of 5% for the first five years of a new activity and 15% after. You give up limited liability.

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Written by FinePassport team