SCIA in Rome: How to Open a Shop or Restaurant Without Waiting for Approval

In a Nutshell

The SCIA (Segnalazione Certificata di Inizio Attività — Certified Notice of Business Start) is the standard route for opening most shops, bars, and restaurants in Rome. You don't wait for the city to say "yes": you file the paperwork with the SUAP (Sportello Unico Attività Produttive — the one-stop desk for business activities at Rome's city hall), get your reference number, and you're legally allowed to open that same day. The Comune then has 60 days to carry out checks and stop you if something is missing.

At a Glance

Cost	SUAP administrative fees €50–300 + €16 revenue stamps per document. HACCP course €80–200. Health notification free.
Timeline	SCIA effective immediately on filing. Post-opening inspections within 60 days.
Where in Rome	SUAP Roma Capitale — fully online with SPID or CIE
Documents	Unified SCIA form, floor plan, company registry extract, HACCP certificate, SAB certificate (for food service), building-systems compliance certificate

Which Businesses Use a SCIA

The SCIA covers the vast majority of retail and craft businesses. The most common in Rome include:

Retail shops: stores up to 250 sq m (neighbourhood retail, esercizi di vicinato), fixed or mobile street stalls. Above 250 sq m (medium-sized retail) you need an express authorisation instead of a SCIA.

Food and beverage service: bars, cafés, restaurants, trattorias, pizzerias, catering companies, company canteens, kiosks on public land. In all these cases the SCIA is accompanied by a Notifica Inizio Attività sanitaria (NIA — health-start notification) filed with the ASL (Azienda Sanitaria Locale — your local public-health authority).

Personal-care services: hairdressers, barbers, beauticians, tattoo artists, launderettes — often with additional professional-qualification requirements.

Craft workshops: auto-repair shops, carpenters, locksmiths, pastry kitchens, bakeries.

Accommodation: entrepreneurial B&Bs, guesthouses, hotels — with possible additional notifications to the Lazio Region.

Note: hire cars with driver (NCC) and taxis fall outside the SCIA framework and follow separate licensing regimes.

What You Must Have Before Filing

Personal Requirements (Subjective)

To open a food-retail or food-service business you must satisfy:

Moral requirements (art. 71 D.Lgs. 59/2010): no criminal convictions for intentional offences carrying more than three years' imprisonment, no convictions for specific offences (fraud, receiving stolen goods, food-safety crimes), no anti-Mafia prevention measures against you.

Professional qualifications for food service and food retail: you need at least one of the following — a diploma from a hospitality or sector-related technical school; a SAB (Somministrazione Alimenti e Bevande — Food and Beverage Service) course of at least 100 hours recognised by the Lazio Region; documented work experience of at least two years in the last five in the sector; or the old REC (Registro Esercenti il Commercio) registration, which is still valid as a qualifying title.

Premises Requirements (Objective)

The premises must have the right designated use (destinazione d'uso) — typically C/1 for shops and restaurants (see the guide on habitability certificates and land-registry categories), a valid habitability certificate (agibilità), electrical and mechanical systems compliant with DM 37/2008, and acoustic compliance for public-facing venues. For kitchens with thermal output above 116 kW or premises with a capacity of more than 100 people, you also need a Certificato di Prevenzione Incendi (CPI — fire-prevention certificate) from the Vigili del Fuoco (fire brigade).

How to File a SCIA in Rome: Step by Step

Phase 1 — Pre-opening (one to three months before)

Set up your legal entity (sole trader or company). Find your premises and confirm the designated use is correct. Obtain your SAB qualification if you don't already have it. Complete the HACCP course — mandatory for you and for every employee who handles food. Have a qualified technician check your building systems and prepare the floor plan.

Phase 2 — Filing with the SUAP

Go to the SUAP Roma Capitale portal and log in with SPID (Italy's digital identity for accessing online public services) or CIE (Italian electronic ID card). Fill in the unified SCIA form, which bundles together: the commercial SCIA, the ASL health-start notification (NIA), and if applicable, a SCIA for habitability, one for your external signage, one for kitchen-exhaust emissions, and one for acoustic impact. Attach all documents as digitally signed PDFs. Pay the SUAP fees and revenue stamps via pagoPA. Submit and keep your reference (protocollo) number safe.

Phase 3 — Opening

From the day you receive your reference number you are free to open. The SCIA takes effect immediately.

Phase 4 — Post-opening inspections

Within the following 60 days the ASL, Polizia Locale (municipal police), fire brigade, and SUAP may inspect. If they find a remediable irregularity they will invite you to fix it; if the problem is serious and cannot be remedied they can suspend or shut down your business.

HACCP: Not Just a Box to Tick

Anyone who handles food in a business context must comply with EU Regulation 852/2004. That means:

• A written HACCP self-monitoring manual tailored specifically to your business (not a copy of a neighbour's)
• Basic food-hygiene training for staff (8 hours) and a manager-level course (16–20 hours)
• Up-to-date records: fridge temperatures, goods-received logs, specialist-waste disposal

Lazio Region-approved HACCP courses in Rome are run by Confcommercio Roma, Confesercenti Roma, CNA Roma, the Rome Chamber of Commerce, and other accredited bodies. The basic course costs €80–200.

Mistakes to Avoid

1. Opening without having filed the SCIA. Trading without a SCIA is illegal: fines of €5,000–€30,000, immediate closure, seizure of food products. There is no such thing as a "provisional opening".
2. Declaring a SAB qualification you don't actually hold. That constitutes making a false statement in a public document, and your licence will be revoked. The SUAP can verify real course enrolment.
3. Signing the lease before checking the designated use. If the premises are classified A/10 (office use) you cannot open a restaurant there without a change of designated use — a process that takes time and money.
4. Copying another business's HACCP manual. It must be tailored to your specific layout, your suppliers, and the types of food you handle.
5. Forgetting the ASL health-start notification (NIA). Opening a food business without filing the NIA violates EU Regulation 852/2004 and leads to fines and closure.

Special Cases

Taking over an existing business: if you are buying a restaurant that is already operating, you file a SCIA di subingresso (transfer-of-business SCIA) together with the business-purchase agreement. The existing licence carries over.

Relocating to new premises: you need a transfer SCIA. Always check the designated use of the new address before you commit.

Refurbishment or expansion: if you change the floor area, internal layout, or type of activity, you must file a SCIA in variante (variation SCIA).

Outdoor seating and terraces: in addition to the SCIA you need a public-land-occupancy concession (occupazione del suolo pubblico) from the Polizia Locale Roma and must pay the CUP (Canone Unico Patrimoniale) fee.

Historic centre (Municipio I): specific restrictions apply to new openings in certain areas, the Soprintendenza (heritage authority) has rules on signage and shopfronts, and some types of business are banned outright. Check with the Municipio before proceeding.

Seasonal business: if you operate for a maximum of 180 consecutive days per year, you can state the specific period in your SCIA.

Official Sources

• Roma Capitale — SUAP
• Funzione Pubblica — Unified SCIA forms
• Ministry of Health — Food safety and HACCP
• ASL Roma 1
• Impresa in un giorno

Legal references: L. 241/1990 art. 19, D.Lgs. 222/2016, D.Lgs. 126/2016, D.Lgs. 59/2010, D.Lgs. 114/1998, L. 287/1991, Reg. CE 852/2004, DM 37/2008, DPR 151/2011.