Success in international business is not just about you and your customers in Italy. Get to know the business facts of the country you are dealing with and familiarize yourself with the different business practices, cultures, customs regulations and the economy.
ROME
KEY FACTS ITALY
ITALY
POPULATION
60,6 Million (2017)
LANGUAGE
Italian
CAPITAL
Rome
REGION
Europe
CURRENCY
Euro €
Italy is the eighth largest economy in the world. With around 61 million consumers, Italy is an important market. The Italian economy is characterized by a large number of small and medium-sized companies that have traditionally been active in the manufacturing industry. These SMEs, mostly family businesses, are the engine of the Italian economy. Italy has a large foreign trade.
Machines, motor vehicles, textiles, clothing, metals, and chemical products are the most important export products. The most important import products are machines, transport equipment, chemical products, food, foodstuffs and minerals (petroleum). Tourism is an important source of income. Main Italian trading partners are Germany, France, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Doing business in Italy
- Wearing casual wear during business appointments is not done.
- Find the right contact person within a company that also has decision-making authority. The structure within Italian companies is rather hierarchical. Get to know each other well before you really do business. The Dutch prefer to put the contracts on the table before lunch. Italians explore much more. They want to meet you and meet you again.
- Language can be a big obstacle when doing business with Italians. Not all Italians are fluent in English. When first contacting an Italian company, it is advisable to do so in Italian.
- Please note that payment terms in Italy may be longer than in the Netherlands. In order to have sufficient certainty, it is important to have payment guarantees
- The patient, indirect approach is more likely to succeed in Italy than the direct one.
Bron: Rijkdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (rvo.nl)
Trade indicators Italy
- 8th Largest Economy in the World
- 6th largest export market in the EU
- Small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) dominate Italy’s economy
- Ranks 50 out of 190 countries in the World Bank Doing Business Report
Italy and DHL Express
With our years of experience and extensive local network, DHL Express is your ideal partner to support your business in this important economy. Easily send your important documents and packages via DHL Express to, for example, Milan, Turin, Rome or Venice. DHL Express has been active in Italy since 1978. In Venice, DHL takes care of collecting and delivering the parcels by boat.
....since 1978... ... 2600 employees...
... 66 Service Centers
...over 2200 vehicles... ...32 daily flights
Italy / Netherlands transit times
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DHL Express strives to provide accurate and reliable information. Published transit times are indicative. At www.dhl.nl you can view the current transit times. Published transit times are based on the most common transit time between two countries to direct delivery areas in the destination country. The transit time for non-direct delivery areas is available through our customer service. Published transit times may vary, among other things, due to local customs procedures in the destination country or a non-average value, size or a non-average weight of a shipment.
Bank Holidays Italy
Date | Holiday |
---|---|
01 jan | New Year's Day |
06 jan | Epiphany |
15 apr | Good Friday |
17 apr | Easter Sunday |
18 apr | Easter Monday |
01 may | Labour day |
02 jun | Republic day |
15 aug | Ferragosto |
01 nov | All Saint's day |
08 dec | Immaculate Conception day |
25 dec | Christmas day |
26 dec | St. Stephen's day |
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