What assistance is available for Italian companies abroad?

As part of their economic diplomacy efforts, Embassies and Consulates primarily provide market information and guidance, as well as institutional support in relations with local authorities whenever this is deemed necessary. Embassies and Consulates also negotiate the removal of non-tariff barriers to our exports and issue business visas to foreign operators wishing to visit our country, for example to participate in trade fairs, sign contracts or visit factories. Further information on this subject can be found on the website Il visto per l’Italia (The Visa for Italy).

Embassies and Consulates can provide information about the country or territory of interest; the state of bilateral political relations; the security framework; the characteristics of local stakeholders; the Italian presence in the country of interest (e.g. the presence of ITA offices, Italian Chambers of Commerce abroad, banks, Italian professional firms or consultants, other Italian companies, influential communities of Italian origin); development cooperation programmes and cultural initiatives – all information that can help guide operators in defining their commercial strategies.

For example, you can ask the Embassy or Consulate for help in establishing contacts with local institutional partners (therefore right from the initial market entry phase), or you can request support for participating in a tender, or for overcoming any problematic issues (for example, in the event of customs or tax disputes, intellectual property infringements or the imposition of non-tariff barriers).

Ideally, as early as the market and opportunity identification phase – i.e. even before entering a foreign market – by making use of the information tools provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In any case, you are recommended to contact the relevant Embassy or Consulate before departure, so as to arrange a preliminary orientation meeting. This will also help determine whether the company requires institutional support or rather specific services (such as market research, identification of business partners, advice on local regulations), for which the Embassy or Consulate will refer the company to the relevant ITA office or the local Italian Chamber of Commerce (or, alternatively, if none exists, to consultancy firms, professional firms, etc.).

Certainly. It often happens, however, that companies contact Embassies and Consulates only when they are facing difficulties. Assistance to companies for resolving disputes or overcoming problematic issues that may arise abroad is certainly an integral part of economic diplomacy. Nevertheless, if Embassies and Consulates are only involved once the problem has already arisen the effectiveness of their intervention may be reduced. For this reason, it is advisable to contact the diplomatic-consular network even simply to inform of your presence in the country, to express an interest in participating in a tender, or to indicate that you are establishing contacts with local counterparts. It is essential, in fact, that Embassies and Consulates have a comprehensive overview of the interests of Italian companies in a specific market, so that they can best assist them in their activities and enhance their presence in their many contacts with the authorities and other local stakeholders, thereby seeking to prevent the emergence of problems. Here some entrepreneurs share their practical experiences in this regard.

For requests for assistance, information and meetings with the Embassy/Consulate, you need to complete a short form available here.

Consulates operate within a specific area of the country (‘consular district’). Companies already operating in an area within the consular district or interested in investing in that specific area may contact the relevant Consulate directly. A company interested in a country without reference to a specific area may contact the Embassy. Furthermore, you should contact the Embassy for matters involving the central authorities of the country, whilst you may contact the Consulate for matters involving regional authorities. If you are unsure about which body is responsible, you can always contact the Embassy first, which – where necessary – will refer the company to the Consulate. The list of Embassies and Consulates is available here.

There is close functional integration between Embassies and Consulates, on the one hand, and ITA Offices, on the other, and in many cases there is also logistical integration (sharing of premises). This means that companies can receive comprehensive assistance ranging from the Embassy’s guidance and, where necessary, institutional support, to the more specific services provided by the ITA offices, which include, for example, searching for local customers and partners, meetings with local operators and bespoke market research. The list of services provided by ITA is available here. Furthermore, ITA offices, in coordination with Embassies and Consulates, organise specific trade promotion initiatives. In any case, not only when the ITA Office is located within the Embassy or Consulate, but even in cases when they are physically separate, the respective officials maintain close coordination so as to be able to always guide and support the company in every aspect of its activities abroad. A map of ITA Offices worldwide is available here.

The Italian Chambers of Commerce abroad are associations of Italian and local entrepreneurs and professionals, officially recognised by the Italian State, and are therefore private entities that can provide the Italian companies entering a market with added value stemming from their local roots, which leads to direct knowledge of the market and a dense network of relations with the local business community. The Chambers’ activities are therefore all the more useful to companies the more numerous and influential their members are, as they can offer valuable insight into the local context. The Chambers carry out a wide range of activities aimed at assisting companies in their commercial activities, for example, by facilitating contacts for the conclusion of business deals, organising workshops conferences, monitoring sectoral trends, and providing updates on tax and financial regulations and company law. The list of Italian Chambers of Commerce Abroad is available here.

It is essential to keep the Embassy or Consulate informed, not only to report any problematic issues but also to highlight positive developments. This, in fact, enables Diplomatic Missions to follow up on their assistance activities with local counterparts and to provide companies with any updates relating to their sector of interest. It is therefore advisable for the company not to consider assistance on a specific issue as an end in itself, but as part of a structured relationship that should be maintained over time.

Yes, it is useful to contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, particularly for companies that are not yet active in specific markets (and therefore have not any relevant Embassy or Consulate), but are interested in internationalisation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in fact, carries out ongoing information and communication activities for companies relating to the opportunities offered by foreign markets and serves as a high-level platform to connect foreign government institutions with the Italian business community, particularly during visits by foreign government officials. For this reason, even before entering foreign markets, it may be useful to follow the activities and events organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, such as “Country Presentations” and “Business Forums”. To contact the relevant departments at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you need to complete the same form used for Embassies and Consulates, selecting “Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation” from the drop-down menu relating to the Mission you wish to contact.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides a number of online platforms that provide Italian companies with useful information on markets and opportunities. In particular, InfoMercatiEsteri features country profiles containing information on the economic and political outlook, market opportunities (what to sell and where to invest), promotional initiatives, trade barriers, investment challenges and potential risks, access to credit, the overview of Italian presence and bilateral relations. The ExTender platform, on the other hand, provides the following services upon free registration: information on international tenders for the supply of goods, services or the execution of works; “early warnings”, i.e. advance notice of tenders not yet published; news on multilateral projects and funding. News (tender notices and early warnings) relating to an average of over 7,000 tenders is published annually on ExTender, and it is possible to set up personalised alerts for specific countries or sectors. Furthermore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs promotes and funds the programme “Invest your Talent in Italy”’, which enables companies to take on highly qualified students from strategic markets for a period of work experience within their organisation.

The Crisis Unit’s tools, accessible via the portals  Viaggiare Sicuri and Dove Siamo nel Mondo, are always available to companies, particularly those operating or intending to operate in countries or areas having specific risk profiles. On the portal Viaggiare Sicuri, you can view up-to-date general information on safety, travel and health for each country. The portal DoveSiamoNelMondo, which has a section dedicated to business travel, enables you to register your temporary presence abroad, so that you can be contacted quickly in an emergency, and to facilitate the planning of any assistance required.

All information guidance and institutional support services provided to companies by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its diplomatic-consular network are always entirely free of charge. The only types of fee-based services that may be requested by companies are related to the use of Embassy or Consulate premises for conferences, workshops, events, or interpretation services for non-institutional activities.