SUAP Rome: How to Open a Business Through the One-Stop Shop
Shop, restaurant, workshop, gym: in Rome there's one single desk for all business permits. Here's how the SUAP works, what to submit, and how long it takes.
In a Nutshell
The SUAP — Sportello Unico per le Attività Produttive (one-stop shop for business activities) is the single point of contact between you and Roma Capitale when you want to open, modify, or close a business. Instead of running between the local health authority, the fire brigade, the heritage office, and various other departments, you submit one online application and the SUAP coordinates everything. For many types of business, you can start trading on the same day you send the application.
At a Glance
| Cost | SUAP fees: €50–500 depending on the type of application + marca da bollo (revenue stamp) of €16 per document |
| Timeline | SCIA: operational immediately (60 days for checks). Express authorisation: 30–90 days. Joint-committee process: up to 120 days |
| Where in Rome | Online via the Roma Capitale portal; 15 district SUAP offices; central SUAP for complex applications |
| Documents | SPID/CIE/CNS, qualified digital signature, PEC (certified email — legally valid in Italy), company registry extract, floor plan, certificate of usability |
How the SUAP Works
The SUAP is governed by DPR 160/2010 and covers any transaction involving a business activity: opening, expansion, modification, change of premises, change of ownership (subingresso), closure, and construction of production facilities.
In Rome the SUAP falls under the Direzione Sviluppo Economico e Attività Produttive di Roma Capitale and is structured as:
- a central SUAP for complex or city-wide applications
- 15 district SUAP offices, one per Municipio, for ordinary neighbourhood-level applications
Everything is submitted exclusively online through the Roma Capitale SUAP portal, using SPID, CIE, or CNS plus a qualified digital signature. Alternatively, you can log in via the national portal impresainungiorno.gov.it, which redirects directly to the Roman system.
Four Types of Procedure
Notification (Comunicazione): for minor changes such as adjusting opening hours or changing a shop sign. Takes effect immediately, with minimal attachments required.
SCIA (Segnalazione Certificata Inizio Attività — certified declaration of business start): the most common route for shops, cafés, restaurants, hairdressers, gyms, workshops, and B&Bs run as a business. A SCIA is effective from the day you receive the protocol number. Over the following 60 days the SUAP may carry out checks; if it finds correctable irregularities it will ask you to comply, otherwise it issues a prohibition order.
Express authorisation (Autorizzazione espressa): required for activities with significant impact — for example, businesses in a protected historic centre, new production buildings, or nightclubs. You may only begin once you have received the authorisation, which arrives within 30–90 days. If the deadline passes without a response, implicit approval (silenzio-assenso) applies in most cases.
Joint-committee process (Conferenza di servizi): for complex applications involving multiple authorities with discretionary assessments. Timelines can reach 120 days. The SUAP convenes a meeting — which may be held online — with all involved bodies to reach a collective decision.
Which Procedure Applies to Your Business
| Business type | Procedure |
|---|---|
| Clothing shop (under 250 m²) | SCIA |
| Café / restaurant | SCIA + health notification to ASL (Azienda Sanitaria Locale — local public-health authority) |
| Non-commercial B&B | Notification |
| Commercial B&B / guesthouse | SCIA |
| Hairdresser / beauty salon | SCIA + professional qualifications |
| Gym / fitness centre | SCIA + instructors' health fitness certification |
| Car repair workshop | SCIA + Motor Repairers Register (CCIAA) |
| Pharmacy | Express authorisation |
| Café in the historic centre | Authorisation + heritage office (Soprintendenza) constraints |
| Nightclub / dance hall | Police authorisation + ASL + fire brigade |
Documents You Need
The exact list depends on the activity, but the following are always required:
About you and your business: ID document, Codice Fiscale (Italian tax ID — your personal 16-character code, used for almost everything), SPID/CIE/CNS credentials, qualified digital signature, active PEC address, company registry extract (visura camerale), ATECO activity codes, articles of association and by-laws if you have a company.
About the premises: cadastral extract or registered floor plan, registered lease or title deed, certificate of usability (certificato di agibilità), urban-planning designation compatible with your activity (C1 for retail, C2 for storage, etc.).
Technical documents (only for certain activities): technical report signed by a qualified professional, ASL health notification for food service, Fire Prevention Certificate (CPI) for premises above certain thresholds, acoustic report for venues with music or public entertainment, HACCP plan for food businesses, proof of professional qualifications for hairdressers, beauticians, NCC drivers, and installers.
Step-by-Step: How to Submit Your Application
Step 1 — Preliminary checks (before signing any lease)
Identify the ATECO code for your activity, verify the urban-planning designation of the premises, and check for any restrictions (historic centre, heritage office, environmental zones). This step is critical: if the premises don't have the right designation, you'll need to change it before you can open — an extra process that costs money and takes time. Also identify the competent Municipio based on the address using the Rome Municipi map.
Step 2 — Access the portal
Go to www.comune.roma.it/web/it/suap.page and log in with SPID, CIE, or CNS.
Step 3 — Fill in the application
Select the type of transaction (opening, modification, change of ownership, closure) and your specific activity. Complete the standard national forms, upload attachments as digitally signed PDFs, and pay the processing fee via PagoPA — ranging from €50 for a small neighbourhood shop to €500 for a production-facility authorisation.
Step 4 — Submit and receive confirmation
Sign the application digitally and submit. You immediately receive a protocol receipt with a unique reference number. For SCIA applications, you can start trading from the date on that receipt.
Step 5 — Inspections
Over the 60 days that follow, the SUAP may conduct site visits and request additional documents via PEC. Check your inbox every day: if you miss their deadline for supplementary information, your application lapses and you have to start from scratch.
The 15 District SUAP Offices
Each Municipio has its own office for locally handled applications. Go to the SUAP office for the Municipio where your premises are located.
| Municipio | Main area | SUAP address |
|---|---|---|
| I Centro | Centro Storico, Trastevere | Circonvallazione Trionfale 19 |
| II Parioli | Parioli, Salario, Nomentano | Via Tripoli 136 |
| III Montesacro | Bufalotta, Talenti | Via Umberto Fracchia 45 |
| IV Tiburtino | Pietralata, San Basilio | Via Tiburtina 1163 |
| V Prenestino | Centocelle, Tor Pignattara | Via di Torre Annunziata 1 |
| VI Roma delle Torri | Tor Bella Monaca, Torre Maura | Via Cambellotti 11 |
| VII Tuscolano | Appio, Cinecittà | Piazza di Cinecittà 11 |
| VIII Ostiense | Garbatella, San Paolo | Via Benedetto Croce 50 |
| IX EUR | EUR, Laurentino | Via Ignazio Silone 200 |
| X Mare | Ostia, Acilia | Via dei Pallottini 6 |
| XI Arvalia | Portuense, Magliana | Via Mazzacurati 76 |
| XII Monteverde | Monteverde, Gianicolense | Via Fabiola 14 |
| XIII Aurelio | Aurelio, Pisana | Via Aurelia 470 |
| XIV Monte Mario | Trionfale, Primavalle | Piazza Santa Maria della Pietà |
| XV Cassia | Tomba di Nerone, Cesano | Via Flaminia 872 |
Mistakes to Avoid
- Starting to trade without submitting a SCIA first. Operating without a valid title exposes you to administrative fines of €5,000 to €20,000 and immediate closure by the Polizia Locale (municipal police).
- Signing the lease before verifying the planning designation. If the premises are designated A10 (office use) and you want to open a shop (C1 retail), you'll need to change the designation before you can open — a separate process that adds costs and delays. Always check first.
- Ignoring your PEC inbox. The SUAP communicates exclusively by PEC. If you miss their requests for supplementary documents within the stated deadline, your application lapses and you have to start over.
Special Cases
Taking over an existing business (subingresso): you must submit a SCIA for change of ownership within 60 days of the transfer deed. This lets you retain the previous owner's authorisation without going through the full opening process from scratch.
Closing a business: notify the SUAP within 30 days of closure. Without this notification you remain on record as active and continue to pay CCIAA (Rome Chamber of Commerce) fees and local taxes unnecessarily.
Seasonal business: a SCIA is still required, potentially with specific provisions for reduced hours and seasonal outdoor seating (occupazione di suolo pubblico).
Historic centre: some areas carry special restrictions — no new medium or large retail structures, and heritage office constraints apply. The Historic Centre Business Activity Plan governs these zones. If your premises are in Municipio I, check with the district SUAP office before committing to anything.
Moving premises: submit a SCIA for transfer of location if you're relocating within Rome. Check the planning designation of the new premises first.
Official Sources
- Roma Capitale — SUAP portal
- Roma Capitale — SUAP portal guide (PDF)
- Impresa in un giorno (national portal)
- Camera di Commercio Roma
- Funzione Pubblica — Standard SCIA forms
Legal references: DPR 160/2010 (SUAP regulations); D.Lgs. 222/2016 (Table A — SCIA/notification/authorisation); L. 241/1990 (administrative procedure); D.Lgs. 126/2016 (SCIA reform); DPR 445/2000 art. 76 (self-declarations); Directive 2006/123/CE Bolkestein; D.Lgs. 59/2010; L. 124/2015.