Trade licence vs Registro Imprese: checking an Italian supplier
Updated to
In short: a UAE trade licence is a permit issued by an emirate's economic department or by a free zone authority; an Italian supplier has no such document. Look the supplier up in Registro Imprese and compare legal name, registered office and VAT number with its invoice or contract before paying. A mismatch is a reason to stop.
Part of the guide Checking an Italian company: a guide for UAE businesses. All guides: Guides.
What you know from the UAE side
- On the mainland, a business gets a trade licence from the department of economic development of its emirate; U.AE lists six federal licence types: industrial, commercial, professional, tourism, agricultural and crafts (U.AE: steps to start a business on the mainland).
- In a free zone the licence comes from the free zone authority, and the licence is typically obtained online after review (U.AE: starting a business in a free zone).
- The trade name must be followed by the acronym of the legal form, for example LLC (same sources).
What the Italian counterpart has instead
Registro Imprese, run for the Italian Chambers of Commerce, offers a free company search by name or activity, and gives access to visure (register extracts), bilanci (annual financial statements) and fascicoli (company files) (Registro Imprese, the Italian business register portal).
| On the Italian invoice or contract | In Registro Imprese |
|---|---|
| Legal name with form (S.r.l., S.p.A.) | Registered name and legal form |
| Registered office | Registered office address |
| VAT number (partita IVA) | Same number |
| Person signing | Officers shown in the documents you obtain |
Call the company on a number you found independently, never on the one in the email that raised the doubt.
Where Veryfy fits
Verifica (€19) reads Italian official sources for you and returns one report: beneficial owner, shareholders and directors, protests and insolvency signals, and an estimated operating credit line. Decisione (€49) adds properties, links with other companies and restated financial statements.
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, and checkout is in Italian for now.
Frequently asked questions
Can I check an Italian supplier for free?
Registro Imprese offers a free company search by name or activity. Documents such as visure and bilanci are listed on the portal separately, so check its conditions before you order.
Why does my Italian supplier have no trade licence?
The trade licence is a UAE concept issued by an emirate or a free zone authority. An Italian company is recorded in the Italian business register instead.
What if the legal form on the invoice differs from the register?
Treat it as a reason to stop. Ask the supplier for a document you can check in the Italian register and call them on an independently found number.
More in this cluster
- Who controls an Italian S.r.l.? A guide for UAE companies
- Acquiring an Italian company from the UAE: golden power
- Italian company report glossary for UAE readers
Sources
Official sources opened and read on 2026-10-24.
- U.AE: steps to start a business on the mainland
- U.AE: starting a business in a free zone
- Registro Imprese, the Italian business register portal
General information, not legal advice. Sources verified on 2026-10-24.
Frequently asked questions
Can I check an Italian supplier for free?
Registro Imprese offers a free company search by name or activity. Documents such as visure and bilanci are listed on the portal separately, so check its conditions before you order.
Why does my Italian supplier have no trade licence?
The trade licence is a UAE concept issued by an emirate or a free zone authority. An Italian company is recorded in the Italian business register instead.
What if the legal form on the invoice differs from the register?
Treat it as a reason to stop. Ask the supplier for a document you can check in the Italian register and call them on an independently found number.
Want to check a specific company?
Credit limit, beneficial owner and warning signs, in minutes.
Check the Italian supplier