A PEC (posta elettronica certificata) is Italian certified e-mail whose sending and delivery receipts are opposable to third parties. Every Italian company must register one with the Register as its domicilio digitale, and the sole or managing director registers a second, personal one. The state charges nothing for the filing.
This guide explains the two addresses and what follows if one is missing. For the whole route from a founder's decision to a registered company, see how a foreign founder forms an Italian company.
What is a PEC in Italy?
A PEC is a system that certifies the sending and the delivery of an e-mail and gives receipts that can be set against third parties (Art. 1(1)(v-bis) D.Lgs. 82/2005, the Codice dell'amministrazione digitale, CAD). A transmission by PEC equals notification by post unless the law provides otherwise (Art. 48(2) CAD). That is why a PEC email in Italy is more than ordinary mail: it is a legal channel.
A domicilio digitale (digital domicile) is the electronic address elected at a PEC service or at a qualified electronic registered delivery service under Regulation (EU) 910/2014 (eIDAS), per Art. 1(1)(n-ter) CAD. In practice the Register works with PEC addresses. Wherever the law allows PEC, the CAD also admits a qualified eIDAS delivery service (Art. 1(1-ter) CAD). Whether the Register accepts a non-Italian one is taken up below, in the section on who files.
Does every Italian company need a PEC?
Yes. Every company in corporate form must indicate its domicilio digitale to the Register (Art. 16(6) D.L. 185/2008). Companies already formed had to do so by 1 October 2020. For a company being formed, the PEC in Italy is part of the incorporation application: an application filed without it is suspended until the digital domicile is added (Art. 16(6-bis), first sentence).
The company holds its PEC alone. Under the ministerial directive of 13 July 2015, issued under Art. 8 L. 580/1993, one PEC cannot serve two companies, as the Rome chamber of commerce explains.
Does a director need a PEC of their own?
The duty to register a director's personal PEC changed twice in a year, so older English-language material may describe a rule that no longer applies.
Who is bound
Since 31 October 2025 the sole director, the managing director or, failing them, the chairman. From 1 January 2025 to 30 October 2025 the duty covered all directors (Art. 5(1) D.L. 179/2012, as amended by Art. 13(3) D.L. 159/2025).
When it is filed
On conferral or renewal of the office, so at incorporation for a new company. Companies already registered had to communicate it by 31 December 2025 (Art. 13 D.L. 159/2025, converted by L. 198/2025).
Who is not bound
Among others, liquidators and the person in charge of an Italian branch of a foreign company (preposto di sede secondaria di società estera), according to the Milan chamber of commerce.
Company PEC or director's PEC: what is the difference?
The two addresses are different mailboxes with different holders, dates and consequences. The table sets them side by side. The director's PEC cannot coincide with the company's (Art. 13 D.L. 159/2025).
The company PEC and the director's PEC compared on seven points.
| Point | Company PEC | Director's PEC | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who is bound | Every company in corporate form | The sole director, the managing director or, failing them, the chairman | Art. 16(6) D.L. 185/2008; Art. 13 D.L. 159/2025 |
| Since when | Companies already formed: 1 October 2020 | Duty from 1 January 2025, narrowed on 31 October 2025 | Art. 16(6) D.L. 185/2008; Milan chamber |
| When it is filed | A new company: at incorporation | On conferral or renewal of the office, so at incorporation for a new company | Art. 16(6) D.L. 185/2008; Art. 13 D.L. 159/2025 |
| May it coincide | One PEC per company, held by that company alone | May not coincide with the company's, nor with another company's, except a sole trader's own | Rome chamber; Milan chamber |
| State charge | EUR 0, exempt from stamp duty and secretarial fees | None inside the incorporation application; EUR 30 fee and EUR 65 stamp duty only for a person not obliged | Art. 16(6) D.L. 185/2008; Milan chamber |
| If missing at incorporation | The application is suspended | Art. 16(6-bis) applies by reference; Milan suspends and may refuse | Art. 16(6-bis) D.L. 185/2008; Art. 13(4) D.L. 159/2025 |
| Who is not bound | Not applicable | Among others liquidators and the person in charge of an Italian branch | Milan chamber |
The Milan chamber reads the separation rule as excluding the PEC of any other registered company too. It allows one exception: a director who is also a sole trader may use the sole trader's registered PEC. Keep the two terms apart in every filing: the company PEC is the company's address, the director's PEC is the person's, and a PEC email address in one box cannot stand for the other.
Why must both addresses exist before the notary files?
The notary files the deed with the Register within 10 days (Art. 2330 c.c.), and the Register enters an electronic filing within 5 days of protocol (Art. 11(8) D.P.R. 581/1995). Without the company PEC the application is suspended (Art. 16(6-bis) D.L. 185/2008). Without the sole or managing director's PEC, the Milan Register suspends the incorporation filing and may refuse it. The texts read give no term for curing a suspension.
Before the deed: no statutory term
- Company PECHeld by the company aloneIf missing: application suspended (Art. 16(6-bis))
- Director's PECSole or managing director, or the chairmanIf missing: Milan may suspend and refuse; no cure term found
From the signed deed
48 hours: firm practice, not a legal term
- The notary filesThrough Comunicazione UnicaWithin 10 days (Art. 2330 c.c.)
- Register entryElectronic filingWithin 5 days of protocol (Art. 11(8) D.P.R. 581/1995)
- Chamber's noticeAt the company PECWithin 5 days
- Agencies' outcomeAgenzia delle Entrate, INPS, INAILWithin 7 days
The receipts then arrive at the company PEC: the chamber's notice within 5 days and the outcome from each agency (Agenzia delle Entrate, INPS, INAIL) within 7 days, as the GuidaComUnica of the Register describes. The receipt is valid for starting the business. The deed itself is explained in our guide to the deed and the statute of an Italian company, and the notary's part in the detailed notary's role page.
How does a founder abroad get the two addresses?
Six steps, in this order. No official source sets a time or a document list for opening a mailbox as a non-resident, so none is given here.
The founder or director obtains a codice fiscale
Each founder and director needs one for the deed. It is a step outside PEC.
Open the company mailbox
A commercial provider (gestore) issues it in the name of the company being formed. The founder, or the coordinator acting for them, orders it. It is not a state step.
Open the director's personal mailbox
It is for the sole or managing director, or the chairman if no director holds delegated powers, and is distinct from the company's.
Give both addresses to the notary before the deed
The founder does this. The Register also needs a legal address in Italy for the same filing.
The notary files through Comunicazione Unica (DIRE)
The filing carries both addresses and no state charge applies to either.
Receipts reach the company PEC
The chamber's notice and the agencies' outcomes arrive there, so someone must read it.
Who files the PEC with the Register, and can an EU delivery service be used?
Three capacities may file the company's PEC, according to the Rome chamber of commerce. We are none of the three and name them only so you know who signs.
- A director
With their own digital signature (firma digitale), or through the special power of attorney for Register filings (procura speciale).
- A notary
Instructed by the legal representative. At formation the notary's filing carries the company PEC.
- A section-A professional
A professional entered in section A under Art. 31(2-quater) and (2-quinquies) L. 340/2000.
The CAD admits a qualified eIDAS delivery service wherever PEC is allowed (Art. 1(1-ter) CAD). Whether the Register accepts a non-Italian one as a company's address was not confirmed in the sources read, so this guide claims no equivalence.
Will both addresses exist before the notary files?
Tell us where your two addresses stand and we will check them against the filing before the sitting. Request a check of your PEC addresses
What does the state charge for a PEC?
Registering or changing the company's PEC is exempt from stamp duty and secretarial fees (Art. 16(6) D.L. 185/2008). The 2026 tariff of the Romagna chamber prints EUR 0 and EUR 0 on the line for registering or changing a PEC address.
State charges around a PEC, from the statute and the chambers of commerce.
| Filing | Stamp duty | Secretarial fee | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Register or change the company's PEC | Exempt, EUR 0 | EUR 0 (2026 tariff line) | Art. 16(6) D.L. 185/2008; Romagna chamber, 2026 |
| Director's PEC inside the incorporation application | No separate charge | No separate charge | Milan chamber |
| Stand-alone notice by an obliged director | None | None | Milan chamber |
| Stand-alone notice by a person not obliged, capital company | EUR 65 | EUR 30 | Milan chamber |
| PEC filed together with other changes | Those changes pay their own amounts | Those changes pay their own amounts | Rome chamber |
The mailbox itself is bought from a private provider. This guide gives no price for it and names no provider.
What happens to a company with no valid PEC?
A new company is not fined: its application is suspended until the digital domicile is added. An existing company with no PEC, or whose PEC was struck off, faces the administrative fine of Art. 2630 c.c. in doubled form (Art. 16(6-bis) D.L. 185/2008). Where the director's PEC is missing, Art. 16(6-bis) applies by reference (Art. 13(4) D.L. 159/2025). The sources read do not say on whom the doubled fine then falls.
At the same time as the fine, the Register assigns ex officio a new and different digital domicile, held in the entrepreneur's digital drawer (cassetto digitale dell'imprenditore). The Rome chamber gives its form as the company's tax code followed by @impresa.italia.it. It is active for receiving only, appears in INI-PEC and can be used to serve administrative, tax and court documents. A company abroad can therefore be served on it without knowing.
Fine amounts as chamber guidance on Art. 2630 c.c., not the Civil Code text; check the current figure before relying on it.
| Figure | Amount | Basis | Caveat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 2630 c.c. range, undoubled | EUR 103 to EUR 1,032 | Genoa chamber | Chamber guidance |
| The range doubled for a missing PEC | EUR 206 to EUR 2,064 | Genoa chamber | Page shows no revision date |
| Reduced payment, company | EUR 412 | Rome chamber | Page last modified 16 September 2024 |
| Reduced payment, sole trader | EUR 60 | Rome chamber | Page last modified 16 September 2024 |
What if the mailbox stops working?
When the keeper finds the company PEC inactive, it asks the company to name a new address within 30 days. Failing that, it strikes the address off and opens the Art. 16(6-bis) procedure (Art. 16(6-ter) D.L. 185/2008). The company can appeal to the Register judge (Art. 2189 c.c.).
- Keeper finds the PEC inactive
- Asks for a new addressThe company names oneWithin 30 days (Art. 16(6-ter) D.L. 185/2008)
- Address struck offIf none is named
- Art. 16(6-bis) procedureDoubled Art. 2630 c.c. fine; receive-only address assigned ex officio; appeal to the Register judge (Art. 2189 c.c.)
Keep the mailbox paid and active. To change the company PEC, the same three filers as above act, free of state charge. File the director's PEC again on every new appointment or renewal of the sole or managing director.
How do you find or check a company's PEC?
Five routes, all free to read. Our guide to the Italian company register covers the visura and the search in detail.
- INI-PEC, the public national index of business and professional addresses, at inipec.gov.it.
- The free search on registroimprese.it shows a company's address and PEC.
- The visura camerale lists the domicilio digitale with the seat.
- The chambers' public checker confirms that a company's PEC is registered and valid.
- Public administrations treat the INI-PEC address as their exclusive channel.
INI-PEC rests on Art. 6-bis CAD, in force in its present text since 17 July 2020: the addresses it holds are the exclusive means of communication and notification with the public administrations of Art. 2(2) CAD. InfoCamere ScpA operates the portal.
Is PEC being replaced?
The law provides that a Prime Minister's decree will align PEC with eIDAS and repeal Art. 48 CAD from the decree's entry into force (Art. 65(7) D.Lgs. 217/2017, as amended by D.L. 135/2018). Normattiva still printed Art. 48 as in force on 8 October 2026. Whether the decree has been adopted is not known to us, so this guide names no date and treats PEC as the working channel today.
From our practice
On a formation we prepare and coordinate. We ask for both addresses before the notary files, because a missing one suspends the filing. We do not receive the deed, we are not a PEC provider and we are not an enrolled professional. Our own working practice is 48 hours from the signed deed, once the documents, the codice fiscale, the PEC and the registered office are in hand. It is not a legal term and not a guarantee.
Sources
The official texts this guide rests on, each with what it supports.
- Art. 1 D.Lgs. 82/2005 (CAD): the definitions of PEC and domicilio digitale.
- Art. 48 D.Lgs. 82/2005 (CAD): the legal effect of a PEC and the planned alignment.
- Art. 6-bis D.Lgs. 82/2005 (CAD): INI-PEC and the exclusive channel.
- Art. 16 D.L. 185/2008: the company PEC, the charge, the suspension, the fine, the 30 days.
- Art. 13 D.L. 159/2025: the director's PEC and its sanction.
- Milan chamber of commerce, directors' digital domicile: who is bound, the cost, the suspension practice.
- Rome chamber of commerce, digital domicile of companies: the reduced fine, the receive-only address, who files.
- INI-PEC: the free national index.
- Registro Imprese, registered office and local units: the free search for a company's address and PEC.
Art. 2330, Art. 2189 and Art. 2630 c.c. are cited by article without quotation. The fine amounts are chamber guidance. The Genoa chamber, the Romagna chamber tariff of 2026, the GuidaComUnica and Art. 11(8) D.P.R. 581/1995 support the figures and terms named in the text.
Related service
- how a foreign founder forms an Italian company: the next step is the formation service, which we prepare and coordinate and the notary completes. Questions on your file go through our contact page.
- The Simplified S.r.l. (S.r.l.s.) Explained: the simplified form and what it changes at formation.
- The Italian S.p.A. Explained: the joint-stock company and its formation.