The Chambers of Commerce carry out support activities for enterprises by providing them with information on tax regimes related to import-export practices (customs duties, international transport provisions, international claimright insurance, intra-Community VAT, etc.). Furthermore, they provide support in the field of international contracts and emergency support in disputes between Italian and foreign operators. Export country profiles help exporters to third countries, by providing information on the economic situation and fiscal and political rules of over one hundred countries. The Chambers also deal with the issuing of documents and certificates required for business relations with foreign countries: Computerised code; Certificate of free sale; Certificate of origin; Visti di congruità prezzi, Authentication of signature; National trade mark for wine export; Ata Carnet , Carnet Tir.

Computerised code
It is an eight-digit code issued, upon request, to those enterprises that carry out import and export activities, and that are entered in the Business Register; to public authorities and organisations that generally carry out currency transactions; and to professional offices that usually exchange services with foreign countries. In order to obtain it, an application must be filed by using a standard form, besides paying the chambers secretarial fees. It is issued after carrying out the relevant inspections aiming at verifying, as the case may be, registration in the Business Register or the activity carried out. The data collected by Chambers of Commerce in suitable directories are collected in a data bank.

Certificate of Free Sale
This certificate is requested by a number of States (such as Thailand, Korea, Peru, etc.) and it states that the goods imported are allowed free movement in the country of origin and passed the inspections provided for by national laws. To obtain it, a request must be drawn up on headed letter-paper, and be filed to the foreign trade bureau of the relevant Chamber, complemented by a full or sample list of one’s customers, including any identification data and a copy of the Italian sales invoices concerning the products for which the certificate is requested.

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Certificate of origin
Certificates of origin are documents attesting the origin of goods, for commercial and customs purposes. The request must be filled by the applicant (either in Italian or in one of the European Union languages) in suitable forms (made up of the application, the original copy, that will be given back, and a copy of the certificate), and be sent to the Chamber of Commerce in whose ambit goods are produced, or where the registered office is established and the applicant elected its domicile.

In order to allow the Chamber of Commerce to carry out an assessment activity preliminary to the issuing of the certificate, applications – in case of goods entirely manufactured in Italy – shall indicate, on the back side, the place of manufacturing and the name of manufacturer (or the business name of the company).
In case goods that were manufactured in Italy underwent processing in the Italian territory sufficient to ascribe an Italian origin to them, the name of the operator that made the last processing and the address of either the factory or the laboratory where it occurred must be indicated. A copy of the export invoice must be produced, together with the request of certificate, the final destination of the goods or of customer, should the shipment be carried out on behalf of third parties or envisage a stopover.
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Price adequacy visas
Upon request of the interested party, the Chambers of Commerce put a price adequacy visa or a simple “visa” on the invoices concerning the goods exported to Arab countries.
In order to obtain it, a suitable application must be filed to the Chamber of Commerce on headed letter-paper, complemented with the invoices in duplicate, one of which showing a witnessed signature.
In the request, the applicant must state, under his/her own responsibility, that the prices displayed correspond to those that are generally imposed in the export market, and must pay the relevantsecretarial fees to the Chamber of Commerce.

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Authentication of Signatures
For a few Latin American countries (including Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Uruguay) and a few Arab ones (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Iran, Yemen, Arab Republic of Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Syria) the authentication of the signatures affixed by the Chambers executives on the certificates of origin and on invoices is requested. The Chambers senior officers fulfil this procedure.

National Trade-Mark for Wine Export
The so-called INE trademark is needed to export wines to North American countries (i.e. Canada, USA, Mexico); it must be requested to the National Institute for Foreign Trade (ICE) through the Chamber of Commerce that carries out the preliminary examination and sends the documents.

L'Ice può richiedere a un laboratorio autorizzato un certificato di analisi chimico-organolettiche.
ICE might request a certificate of chemical-organoleptic analysis to an authorised laboratory.
The following documents must be enclosed to the application to be drawn up on headed letter-paper:
application on stamped paper addressed to ICE;
two copies of an information questionnaire and the national trade-mark of wine export;
twenty samples of labels and neck labels for each type of wine that is intended to be exported;
certificate of the Court bankruptcy section, witnessing the absence of any bankruptcy procedure;
two bank references on the solvency of the exporting company;
certificate of payment of the Chambers secretarial fees.

The INE trademark is affixed on bottles, cartons and cases.

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Ata Carnet
The customs convention on Ata Carnet allowing, upon the request of the interested party, replacing the ordinary customs documents, aims at facilitating the temporary import of goods destined to exhibitions, fairs, congresses and similar events.
Ata Carnet relieves operators of the obligation, both when goods enter and exit the various States joining the Convention, to deposit at the customs the amount of customs duties or bond as a guarantee.
This system is based on the responsibility, for each State joining the convention, of a guarantor authority that, besides issuing the Carnets in its own country, has to pay the import duties in the event of non re-exportation of the goods introduced in another country. In Italy, the role of guarantor authority is played by the Italian Union of the Chambers of Commerce.
The chambers authorities issue, upon request, the Carnets on its account. The issuing of the Carnets is subject to the production of a guarantee (insurance policy) by the applicantì.

Tir Carnet
The transport of goods on road vehicles or containers is facilitated by Tir Carnets. These customs transit documents allow the simplification of customs duties, through one or several borders, to goods transporters in the countries joining the Customs Convention on the International Transport of Goods.
They are issued by the Chambers authorities after assessing that the applicant signed the commitment statement to Unioncamere, or registered in the Tir Register, in compliance with the Regulation for the issuing of guarantees envisaged by the customs convention on international transport of goods covered by Tir Carnet, and established at Unioncamere.
The requirements to be met in order to be entered in said Register include:
residence in Italy;
registration in the Business Register of the Chamber of Commerce of the province in which the company has its registered office;
registration in the national Register of hauliers of goods on behalf of third parties (hauliers on their own are exempted from this requirement;
a suitable qualification from a technical (ownership of motor vehicles and technical and commercial organisation), moral (anti-mafia certificate, Criminal Records and public prosecutor’s office certificate, INPS and INAIL statement on the regularity of taxes and contributions paid) and financial (bank information, indication of the eventual property assets and description of the fleet of motor vehicles and containers, of plants and equipment) standing.

After carrying out a first preliminary examination, the Chamber of Commerce sends said documents to Unioncamere, also including its advise. The president of Unioncamere resolves on the application based on of the opinion expressed by the Committee for the admission to the Tir service, operating within the Union. It is also necessary that the interested parties issue, through the Chambers of Commerce, an insurance guarantee whose amount is fixed by Unioncamere.

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