How to read an Italian company report: a glossary for UK readers
Updated to
In short: an Italian company report is in Italian, and each term has a specific meaning. A visura is the extract from the business register, a bilancio the annual financial statements, a protesto a protest record, and a liquidazione giudiziale the insolvency liquidation of the Italian Code. This glossary maps the main terms to English.
Part of the guide Checking an Italian company: a guide for UK businesses after Brexit. All guides: Guides.
Glossary
| Italian term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| S.r.l. (società a responsabilità limitata), S.p.A. (società per azioni) | Italian company forms; the form is part of the legal name and should match your contract |
| Registro Imprese | The business register of the Chambers of Commerce, run by InfoCamere (Registro Imprese) |
| Visura camerale | Extract from the register; the portal also lists an English-language visura |
| Bilancio d'esercizio | Annual financial statements |
| Protesto | A protest record; the portal lists protests among its documents |
| Titolare effettivo | Beneficial owner; criteria in art. 20 of D.Lgs. 231/2007 (Normattiva) |
| Liquidazione giudiziale | Liquidation procedure of the “Codice della crisi d'impresa e dell'insolvenza”, D.Lgs. 14/2019 (Normattiva) |
| Concordato preventivo | A creditor arrangement procedure listed in the same Code; ask an Italian lawyer how it affects your claim |
How the Code groups procedures
Art. 1 of D.Lgs. 14/2019 says the Code governs situations of crisis or insolvency of the debtor, whether consumer, professional or entrepreneur. Art. 2 distinguishes "instruments for regulating crisis and insolvency", which are different from the liquidazione giudiziale and the liquidazione controllata, aimed at restoring the business or liquidating its assets (Normattiva).
Compared with a UK file
On Companies House you see company details, filing history, officers and insolvency information (GOV.UK). In an Italian report, names, offices and procedure labels stay in Italian.
| Product | Price | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Verifica | €19 | Full company check, beneficial owner, shareholders and directors, estimated operating credit line, protests and insolvency signals, sector comparison, free anti-scam check |
| Decisione | €49 | Everything in Verifica, plus properties registered to the company, links with other companies, restated financial statements |
| Istruttoria | €99 | Everything in Decisione, plus risk algorithms developed by experienced risk managers |
| Negatività e procedure concorsuali | €5.90 | Protests and insolvency proceedings only, with source and date |
| Titolare effettivo | €9.90 | Who really controls the company |
| Essenziale | €14.90 | The two above together |
Every company product comes with a free Check anti-truffa (anti-scam check): it looks at the VAT number in the EU VIES register, free webmail or disposable email, domain age, domains flagged for malware or phishing, SPF and DMARC protection, the VAT number shown on the website, data breaches affecting the site, and whether the IBAN is correctly written and from a country consistent with the company.
The service and the report are in Italian, and they come from Italian official sources: company names, offices and procedures keep their original Italian wording. Veryfy does not offer a translated report.
Frequently asked questions
What is a visura?
A visura camerale is an extract from Registro Imprese, the Italian business register. The portal lists visura among its documents and also offers an English-language version.
What does protesto mean?
A protesto is a protest record, one of the document types listed on the Registro Imprese portal. In a Veryfy report, protests are shown with source and date.
What is the difference between liquidazione giudiziale and concordato preventivo?
Both are procedures in the Italian “Codice della crisi d'impresa e dell'insolvenza” (D.Lgs. 14/2019). The Code distinguishes the liquidazione giudiziale from instruments for regulating crisis and insolvency; ask an Italian lawyer how each affects your claim.
Sources
Official sources opened and read on 2026-10-24.
- Registro Imprese, the Italian business register portal (InfoCamere)
- Normattiva: D.Lgs. 14/2019, Italian insolvency code (arts. 1 and 2)
- Normattiva: D.Lgs. 231/2007, art. 20 (beneficial owner criteria)
- Companies House: search the register (GOV.UK)
General information, not legal advice. Sources verified on 2026-10-24.
Frequently asked questions
What is a visura?
A visura camerale is an extract from Registro Imprese, the Italian business register. The portal lists visura among its documents and also offers an English-language version.
What does protesto mean?
A protesto is a protest record, one of the document types listed on the Registro Imprese portal. In a Veryfy report, protests are shown with source and date.
What is the difference between liquidazione giudiziale and concordato preventivo?
Both are procedures in the Italian “Codice della crisi d'impresa e dell'insolvenza” (D.Lgs. 14/2019). The Code distinguishes the liquidazione giudiziale from instruments for regulating crisis and insolvency; ask an Italian lawyer how each affects your claim.
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