What the Partita IVA is
The Partita IVA is Italy's VAT number: eleven digits, ending in a check digit. For most companies it doubles as their tax identity, because a company's codice fiscale (tax code) is usually the same eleven digits; the codes only diverge in particular cases. A sixteen-character alphanumeric code, by contrast, is the codice fiscale of an individual person, not a company: useful to know when paperwork arrives bearing the wrong kind of code.
On a genuine Italian counterparty's documents, the Partita IVA, the codice fiscale and the Registro Imprese registration should all reconcile to one entity.
How to check a Partita IVA
Two checks cover most needs. VIES, the EU VAT system, validates IT plus the eleven digits free of charge and returns the registered name and address, which Italy populates in full, so a VIES hit both validates the number and names its owner. The Registro Imprese (the company register run through the chambers of commerce) allows searches by name or code; the formal extract (visura) is a paid document listing registration details, officers and status.
For routine vetting, validate the number on VIES and match the returned name against the documents you were given. The wider Italian sources are on our Italy company credit report page and in the registry directory.
What a Partita IVA check proves, and what it doesn't
A validated Partita IVA confirms the entity exists for VAT purposes and names its registered owner. It says nothing about solvency, litigation or payment record, and Italian filed accounts are paid documents. Before a commercial business decision, a full company report adds what the number cannot show: financial standing, payment behaviour and adverse history.
Common questions
Is the Partita IVA the same as the codice fiscale?
For most companies, yes: the same eleven digits serve both purposes. For individuals the codice fiscale is a sixteen-character alphanumeric code and is not a VAT number.
How do I check a Partita IVA for free?
Validate IT plus the eleven digits on VIES, which returns the registered name and address for Italian numbers. The Registro Imprese confirms registration; its full extract is paid.
What does a visura camerale show?
It is the Registro Imprese extract: registration details, legal form, registered office, officers and status. It is the Italian equivalent of a registry extract and is bought per document.
Need more than the number can tell you?
An Italy company credit report adds financial standing, payment behaviour and adverse history to the registry facts, available as an instant online report. Delivered in plain English.