A private paper cannot be stamped as it stands
An apostille is a certificate that proves a seal or a signature on a paper is real. That is the whole of its job. A deal between two firms carries only the parties' own signatures, so nothing public sits on it yet. That is why how to apostille a commercial contract begins with fixing the gap, not with joining a queue.
The usual fix is a notaio, an Italian notary, who confirms whose hands signed the paper and adds a seal of their own. From that moment the file carries a mark an office can trace. That is the step you must take before you can apostille a commercial contract in Bari at all.
Two desks in one city
Italy sorts papers by who signed them, not by what they are about. Administrative papers, meaning those written or signed by a public body, are stamped by the Prefettura (Prefecture). Judicial papers and notarial acts go to the Procura della Repubblica. So where you apostille a commercial contract in Italy depends on which of those two marks your file ended up carrying.
Counting the cost
The apostille cost for a commercial contract in Bari is a public charge of €16 per document as a tax stamp, with some papers exempt. Because it is charged by document, a deal with many separate annexes can cost several times a simple one. The notary charges separately for the certifying step, and waiting time depends on the week.
Where business deals need the stamp
Distributors register agency deals with a local ministry. Tender boards want the supply contract proved before they score a bid. A court abroad may want it before it hears a dispute, and a bank may want it before lending against a long-term order.
Requests often come in as the legalisation of a commercial contract in Bari, which is the older name for this errand. Italy has been part of the Hague Convention since 1978, so a single stamp answers it for other member states. If your partner sits outside that group, ask their lawyer in writing what route they expect.
Language, and what to send us
A long deal takes longer to render than a one-page record, so start the language question early. A translator who signs an asseverazione, a formal statement of accuracy, before an Italian court gives you the sworn version most offices want. Send us the deal, the annex list and the partner's request, and we will map the shortest honest route.