Corporate bank account · Italy
Italian Bank Account for Non-Residents and Their Companies
Your Italian company's account file, prepared from abroad in the right order after the deed, with what a bank must check under anti-money-laundering law. The bank decides.
- S.r.l.: no account needed before the deed (Civil Code, Art. 2464)
- Remote identification routes listed in Art. 19 D.Lgs. 231/2007
- F24 tax payments: online only
A corporate account for a company run from abroad
We coordinate the file and the order of steps for a current account in your Italian company's name. We do not open accounts: a bank, Poste Italiane or another provider does, and as the Banca d'Italia explains, providers are not obliged in general to accept a request to open one.
The service fits an Italian company whose director or owners live abroad: a foreign parent's subsidiary, a founder based in the US, owners holding Italian quotas through an authorised fiduciary company, or a company bought ready-made, which needs an account in its new owners' names (see the detailed ready-made companies page).
What our coordination covers
Seven pieces of work the bank will read.
The order of steps
For an S.r.l. we place the account after the deed and the Register entry; for an S.p.A. we flag the bank deposit that comes before the deed.
The director's codice fiscale
Each director abroad asks the Italian consulate in their country of residence for it (Agenzia delle Entrate); we prepare the request.
A foreign parent's documents
Incorporation certificate, register extract and the signatory's powers, apostilled or legalised, with a certified Italian translation (Ministero degli Affari Esteri).
The beneficial-ownership statement
The written statement the company owes the bank under Art. 22 D.Lgs. 231/2007, with the chain traced to every natural person above 25% (Art. 20).
A remote identification route
A map of the routes in Art. 19(1)(a) the director actually has: a deed, a qualified signature certificate, SPID or an eIDAS eID, or the consulate.
The F24 check
Whether each provider's channel can pay the company's taxes by F24, which a partita IVA holder pays online only.
The application file
The application in the company's name: the company, its director, its beneficial owners and the account's purpose (Art. 18), and our answers to the bank's follow-up questions.
The decision to open, the identification itself and any enhanced checks stay with the bank.
From the signed deed to a working account
- Deed and capitalS.r.l.: to the management body named in the deed, or the notary's dedicated account on the online deed. S.p.A.: at least 25% of cash contributions at a bank first
- Notary filesDeed to the RegisterWithin 10 days (Art. 2330 c.c.)
- Register entryEntry after filing10 days from protocol; 5 for an electronic filing
- Chamber and agencies confirmConfirmation per the Comunicazione Unica guideChamber 5 days; agencies 7 days
- Provider class and F24 checkWhich channel can pay the company's taxes by F24No statutory term
- Customer due diligenceThe bank identifies the company, director and beneficial ownersNo statutory term
- AccountThe bank decides whether to openNo statutory term
A codice fiscale for each director
Each director and natural-person founder abroad asks the Italian consulate in their country of residence for the Italian tax code (Agenzia delle Entrate). No statutory term applies.
Documents legalised and translated
A foreign parent's documents are apostilled or legalised, then translated into Italian (Ministero degli Affari Esteri). The director's qualified signature certificate is also a remote identification route.
The deed and the capital
S.r.l. capital goes to the management body named in the deed (Art. 2464(4) c.c.) or, on the online deed, to the notary's dedicated account (Art. 2(1) D.Lgs. 183/2021). An S.p.A. deposits at least 25% of cash contributions at a bank first (Art. 2342(2) c.c.). The deed itself: the detailed company formation page.
Filing and Register entry
The notary files within 10 days (Art. 2330 c.c.); the Register enters an electronic filing within 5 days (Art. 11(8) D.P.R. 581/1995). The VAT number follows: Italian VAT registration for foreigners.
The provider class and its F24 route
An Italian bank or Poste Italiane, an EU bank or fintech, an e-money or payment institution: we set out each one's conditions and F24 channel. The choice is yours.
The application in the company's name
The company, the director acting for it and each beneficial owner are identified, and the account's purpose is stated (Art. 18). No statute sets a term for this step.
Identification
In person by default, or without presence through the Art. 19(1)(a) routes that the bank's own procedures allow.
Enhanced checks, or a refusal
A risk factor triggers enhanced checks (Art. 24); a bank unable to complete due diligence must refrain from opening the account (Art. 42(1)).
Which identification route does your director have?
Send the director's country of residence and the company's ownership chain. The review maps the routes the law gives them.
What the bank will ask for, and why
These are the legal categories of D.Lgs. 231/2007, not a bank's own list; no official document checklist is published.
- The director's valid identity document (Art. 19)
- The codice fiscale of each director
- The company's registration data and its partita IVA
- Each beneficial owner's identity and the ownership chain above 25% (Art. 20)
- Where no one passes 25%: those with representation, administration or direction powers
- A foreign parent's incorporation documents and signatory's powers, legalised and translated
- A statement of the purpose and nature of the account
- The Italian consulate's declaration, where the director uses that route
Who counts, and where the company records it: our guide to the beneficial owner register.
Identification without travelling to Italy
The law starts from identification in person and then lists the routes that count without presence.
| Route | What Art. 19(1)(a) accepts | Director in an EU state | Director in the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| In presence | identification at the bank on a valid identity document, copy kept | yes | yes, on a visit to the bank |
| Public or authenticated deed, or qualified signature certificate | identity data from a notarial deed, an authenticated private writing or a qualified digital-signature certificate | yes | yes |
| SPID or an eIDAS-notified eID | a digital identity of at least "significant" assurance | where their eID is eIDAS-notified | no: eIDAS is an EU scheme |
| Italian consular declaration | identity data from a declaration of the Italian consular authority | yes | yes |
| Already identified by the same entity | identification done for another relationship with the same bank | if already a client | if already a client |
| Forms set by the supervisor | forms fixed by the Banca d'Italia's provisions | as the bank applies them | as the bank applies them |
Points 4-bis and 4-ter of Art. 19(1)(a) D.Lgs. 231/2007 cover payment cards and similar services only, not a corporate account.
Source: Art. 19 D.Lgs. 231/2007, Normattiva, text in force since 1 March 2022. Which route a given bank accepts is its own procedure.
The F24 test: which account can pay Italian taxes
Every partita IVA holder pays the F24 online only, and companies pay income tax with it (Agenzia delle Entrate).
| Channel | Offered by | Account the company needs |
|---|---|---|
| Internet banking of a collection intermediary under agreement | banks, Poste Italiane and payment service providers under agreement with the Agenzia | an account with that intermediary |
| F24 web or F24 online (Entratel or Fisconline) | the Agenzia delle Entrate | for a balance above zero, a current account at an agreed bank or at Poste Italiane |
| An authorised intermediary | an intermediary paying on the company's behalf | the channel the intermediary uses |
An EU IBAN receives euro transfers from every member state (Regulation (EU) 260/2012); that settles receiving money, not paying Italian taxes.
Source: Agenzia delle Entrate, how to pay by F24, section for partita IVA holders.
Problems we solve
Five things that stall an application, and how each is handled.
- "Refused, and nobody says why"
A bank unable to complete due diligence must refrain (Art. 42(1)), and the tipping-off bar may stop it explaining (Banca d'Italia). We answer with a complete file before the first application.
- "The director cannot fly in"
Art. 19(1)(a) lists routes without presence. We prepare the one the director has: a deed, a qualified signature certificate or the consulate's declaration.
- "A fintech will be faster"
E-money and payment institutions are obliged entities like banks, EU-seated ones without an Italian branch included (Art. 3(2)). We check each option's F24 route instead of promising a shortcut.
- "There is no account for the capital"
An S.r.l. does not need one: capital goes to the management body or, on the online deed, to the notary's dedicated account. We plan the order around it.
- "The bank asks who really owns the company"
Art. 20 makes each natural person above 25% a beneficial owner, and Art. 22 obliges the company to state them in writing. We trace the chain first.
Stuck at the bank, or refused without a reason?
Have the file reviewed before a second application.
Who prepares your file
Valentina Orsini, licensing, fiduciary and founder-permits lead, Rome; nine years; Italian, English, German.
From our practice: we assemble the file in the order the bank reads it, coordinate the consulate and the notary, and answer the bank's questions. We never name a bank as certain.
Related services and guides
- Foreign-Owned Company in Italy, Set Up from Abroad: a foreign parent's subsidiary or branch.
- Fiduciary services: holding Italian quotas through an authorised fiduciary company.
- Italian VAT registration for foreigners: the partita IVA every F24 payment runs on.
- Beneficial owners: our guide to the beneficial owner register.
Frequently asked questions
Can you guarantee that a bank will open the company's account?
No. Banks and payment service providers are not obliged in general to accept a request to open an account, and the basic payment account (conto di base) covers consumers only, not a business (Banca d'Italia). The decision is the bank's. What we control is a complete file, presented in the right order.
How long does opening the account take?
No statute sets a term for opening a corporate account, and no official source publishes a turnaround. The steps before it do have terms: the notary files the deed within 10 days (Art. 2330 c.c.), and the Register enters the company within 10 days of protocol, or 5 for an electronic filing (Art. 11(8) D.P.R. 581/1995).
Does the director have to travel to Italy, or can it be done online?
The law does not require travel. Under Art. 19(1)(a) D.Lgs. 231/2007, identification counts as done without presence through a public or authenticated deed, a qualified signature certificate, SPID or an eIDAS-notified eID, or a declaration of the Italian consulate. Which of these routes a given bank offers is set by its own procedures.
Can a non-resident open a corporate account in Italy?
Nothing in D.Lgs. 231/2007 bars a foreign-owned company, or a director who lives abroad, from opening one. There is no right to a business account either: the bank decides, within the rules on transparency, fairness and anti-money-laundering, and the basic payment account the law guarantees covers consumers only (Banca d'Italia).
Can a US citizen, or a director living in the US, open the company's account?
Nationality is not a test in D.Lgs. 231/2007. A director living in the US has no eIDAS-notified eID, so the remote routes in Art. 19(1)(a) are a notarial or authenticated deed, a qualified signature certificate or the Italian consulate's declaration. Otherwise identification takes place in person, at the bank.
Is it difficult, and why can a bank refuse without saying why?
Distance without secure electronic identification, a high-risk area or a politically exposed person triggers enhanced checks (Art. 24). A bank that cannot complete due diligence must refrain (Art. 42(1)), and the bar on tipping off the customer (Art. 39, penalty Art. 55(4)) may stop it from explaining why.
Is an e-money or payment-institution account easier?
The law is the same. E-money and payment institutions are obliged entities like banks under Art. 3(2) D.Lgs. 231/2007, including EU-seated ones serving Italy without a branch. An e-money institution is a separate category authorised by the Banca d'Italia, and no official source says whether its account can take the capital.
Does the company need an Italian bank account before the deed?
Not for an S.r.l. On an in-person deed the capital is paid to the management body named in the deed (Art. 2464(4) c.c.); on the online deed it goes by bank transfer to the notary's dedicated account (Art. 2(1) D.Lgs. 183/2021). An S.p.A. pays at least 25% of cash contributions at a bank before the deed.
What will the bank ask for?
What Arts. 18, 19 and 22 D.Lgs. 231/2007 require: the identity of the company, of the director acting for it and of each beneficial owner, the purpose and nature of the account, and the company's written beneficial-ownership information (Art. 22). No official source publishes a document checklist.
Who counts as the company's beneficial owner?
A natural person holding more than 25% of the capital, directly or through controlled companies, fiduciaries or a third person (Art. 20 D.Lgs. 231/2007). If no one passes that test, the persons with powers of legal representation, administration or direction; for a foreign-owned S.r.l. with no such holder, the director.
What does your help with the account cost?
We do not publish prices for our services. The scope depends on the company's stage, before or after the deed, on the director's country and identification route, and on the length of the ownership chain. Send those three points through the contact form and we reply with the scope and a price on request.
Can the company use a non-Italian EU IBAN?
For receiving euro transfers, yes: under Regulation (EU) 260/2012, a payee's account reachable for a national credit transfer must be reachable from any member state, and the IBAN is the identifier. Paying Italian taxes is a separate test: the F24 channel, set out in the next answer.
Can the company pay its Italian taxes from any account?
A company with a partita IVA pays the F24 online only (Agenzia delle Entrate): through the internet banking of a bank, Poste Italiane or payment provider under agreement with the Agenzia, through F24 web or F24 online with an account at an agreed bank or Poste Italiane, or through an authorised intermediary.
Do foreign documents need an apostille and a translation?
Foreign corporate documents handed to an Italian bank or notary are legalised by the Italian consulate, or apostilled in Hague Convention states, and translated into Italian with a certified translation (Ministero degli Affari Esteri). Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 removes legalisation for some public documents between member states.
Is a law coming that gives everyone a right to a bank account?
A bill, Senate S. 1595, would insert Art. 1857-bis into the Civil Code and oblige banks operating in Italy to open a current account for anyone who asks (Banca d'Italia hearing). It would not bind payment or e-money institutions and keeps the anti-money-laundering rules. At our last check, on 13 September 2026, it was before the Senate's 6th Commission.
Request a bank-account file review
Tell us the company's stage, the director's country of residence and the ownership chain. We reply with what the bank's file needs.