What legal information must an Italian business website publish?

Definition: As of 17 October 2026, Article 7 of Italian Legislative Decree 70/2003 requires providers of information society services, meaning economic activities carried out online, to make identity and contact information easily, directly and permanently accessible. Further disclosures depend on taxation, authorisation and professional status.

Key facts

• The official publication of Article 7 requires the provider's name or business name, domicile or registered office, and details allowing rapid, direct and effective contact, including email.
• Article 7(2), available in Normattiva's current text, requires providers to update the information.
• The Turin Chamber of Commerce's ecommerce guide includes REA or business-register identification and, for activities subject to tax, the VAT number or equivalent identifier in its Article 7 checklist. REA means the repertory of economic activities.

Which website operator has these duties?

An information society service includes economic activities carried out online. Article 2(1)(a) and (b) of the decree defines both that service category and its provider: a natural or legal person supplying the service. Article 2(1)(d) includes recipients using a service for professional or non-professional purposes, particularly to seek information or make it accessible.

Article 7(1) of the official decree makes the information accessible to service recipients and the competent authorities. It expressly adds these duties to information obligations concerning specific goods and services.

What identification and contact details belong on the site?

Article 7(1)(a) to (d) lists the name, denomination or business name; domicile or registered office; contact details including email; and registration number in the REA or business register. Under point (g), a provider carrying on an activity subject to tax supplies its VAT number, called partita IVA in Italian, or the equivalent identifier recognised in its Member State.

The contact requirement combines speed with direct and effective communication. An email address is expressly included in point (c).

Illustrative HTML for the identity and contact fields in points (a) to (c), with placeholders to replace:

<dl>
  <dt>Ragione sociale</dt><dd>[Business name]</dd>
  <dt>Sede legale</dt><dd>[Registered office address]</dd>
  <dt>Email</dt><dd>[Email address]</dd>
</dl>

What additional information depends on the activity?

Article 7(1)(e) and (f) adds identifying details and particulars of the competent supervisory authority when an activity requires a concession, licence or authorisation. For a regulated profession, it requires the professional body or similar institution and registration number, the professional title and issuing Member State, and references to professional rules and applicable codes of conduct, including how to consult them.

Point (h) requires clear and unambiguous service prices and tariffs, identifying whether taxes, delivery costs and other specified additions are included. Point (i) requires information on permitted activities and contract particulars when an activity requires authorisation or the service is supplied under a licence agreement.

How must the information remain available?

Article 7(1) and (2) requires easy, direct and permanent access and an obligation to keep the details updated. The Turin Chamber of Commerce's precontractual-information guidance repeats both the access requirement and the need for timely updates in its website checklist.

Related terms

• When must an Italian online shop acknowledge an order?
• What contact information must a Swedish business website display?

FAQ

Can I publish only my business name and an email address?

Article 7(1) also requires domicile or registered office and REA or business-register identification, with tax and activity-specific details where applicable.

Must I update the page after changing my registered office?

Yes. Article 7(2) requires you to update the information listed in paragraph 1, which includes domicile or registered office.

Does Article 7 cover every disclosure my website may need?

Article 7(1) expressly applies in addition to information duties for specific goods and services. Its opening sentence preserves those additional duties.

Sources

1. Gazzetta Ufficiale, "Legislative Decree 70/2003, Article 7: Informazioni generali obbligatorie", 14 April 2003
2. Gazzetta Ufficiale, "Legislative Decree 70/2003, Article 2: Definizioni", 14 April 2003
3. Normattiva, "Legislative Decree 70/2003, Article 7", current text
4. Turin Chamber of Commerce, "Guida - Imprese ed e-commerce: marketing, aspetti legali e fiscali", section on precontractual information, 6 October 2026

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