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How ex-Siberian Anton Kuzmin found a way to legally deliver sanctioned cheeses and sausages

IT tools used by Anton Kuzmin

• PayPal
• Ecwid
• Stripe
• Tilda

Cheeses and sausages are the products that Russian tourists most often bring home from trips to Italy. After the imposition of sanctions, the value of such delicacies became even higher due to their unavailability in their homeland. Ex-Siberian Anton Kuzmin, who now lives near Verona, has made it his business to send parcels with Italian cheeses and salami to individuals in Russia. The founder of the “Parmesan for Friends” project, Anton Kuzmin, told the website about how to legally deliver Italian delicacies to Russian customers.

39 years old, project founder "Parmesan for Friends" . Born in Novosibirsk, after finishing school he entered the Siberian Construction Institute, but did not graduate. As a student, in 1999 he opened his first business - a point selling popcorn and cotton candy. After moving to Moscow, he created a company related to freight transportation. In 2008, he moved to Italy with his family. There, in 2017, he launched a project to deliver Italian products to individuals in Russia.

Work for yourself

I have never been an employee for a single day; I have always worked only for myself. In 1998, I entered the construction institute in Novosibirsk. It seemed that it doesn’t matter where you study, but what matters is what you do later. At that time, everyone was trying to do some kind of business. In 1999, I was sitting in the kitchen and thinking about what to do. I settled on popcorn because its cost is low and the margin is high.

My parents loaned me $2,000 to buy equipment. I went with my mother to Moscow to get the equipment. Then it was difficult to search for information about its sellers: there was no widespread Internet, there were some directories and newspapers with advertising. We found a popcorn supplier from whom we took the necessary equipment. And he also advised me to buy a machine for producing cotton candy. Cotton candy is also a high-margin product; making and selling it is very profitable.

I decided to sell my popcorn and cotton candy on the street - in the central park of Novosibirsk. In a year I earned more than 2 thousand dollars, I spent this money on myself. I paid my parents for the equipment, but not in the first year.

The downside of this business is that it is seasonal. However, my point in the park existed for almost 15 years. At some point, my mother and other relatives were involved in this business. It closed recently.

In the 2000s, I moved to Moscow, which is a huge transshipment center. A lot of goods come here from Europe. They are brought on European trucks, and then loaded onto trucks of domestic companies and distributed throughout the country. This gave me the idea to create a company that would transship goods from European trucks to Russian ones and distribute them throughout our country.

At the same time, my wife opened a yarn store in 2005. We went to fairs in Europe, bought yarn that was not available in Russia, and sold it here. First we made retail purchases, then wholesale. Most of our suppliers were located in Italy. We visited this country often, and in 2008 we wanted to move there.

Emigration is not on the first try

Italy seemed to us a very comfortable country to live in (having lived here for 9 years, I can state that it is). The weather is always good there, the sun is shining.

In 2008, there was little information on how to obtain a residence permit. Many tried to get a visa to do business, and we followed the same path. We began to register a yarn sales company in Italy.

The so-called Russian-speaking “helpers” helped us with this. They took triple fees compared to Italian ones, as we later found out. They did some things very quickly, which inspired confidence. For example, they quickly drew up an apartment rental agreement. But the result of their “help” was disappointing: the Italian consulate said that our type of business was not of interest to the country’s economy. And we were in limbo for a long time, not understanding whether we could emigrate or not.

Now we already know that in Europe there is no need to turn to any “helpers”. You can use Google to translate various sites related to emigration, look up the laws of the country and use common sense. Here the dialogue with the authorities is structured differently than in Russia.

Then we met some guys who said that they would go to Italy on a long tourist visa. They had already rented an apartment there. They decided that they would live like this for 3 years (the duration of the visa), and then somehow get legalized. My wife suggested doing the same. We had tourist visas for 3 years, and we lived on them for the first couple of years.

In Italy there is such a thing as a migrant amnesty: after 3 years they give you a residence permit. To do this, you need to go to the immigration department, say that you live here - and provide a certificate of employment. After this, a residence permit is issued.

In the first years after moving, we continued to do the same business as at home. My wife remotely sold textiles and yarn to Russia, I was engaged in the delivery of groupage cargo from Europe to Russia and their customs clearance. We didn’t have our own companies registered in Italy, so we “got a job” with our friends’ company to get a certificate of employment. We received a residence permit without any problems.

Now we live near Verona, and before that we lived in San Remo. We did not have any difficulties registering our children for kindergarten - we were not even asked for a single document for this. We feel very comfortable here.

Launching a new project

Since 2012, our business selling yarn wholesale to Russia began to decline - residents of Russian regions simply had less money. We began to think that it would be easier not to import goods in bulk, but to send them to individuals in parcels. I began to study this issue.

It turned out that none of the world's largest operators deliver parcels to Russia to private individuals. They carry only for large stores, but there must be gigantic volumes there. All over the world there are points of international postal exchange, where the post office of one country physically transfers parcels to the post office of another and vice versa. One of these points is located in Germany, it cooperates with Russian Post. You can deliver parcels from Italy to Berlin, and from there they will be delivered by Russian Post. I have signed a cooperation agreement with Russian Post.

In 2014, Russia introduced a food embargo against Europe. And this coincided with what I discovered - you can send parcels with food weighing no more than 5 kilograms to Russia, but only to private individuals.

In Italy there is a cult of food; for Italians, every meal is a small holiday. Almost all products are made very well here.

In my opinion, Italy is the No. 1 country in terms of taste and quality of products

I began sending parcels with Italian cheeses and sausages to my friends in Russia. And I realized that this could become a business.

I launched my project “Parmesan for Friends” in the spring of 2017. There are many different forms for registering a business in Italy, but the two main ones are analogues of the Russian individual entrepreneur and LLC. Registering as an individual entrepreneur is very profitable, because accounting is simpler there, you don’t have to open a bank account - you can use a personal one. But you cannot open an individual entrepreneur without a residence permit. An LLC can be opened by contacting a notary. The total estimate for his services and state fees will be around 3-5 thousand euros, and this does not take into account the authorized capital.

There is a simplified system for registering an LLC; the cost of registering it with a notary is 800 euros. There is only one difference: the authorized capital for a simplified LLC cannot be more than 10 thousand euros. All accounting, reporting, rights and opportunities are absolutely the same as a regular LLC.

I registered as an individual entrepreneur because it’s easier to do business this way - the money received into the account is immediately mine, but in an LLC you have to write some papers to the bank in order to withdraw them.

Delicious parcels

In my project “Parmesan for Friends” you can order Italian hard cheeses, salami and prosciutto, artichokes and dried tomatoes. We thought about olive oil, but it is allowed to be imported into Russia in commercial quantities, so it is presented in stores across the country. Plus the glass bottles it comes in are heavy to ship in parcels.

We select products that we ourselves like. We try to offer the most famous Italian products. We assume that a person has been to Italy, tried something tasty and popular here, and understands what taste he can get from us.

We find suppliers of products at exhibitions and fairs, of which there are a large number. We try what we like, then we go and see how it is made. People here are passionate about production. And this sometimes becomes a problem for us. For example, for several days now I have been asking one cheese manufacturer to send me a price list. He says: “Yes, you come to me. I'll show you everything, let you try it, and you'll take pictures of everything. Why send any papers?”

I currently have eight suppliers with whom I collaborate regularly. Investments in business were practically not required, because I do not need to invest in goods. As soon as an order is placed on the site, I purchase products from manufacturers and ship them.

Logistics through north to east

Our Parmesan supplier has a large warehouse. We agreed with him that all deliveries of products for our project come to him. And on Monday and Tuesday we collect parcels and send them to Germany. We do exactly this so that Russian Post receives our parcels at the international postal exchange point in Berlin on Wednesday-Thursday, and everything goes immediately to the recipients. If the parcel arrives on Thursday-Friday, then the warehouses are not open on weekends: and the parcel will just lie there, idle, until Monday.

When my parcel is ready, I leave a request on the Italian Post website, and the courier comes to pick it up. The next day she will already be in any city in Europe. Delivery is inexpensive (1 kg costs 15 euros, 5 kg – 25 euros), quickly, with a minimum of formalities - no one even asks the recipients for documents.

The cost of delivering a parcel from Italy to Russia is 12 euros

In Russia, all our parcels are delivered by Russian Post. It works well now - you can track the route of movement on the website, order courier delivery of a parcel from the branch, and receive an SMS notifying that it has arrived. I have no complaints yet. Once only the parcel took a long time - 4 weeks to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (but none of the products spoiled).

Myths and reality

The main difficulties of my business are related to the doubts of potential buyers. Here are three things that make it difficult to convert my website visitors into buyers.

Doubt No. 1: products from Italy are prohibited goods. In fact, the laws of the Russian Federation allow non-commercial supplies of products from Europe - you can buy any products for personal use. This equates to the fact that a person flying from Italy can bring with him up to 5 kg of food. For all parcels, an international declaration CN23 is filled out; going through customs takes two minutes, because this is a non-commercial shipment. Conclusion - everything is legal.

Doubt #2: Will the food go bad? All the products we sell were created centuries ago in such a way that they can be stored for a long time. Because refrigerators did not exist then. Our cheeses, prosciutto and salami have a shelf life of at least 3 months. We use thermal boxes and cold storage batteries to ensure that everything reaches our customers in the best possible condition. For example, we do not ship soft cheeses because they have a very short shelf life.

Doubt No. 3. We will now make the payment, but you will disappear and not send us the parcel. My company is Italian, accepts payment via cards or PayPal (this system will transfer money to us only if we indicate the tracking of the shipment). If we receive money from a client and do not send the order, our account will be blocked. And this money will be withdrawn unilaterally from my bank account. Therefore, I have no interest in deceiving customers.

In Russia, a huge number of online purchases are paid upon receipt to the courier. And people are used to this: goods are brought to them, they give money. But abroad everything is different. Here they pay for everything first, but if they sent something wrong, you can get your money back with the click of one button. And then the seller’s task is to prove that he sent everything.

How to attract clients

Another difficult issue for me is attracting buyers. I’ve never done this, I had to figure out how to attract traffic to our landing page and how social networks work.

The cost of acquiring a client, especially for the first time, is very high. I spend money on advertising and often give a discount on the first order. If the income is 20% of turnover, that's good. If I lower prices even by 10%, I will earn half as much.

The set “14 cheeses from Italy” costs 126 euros, the set “Parmesan for friends” - 129 euros, the set “Jamon and Parmesan” - 135 euros (all 4 kg each)

After experimenting with social media, I realized that Facebook and Instagram can be used to collect leads. My opinion is that Instagram doesn’t sell anything. Let me give you an example. We recently launched a contest on Instagram on a popular account. As prizes they offered big discounts on their sets - 50, 30 and 40%. We have three winners, none of them placed an order. One winner said she thought she'd get everything for free, another didn't even respond, and the contest winner didn't place an order. I believe that people don't come to Instagram because they want to make a purchase there. They come to look at other people's photos and post their own.

There are no tools for sellers on Instagram - it is impossible to systematize communication: if there are 30 messages or more in the direct message, then you are already confused in them. There are no opportunities for promotion in WhatsApp; in instant messengers it is easy to get lost with your offer. We come to the good old email newsletter to tell people about our promotions and products. And if people open my letter, then most likely they do it consciously. They are already somehow interested in our message.

At first I had sales and sending parcels only to friends. When I said I wanted to turn this into a business, they said: “Do you think this will work? Who needs that? I gave advertising posts in groups about Italy. Their visitors, unlike friends, did not ask any questions - they went to my website and paid for the order. Therefore, my advice is that you should not always listen to friends.

About 95% of our customers are in Russia, but we also send parcels to Spain, the UK, and the Czech Republic. Orders are placed mainly by Russian-speaking users. But we want to make our website in English, because many Italian products do not reach other European countries.

Now we send from 100 to 200 parcels per month. During the existence of the Parmesan for Friends project, I have not had any negative feedback. It happened that the Parmesan supplier ran out of packaging, and we had to wait 2 weeks for a new batch of packaging to arrive. Because of this, we delayed sending parcels to everyone. But I apologized to everyone and promised that when they receive the package, they will understand that it’s a pleasure to work with us. And he put more delicious gifts in their parcels.

I want to reach a new audience. Now a large number of Russian guys live and work in America. Many of them are related to the IT sector. Their parents live in Russia. It seems to me that for each such young person to spend 100-150 dollars a month so that I can send their parents high-quality and healthy Italian products is the best care for them. If they send them money, parents will buy the same things as before, only in large quantities, in Russian stores. And this way they will be able to receive delicious products of excellent quality.

On Facebook, you can target ads to US residents who speak Russian. This will be a targeted hit to the audience that I need. I’m also thinking of launching an affiliate program with people who are popular there in the Russian-speaking community.

I also want to contact the largest American companies and offer them a corporate discount. This is not my unique idea, I read about it from the guys from a marketing agency from Moscow. They gave advice: if you don't have a lot of money for advertising, offer corporate discounts to huge companies. America is a very expensive country, I think there will be a demand for Italian products there.

I want to send a trigger newsletter 3-4 times a week, but on different topics. For example, once a week write about a promotion, once a week about a product, its history and ways of using it, and so on. If you have content that is not only about sales, you need to use it to attract attention.

I would like to try crowdfunding, it immediately allows me to understand the level of demand. The thermal boxes we use for shipping can be of different thicknesses. In summer, it is better to have boxes with a wall thickness of 5 cm. To produce such boxes, we need to order the production of a mold. It costs about 3-4 thousand euros. I would raise half of this amount and see what comes of it.

If Russia suddenly lifts sanctions, it will be even better for me. Because buyers from Russia will no longer doubt whether or not they can order from me. Once the basic Italian products are in stores, I can move on to rarer cheeses.

Features of doing business in Italy

In Italy there are still no online accounting and reporting services. There is a strong lobby of professional accountants, none of them, together with programmers, have created a system where you simply enter numbers, and the service will calculate taxes and expenses for you, and submit reports. Therefore, almost all entrepreneurs need to hire an accountant.

There is no paperwork here, this “I’ll give you an invoice”. To pay for a purchase or service, you only need to know the company name and account number, no BICs, INN, and so on. It is very comfortable. But Internet banking is poorly developed here.

They also love faxes here.. It happens that the Internet provider asks you to send a receipt for payment - not by sending a photo via messenger, not by mail, but by fax. And so it is everywhere here.

It's great to do business here because you can plan a lot. For example, a commercial lease agreement is concluded for a period of 12 years. They can't kick you out if you pay on time. You can do renovations, promote this place and not be afraid that tomorrow you will be asked to move out. When you rent an office, you send a piece of paper to the municipality stating that you will work here and what your company will do. No further documents are required.

Taxes in Italy are normal. If you earn less than 6 thousand euros a year, you don’t have to register an individual entrepreneur. For individual entrepreneurs, the main tax is pension; the minimum amount per year is 4 thousand euros. For beginners, there may be a tax of 2.5 thousand euros in the first 5 years (this is exactly what I have so far). If you earn more than 30 thousand euros per year, the tax will begin to rise. The good part about paying taxes in Italy is that if you pay pension tax, your whole family gets health insurance. There is also income tax, but you can deduct a lot from it - for example, paid clubs for children. Still, there is a lot of common sense everywhere.

Every citizen who has a residence permit and financial base in Italy, according to the country’s legislation, can open his own business. The conditions for registering a business in Italy do not require confirmation of the profitability of the project for the state, which distinguishes them advantageously from those for other EU countries.

The attractiveness of sunny Italy for foreign investors is explained by many factors:

• Recognition of Italian quality;
• Economic stability;
• Availability of bank loans at Italian interest rates;
• Implementation of innovations and reforms established by the government, reduction of bureaucracy.

A significant advantage of investing capital in your own business is the possibility of opening company branches in other EU countries.

Features of business immigration to Italy

Opening your own business in Italy is preceded by determining the type of company being created and the legal form of your own company. The registration procedure does not provide for special requirements for the amount of annual turnover or the number of mandatory employment agreements.

The main requirement is timely payment of taxes. Business efficiency is a personal matter of the founder.

What is a business visa and what type of visa can you get in Italy?

Entry of foreigners into the country to do business (lavoro autonomo) is possible with an immigrant visa, which is significantly different from a document called a “business visa”. The latter does not give the right to engage in self-employment in Italy.

Such a visa document is long-term and is issued by the consular department of the country of residence within one to two weeks.

What makes doing business profitable?

It is really possible for a Russian person to “land” in a small or medium-sized business in Italy.

At the same time, it is best to create small enterprises in the following areas:

• Hotel industry;
• Services sector;
• Agriculture;
• Trade.

Considering that competition from Italian companies in these sectors is very strong, it would not be a bad idea to create your own original market niche for doing business or to focus on a service that is not very common in the Republic.

Conditions for immigration to Italy for Russian entrepreneurs

Italian legislation and the norms of the convention between Italy and Russia provide for the creation of companies by immigrants on the territory of a foreign state. According to its laws, regulations and by-laws, depending on the chosen type of business, the requirements for founders in terms of their financial solvency also change.

The amount that needs to be confirmed for entry to open a business should be 10–50 thousand euros.

Choosing the right visa, conditions for obtaining it

The national visa for starting your own business from scratch or transferring a business is category D.

When applying for a visa for business immigration, it is necessary to specify the following points:

• Purpose of entry into the country;
• Proof of temporary residence (declaration of hospitality from an Italian citizen, EU resident or hotel reservation);
• Possession of a sufficient amount of finances;
• Availability of a medical insurance policy valid in this country (in the amount of 30 thousand euros).

If all requirements are met, a Russian citizen may be issued a visa valid for several years.

How to obtain a residence permit, permanent residence, citizenship in Italy

Obtaining a residence permit must be ensured by fulfilling the following conditions:

• The absence of a ban on the chosen line of business;
• Economic profitability of the future enterprise;
• The applicant for a residence permit has no violations of international, European and Italian legislation.

Subject to such conditions, a Russian businessman can establish a partnership, individual enterprise or LLC in Italy.

Italian laws provide the opportunity for foreign investors living in the country for at least 5 years to have permanent residence (permanent residence). This type of residence permit is unlimited.

It becomes possible to obtain an Italian passport when the following circumstances occur:

• Based on the conclusion of a marriage with Italian citizens;
• With legal residence on Italian territory for a decade;
• At the birth of a baby, if one of the parents is Italian, the newborn becomes an Italian citizen.

If the parents are stateless or unknown, the person born in the country will be recognized as Italian.

Buying an existing business or starting one from scratch

In order to buy a ready-made business and not regret it later, you must conduct a full audit of the company being sold, which includes:

• Analysis of the latest balance;
• Valuation of funds;
• Checking legal data and company history;
• Get state information.

Information about the object in the media should be of particular interest.

For a foreigner starting a new innovative business from scratch, there is an opportunity to receive benefits for doing business.

These privileges cover the following issues:

• Hiring and remuneration;
• Exemptions from stamp duties;
• Payment to the Chamber of Commerce, etc.

What business options are most often used by Russian businessmen?

The profitability of a business greatly depends on the region of residence. In the north, where industry is a developed sector of the economy, it is most profitable to engage in design, real estate renovation, construction, or open a restaurant or service company in the IT field. Profitability when creating software products can reach 200%.

Agriculture is more developed in the south of the country. Here our compatriots do business, growing cereals, grapes, olives, sugar beets, and tobacco. The profitability of tourism business enterprises is typical for all regions of the Republic and reaches 250–300%.

Business ideas with minimal investment

Without large investments, our fellow countrymen successfully conduct business in the service sector, opening companies in the following areas:

• Electronic equipment repair service;
• Care services for frail and elderly citizens;
• Offline and online translation agency;
• Development of computer programs, their support and maintenance.

The most popular types of business for Russian entrepreneurs are:

• Opening of a mini-hotel, beauty salon;
• Acquisition of a vineyard or agritourism enterprise.

What do Russian entrepreneurs who immigrated to Italy talk about?

For Tatyana, the question arose: “What to do?” when she arrived in Verona, and has been living there for four years now. Tanya noticed that Italians are really interested in Russian culture, doing business in Russia, etc. To satisfy the interest of her local acquaintances, she created her own business - “Russian Center”.

Here consultations are held for those wishing to sell Italian branded clothing, cheeses, olive oil in Russia, and cooking courses in Russian cuisine are offered. She recently opened a small shop of Russian souvenirs and books of Russian classics at the Center. Now she cooperates with a travel agency, specializing in Russian cultural tourism.

Our compatriot Alexander Kotlyar opened a business in Genoa, the nuances of which he is familiar with first-hand. His agency provides assistance to Russian citizens who want to immigrate to Italy to create a business.

Legal nuances

Independent establishment and registration of an individual entrepreneur (individual entrepreneur) or company takes a lot of time, but as a result, the immigrant becomes the full owner of his company in Italy, independent of anyone. He independently chooses the most acceptable form of organizing his business.

Stages of registering a business in Italy

Having received a residence permit, a future businessman must go through the following stages of registering his business:

1. Develop and notarize statutory documents;
2. Open a bank account;
3. Pay the fee to the state;
4. Obtain the appropriate license;
5. Notify the local labor office about the hiring of workers;
6. Prepare accounting documentation.

If the documents comply with the norm, the Chamber of Commerce will register the new company. The cost of registration will be 220–300 euros.

The most popular types of enterprises - legal entities in Italy - are the following:

• General partnership — Società in nome collettivo, or SNC. This form provides for the presence of several business founders with an agreed distribution of profits;
• Limited partnership — Società in accomandita semplice, or SAS. This form presupposes both the presence of participants and investors or commanders;
• Opening an LLC is typical for large businesses; such companies have a staff of more than 250 people.

Opening your own individual entrepreneur (individual enterprise) is most suitable for starting an entrepreneurial career.

Taxation

Italy's tax system is the most complex in the entire Eurozone. Revenues to the state budget account for 80% of all government revenues.

The state provides the following tax rates:

• Income tax calculated at a progressive rate – 23–43%;
• Tax to the state budget on profit - 24%, to the regional budget - 4.25%;
• VAT– 22% (for food – 10.5%, book products – 4%).

Stamp tax is required to be paid when preparing legal documents for running a business.

Other nuances

To be recognized among Italian business partners, it is better to spend some time learning the intricacies of local life, learning the language, customs and morals of the country’s inhabitants. The mentality of Italians affects the conduct of business by Russian entrepreneurs. Residents of the country lead a measured lifestyle; they prefer the same rhythm in business relationships.

They may be an hour or an hour and a half late for a business meeting, but they pay very much attention to how their business partner is dressed and what he is wearing, to his grooming and neatness. There is also corruption in the country, but in a veiled form: none of the officials will accept a bribe from a stranger. Everything is decided by family or friendly relations.

Opening a business in Italy is a reality today. Transparency of laws, law-abiding citizens and economic stability guarantee the profitability and reliability of such an investment. Business in Italy means a guaranteed and stable income, which means its owner has confidence in the future.

There are several ways to create a business in Italy:

• Buy a ready-made business in Italy- for example, when the so-called attivita is sold, and you can acquire the right, for example, to rent a premises in which a cafe, restaurant, etc. operates. Sometimes such a business is sold together with the premises, or together with a legal entity.
• Buy a share in a ready-made (operating) enterpriseand in Italy(or all 100%). In both cases, it will be necessary to conduct a full audit of the enterprise for legal and financial integrity. Our qualified specialists (accountants and lawyers) who have the appropriate licenses and authorities will be able to help you with this. Many of them already speak Russian.
• Register a new company in Italy (such as SRL, SpA...) and carry out activities in Italy as a resident Italian person. The foreigner has the right to be the sole founder of such an enterprise. Read more in the section Registration of a company in Italy

Advantages of doing business abroad

Registration of a company in Italy for Russian entrepreneurs doing business with Italy and other countries in Europe and even other regions looks very attractive and creates a lot of advantages:

In Russia, it becomes possible to operate on behalf of your Italian company in the status of a representative of one type or another, using many significant benefits (tax, investment, etc.) provided for both by the legislation of Italy and Russia, and by interstate agreements;

In Italy, the opportunity arises to act in the territory and legal field of its counterparties;

The dispute resolution process becomes clearer, and decisions on them become implementable;

It simplifies control over both the execution of contracts and the financial and legal status of the partner;

Broad prospects are opening up for the use of tax breaks and other privileges for investors provided by the Italian state; There is an opportunity to avoid anti-dumping sanctions and other cross-border problems;

Direct operation on the market will allow you to better learn and understand the specifics of the market, its price factors, requirements of standards and technical norms, as well as market participants abroad, which will help eliminate risky business transactions and random partners;

A resident Italian company created by a Russian has the right to register branches in all countries of the United Europe, with all the ensuing consequences for doing business;

The possibility arises of using an Italian brand (...)

For an Italian company, it is much easier to enter the markets of Europe, the USA, etc.;

Italian law does not establish any special requirements for companies created by citizens of other countries, including Russians. There are no requirements for the number of local employees hired, nor for the minimum annual turnover, nor for the amount of taxes paid per year, etc. There are also no requirements for the mandatory hiring of secretaries, directors, accountants or other personnel.

The Italian tax system is quite complex and confusing, and is in the process of reform, but taxes on companies in Italy are in many ways lower than in countries such as Germany, France, Switzerland, not to mention the Scandinavian countries. In addition, with proper tax planning, they can be significantly minimized. The costs of servicing a company in Italy are in many ways lower than in other European countries.

The range of organizational and legal forms of commercial organizations in Italy is very wide: individual enterprise, simple partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company, closed joint stock company, etc.

The most common organizational and legal form of a company is "Sosieta" a responsabilita "limitata (S.r.l.)" - limited liability company. Minimum authorized capital "S.r.l." is 10,000 EURO. The founders of such a company can be both individuals and legal entities.

Registration of a company type S.r.l. costs from 3000 EURO. Additionally, you need to pay notary services (from 2000 EURO) and fees.

The legislation of both Russia and Italy, as well as the norms of the conventions between them, allows Russian entrepreneurs to create enterprises in Italy.

In particular, a citizen of Russia, a country not classified as undesirable by Italy, in accordance with Italian law, has the right to buy an Italian company or register a new one and own it as an investor or obtain the status of an entrepreneur.

However, Russia is still not a member of the WTO and in order to manage their own company, a Russian must become a resident of Italy.

The new law on foreigners makes it much easier for Russian businessmen to solve the problem of obtaining permanent residence in Italy and personally managing the company.

How to register a company in Italy

A citizen of Russia, a country not classified as undesirable by Italy, according to Italian law, has the right to buy an Italian company or register a new one and own it as an investor. But, due to the fact that Russia is still not a member of a number of international organizations, in order to manage his own company, a Russian must become a resident of Italy. The most common organizational and legal form of a company is “Societa" a responsabilita" limitata (S.r.l.)" - limited liability company.

Minimum authorized capital“S.r.l.” is 20 million Italian lire (about 10,000 USD).

The founders can be both individuals and legal entities.

There must be a legal address, and one that actually functions.

The possibilities for using the authorized capital of Italian enterprises are the same as in other European countries, i.e. can be used for the activities of the enterprise.

If “S.r.l.” one participant, then the authorized capital must be paid 100% by the time of registration. If there are more participants, then it is possible to initially pay only three tenths of the authorized capital, but in any case, by the time the company is activated, it is necessary to have full payment of the declared authorized capital. The company is entered into the Register of Enterprises of the province where it is officially located.

Balance sheet is submitted once a year, but reports on certain types of taxes are submitted to tax offices, depending on turnover, quarterly or even monthly. In Italy, when doing business you need to have the appropriate specialized education and experience in this area. And only a number of exceptions to these rules, which appeared quite recently, make it possible for Russians to independently manage their own company, without the need to resort to the services of, not always conscientious, “nominee directors.”

A unique feature of Italy is that more than 80% of Italian enterprises are family enterprises, i.e. belonging to the same family. This feature gives special stability to the Italian economy, but, at the same time, it also gives it a certain “patriarchal” quality. In particular, the Italian business market is very different from the American-English version.

Public sales of existing businesses are practically not practiced in Italy. In Italian newspapers, catalogs and the Internet it is almost impossible to find offers like the American “business for sale”.

Selling a business in Italy is a very private procedure, one might say intimate. However, with the help of professional consultants, everything can be settled quickly, legally and quite cheaply and profitably for the applicant. As for public sales, they took root on Italian soil, with the exception of real estate, in fact only for franchising, also brought from the USA, England... And this market sector is still not very significant in Italy.

Unlike other European countries, you do not have to prove every year that your company brings benefits to the country. Those. Italian legislation does not establish any requirements for the taxes paid by the company, its annual turnover, the number of employees hired, etc. Success in business is a personal matter of the businessman, and taxes and so on are the subject of his relations with the tax authorities, but not with the “immigration” services.

Information about a law-abiding resident of Italy (his income, assets..., both in Italy and in other countries of the United Europe), without his written consent cannot be transferred to a third party, neither by the Italian authorities, nor by the authorities of other countries of the United Europe.

It is important that a resident Italian company created by a Russian has the right to register branches in all countries of the United Europe, with all the ensuing consequences for doing business,
stay, etc.

Foreign income. International and national laws in the field of taxation clearly divide persons not into citizens, but into residents. This means that the main thing is the place of permanent residence. A Russian person who has received an Italian residence, as well as an Italian company created by this person, are definitely residents of Italy, and therefore have the status of “non residente” in relation to all other countries. There is always one residence and there cannot be two residences. According to the convention between Russia and Italy (Rome, February 26, 1985), income received abroad is freely transferred to Italy and is not taxed again (Italy has convention agreements on the exclusion of double taxation with most countries of the world, including Russia).

Currency restrictions. In Italy, like in any other developed European country, there are currency regulations. All payments within Italy are made only: in cash - in Italian lira, non-cash - in EURO. The acquisition of real estate, as well as a number of other large assets, is possible only with one hundred accounts in an Italian bank. Foreign banks were admitted to the Italian financial market only recently and are unpopular among citizens and companies. Settlements between Russia and Italy are possible only in currencies set by the Bank of Italy, which do not include rubles.

Company maintenance costs

The costs of servicing a company in Italy are in many ways lower than in other European countries.

Italian the law does not establish any special requirements for companies created by citizens of other countries, including Russians. There are no requirements for the number of local employees hired, nor for the minimum annual turnover, nor for the amount of taxes paid per year, etc.

There are also no requirements regarding the mandatory hiring of secretaries, directors, accountants or other personnel.

In fact, a company can only have a Single Administrator (aka participant) and that’s it.

Compulsory is presence of a legal address companies, and actually functioning ones, and fulfillment of taxpayer obligations. There are options here.

• The first option, common in Italy, is when the company enters into an agreement with Dottore Commercialista for regular and ongoing accounting services. Such services include registration of invoices, ongoing maintenance and accounting of the company's commercial, financial and other business documents, preparation and submission of current and annual tax forms and returns, as well as balance sheets; representation in tax authorities. With this type of service, a fixed amount is paid monthly, regardless of whether there was actual activity that month. For small businesses this amount ranges from 650,000 to 1,200,000 Italian lire per month.
• The second option is the case when the company itself carries out its current work and turns to the “dottore commercialista” for help, only to draw up the annual balance sheet and annual declarations. In this case, an agreed amount is paid, which can be in the region of 3.5 million liras if there were few operations. However, in this case, the company itself is also responsible for the current account and current declarations and itself is in contact with the tax authorities (a practically unused scheme for Italy).

Taxation of enterprises in Italy

Let's focus only on the main taxes.

For a company like "S.r.l." The main taxes are:

• Value added tax (I.V.A.) - has three rates, 4%, 10% and 20%, depending on the product or service. All goods and services for enterprises are accounted for without VAT and enterprises only perform the function of handling the movement of VAT payments.
• Corporate tax "IRPEG" - it is levied on the company's net profit minus all allowable expenses and is a flat rate of 37%. The tax is really not significant, since according to normal practice, enterprises, as a rule, do not have such amounts. Typically, income is spent on the development of the company, on wages, on benefits, etc., and the cost formation system in Italy is quite reasonable.
• Special tax “IRAP” with a rate of 4.25%, which is calculated from net profit, but not reduced by the amount of wages, remunerations and other payments that increase the income of individuals who are employees or independent professionals or members of the company. This tax is already noticeable and practically resembles the income tax used in other countries.
• Taxes on dividends - their calculation currently does not have a fixed rate due to changes in legislation. Nowadays a complex formula is used; in a simplified way, we can assume a rate of 15% (for example, Norway - 20%, Spain - 18%, Denmark - 15%).
• Taxes on interest and royalties are 0% (for example, for Canada it is 15% and 10%).
• Personal income tax - it is calculated on a scale and depends on the type of declaration, individual or family; the amount of total income and other various conditions and benefits. Rate - from 5% to 35%. To simplify, we can say that with average incomes, taking into account all kinds of benefits, the rate will be 5-7%.

Taxes can be completed here, although, of course, not everything is so simple and the Italian tax system is very complex and confusing. Let us only note that you should not trust “experts” who claim that Italy has huge taxes on companies. In fact, they are less than in neighboring Germany, France, Switzerland, not to mention the Scandinavian countries. With proper tax planning, they can be significantly minimized.

Legal aspects

Italian legislation allows foreigners who are citizens of countries not classified by Italy as undesirable (Russia is not one of these) to make investments and investments in businesses, real estate, securities falling under the jurisdiction of Italy, just like Italian citizens.

However, there are certain needs, in particular:

• payment for acquisitions must be made in a strictly defined manner;
• the acquirer must be identified, that is, an anonymous person is not possible, he must be legally located in Italy;
• the acquirer must have an Italian tax code;
• the acquirer, as a rule, must be a representative person, i.e. have guarantors from among Italian residents;
• transactions must be registered in special state registers and only from the moment of their registration acquire legal force, and also be notarized;
• and much more

These days, business in Italy is becoming more and more attractive. This can be done in various ways, from purchasing an existing company or business to organizing from scratch. Opening a business in Italy is beneficial for a variety of reasons. This includes a relatively low level of taxes, the opportunity to start an attractive business at relatively low costs, and the absence of restrictions when recruiting local personnel.

The only disadvantage for large businesses is the need to conduct a financial and legal audit of assets when purchasing shares of an enterprise. Therefore, many people prefer to start a business from the very beginning, which is much easier in registration and registration.

How to open a business in Italy itself?

For many today, owning a business in a country like Italy is becoming increasingly attractive. This highly developed European country provides more and more opportunities, while citizens who only have a residence permit can engage in their own activities. Especially for foreigners, there are several options on how to open your own business.

Taxes in Italy are calculated in full accordance with the status of the company.

If the majority of the activity is carried out on the territory of the country, then the enterprise is considered a resident and the tax amount is 33%, in addition, a special regional tax is charged in the amount of 4.25% of all income.

Non-residents do not pay such a regional tax, only on profits earned in Italy. But if the company has been operating in the country for at least three months, then the regional tax begins to be calculated.

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Documentation for starting a business

To start a business in Italy itself, you need to prepare a number of documents for a business visa. In this case, the entire package of documentation should be additionally translated into English or Italian. This package includes:

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Business ideas

When asked what kind of business to start with Italy to make it profitable, many traditionally point to agriculture and tourism. Today these areas are very developed, but despite the great competition, there are many options.

But first, let’s look at why business in Italy is so profitable compared to other countries:

• The law in Italy allows you to hire any number of workers. It is not at all necessary that their number be strictly defined, as in many other countries;
• The company's management does not have to include only local specialists;
• no mandatory minimum turnover is required, which often becomes a reason for refusing to do business in many European countries;
• You can only obtain a license to conduct business in Italy if you are a resident of the country or have a residence permit. But the big plus is that taxes here are the lowest in Europe. If you do not have a residence permit, then the only way out is to register your business in the name of a local resident, that is, become a co-founder. But there is a considerable risk here, so you need to weigh the pros and cons.

So, what is the best way to open a business in Italy? Very often, local residents independently organize a business only to subsequently sell it to foreigners. Therefore, before you start anything, check your local laws and operating conditions. If you cannot understand some points, it is better to consult with specialists.

But there is one piece of advice that is recommended for everyone: do not buy an existing business, it is better to start your own, get a license for it and only after that acquire local companies.

As noted above, the most profitable direction for business is agriculture. We are talking about the vineyards for which Italy is famous. This is the most popular type of activity; business with Italy in this direction today is carried out by a variety of countries in the world. This is directly related to the supply of grapes themselves or winery products. But you shouldn’t think that once you have purchased a vineyard, things will immediately go uphill. This is a very serious and responsible matter; choosing a plot for purchase also needs to be done carefully. The experts themselves say that only the worst vineyards are put up for sale, that is, you will not receive any profit from them.

If you are acquiring a business as a hobby, then you can look for an open sale, but for a serious business you should not select a company through an open auction. And the price of a good vineyard is not so low - about one to eight million euros! What advice can you give here? First, understand the issues of winemaking, consult with knowledgeable specialists, only after that you can start making a choice.

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What about the hotel business?

There is another type of business that brings good income in Italy. This applies to the hotel and restaurant business. Today, a large number of hotels and mini-hotels are sold, especially on the coast, where tourists from all over the world come all year round. But there are also pitfalls here.

If you are going to do serious business, then you should not buy a chain of mini-hotels with up to one hundred rooms. This is due to the fact that only local residents use such establishments, but tourists are rarely interested in them. In addition, locals are settled only seasonally or during holidays. And it will not be possible to rent out such a hotel to a special management company; they are not interested in such establishments.

What is the way out? Buy a large hotel, for example, a hotel with 200 or more rooms can very quickly recoup the investment and begin to generate real profit. The most profitable are hotels with 3-4 stars, which are the most popular among tourists even during the economic crisis.