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Starting a business activity in Italy with a SCIA filed with the SUAP (Impresa in un giorno)

When starting an activity producing goods or providing services is subject to a SCIA (segnalazione certificata di inizio attività, certified notice of start of activity, art. 19 of Law 241/1990), the business files the notice with the SUAP, the one-stop shop for productive activities and the single access point for the administrative matters of its activity. The SCIA is completed online on the impresainungiorno.gov.it portal through a guided questionnaire, signed digitally and sent to the municipality's SUAP: if the formal check is positive, the SUAP automatically issues a receipt, which in the automated procedure entitles the business to start from the filing date. If a ComUnica to the Companies Register is also needed, the two filings are made together or at most 30 days apart.

Up to date for 2026 — verified on September 25, 2026Official procedure, no printed formGuide: about 60 min

This content is part of the path: Starting a business under the flat-rate regime· Step 10 of 12· Next step: Italian income tax return: Redditi Persone fisiche form

Deadlines

From the filing date
In the automated procedure, an activity subject to a SCIA can start on the day the notice is filed
Within 30 days of the SCIA
Filing of the ComUnica with the Companies Register, attaching the SUAP receipt, if the SCIA was filed separately

Documents to prepare

  • Registration on the impresainungiorno.gov.it portal
  • A digital signature device for the business owner or their intermediary
  • The declarations, attestations, certifications and attachments required by the SUAP questionnaire for the activity
  • If registration with the Companies Register is also needed, the ComUnica filing and access to the DIRE application
See the procedure on the official site

No form is attached to this procedure: the link leads to the official page that describes it.

What this page gives you

The guide above and the link to the official site. ActioFin does not produce any document for this page: whatever you fill in or file is done on the official medium.

Who this applies to

  • Businesses that start, transform, extend, move, close or restart a productive or service activity for which the municipality requires a SCIA
  • Intermediaries who prepare and sign the filing on behalf of the business, with a proxy or special power of attorney
  • It does not cover activities subject to prior authorisation: in the ordinary procedure an application is filed and the activity starts only once the authorisation is granted
  • The VAT number and registration with the Companies Register do not go through the SCIA but through the ComUnica or, for professionals, form AA9/12

Worked example

Giulia Russo opens a business in Turin

Giulia starts in Turin an activity that the municipality makes subject to a SCIA and that also requires registration with the Companies Register. She registers on impresainungiorno.gov.it, checks that Turin uses the portal and clicks « Compila la tua pratica SUAP »: the guided questionnaire generates the SCIA form, to which she attaches the required declarations and attestations. She chooses joint filing: she prepares the ComUnica with the DIRE application, includes the SCIA, signs digitally and sends everything to the Companies Register, which forwards the SCIA to the SUAP at once. With the receipt she can open that same day; had she chosen separate filing, she would have had 30 days from the SCIA to file the ComUnica.

How to fill it in, step by step

  1. Check on the impresainungiorno.gov.it portal whether your activity in your municipality is subject to a SCIA or to an authorisation, and that the municipality uses the portal (« Trova subito il tuo sportello » section).
  2. Register on the portal and, once logged in, open the « Compila la tua pratica SUAP » procedure.
  3. Answer the guided questionnaire, which builds the online SCIA form, and attach all the required declarations, attestations and certifications.
  4. Sign the filing with the digital signature of the business owner or of the delegated intermediary.
  5. Send it to the SUAP; if a ComUnica is also needed, choose joint filing with the DIRE application or separate filing, with the ComUnica within 30 days attaching the SUAP receipt.
  6. Keep the SUAP's automatic receipt: in the automated procedure it entitles you to start the activity.
  7. Follow the status of the procedure from the authenticated area of the SUAP front office.

Good to know

  • The SUAP is an online-only office; its functions are exercised by municipalities, alone or jointly, or delegated to the competent Chamber of Commerce.
  • The SUAP only checks, electronically, the formal completeness of the notice and its attachments, then forwards it online to the competent administrations and offices.
  • The Chamber of Commerce acts as the business's single point of contact on behalf of the competent bodies, such as the Fire Brigade or the heritage authorities.
  • With the switch to SUAP 2.0, to be completed by 25 February 2026, nothing changes for businesses and advisers: what changes is the communication between administrations.
  • The SUAP front office also offers an information area on procedures, rules and forms.

Common mistakes

  • Starting with a SCIA an activity that requires prior authorisation, which follows the ordinary procedure.
  • Sending the filing without the digital signature of the business owner or the intermediary.
  • Leaving out an attachment: the SUAP checks formal completeness before issuing the receipt.
  • Filing the SCIA alone and letting the 30 days for the ComUnica to the Companies Register lapse.
  • Thinking the SCIA opens a VAT number or registers the business: that takes the ComUnica or form AA9/12.

Frequently asked questions

From when can I open after the SCIA?

In the automated procedure, from the filing date: the online receipt issued by the SUAP entitles you to start the activity.

Where is the SCIA filed?

With the municipality's SUAP, online; for municipalities that use it, through the impresainungiorno.gov.it portal. It can also be filed together with the ComUnica to the Companies Register.

What is the difference between a SCIA and an authorisation?

With a SCIA the activity starts from filing; in the ordinary procedure the business first files an application and can start only once the authorisation is granted.

Can a professional file the SCIA for me?

Yes: the filing can be digitally signed by an intermediary, and the SUAP front office handles the proxy or special power of attorney.

Go further

Related forms

Official sources

Read in Italian

Guide and document provided for information purposes only; they do not constitute personalised legal or tax advice. Check the recipient organisation's requirements and consult a professional if needed.