Founding papers, and which one you actually hold
Your founding papers are usually two. One is the atto costitutivo, the deed that sets the company up. The other is the statuto, the rules it runs by. A notary drew both. So how to apostille an Articles of Incorporation turns less on the company than on the form of the copy in your hands.
The stamp you need is an apostille: one page a state office attaches to the deed. It vouches for the notary's signature and seal, not for the deal written inside. Italy sits in the Hague Convention, so member states accept that page alone. Ask the bank, buyer or registry abroad if it is enough.
Which desk stamps a notary's deed
To apostille an Articles of Incorporation in Italy you need a copy the notary has certified, a copia conforme, not a plain print. Ask the notaio who held the signing, or the notary who keeps the file now. The copy must show the wet seal and a dated line signed by hand.
You apostille an Articles of Incorporation in Naples at the Procura della Repubblica, the prosecutor's office at the court. It signs off deeds made by judges and notaries. It must be the court for the district where the deed was drawn. The Prefettura (Prefecture) handles state and town hall papers instead.
That district rule catches people out. If the firm was set up before a Naples notary, this is the right court even when the head office has since moved north. A print from the Chamber of Commerce is a different beast: it is a state record, so it goes down the Prefettura route.
What it costs and how long to allow
The apostille cost for an Articles of Incorporation in Naples is a €16 tax stamp per document. Some papers are exempt, so name the use at the desk and ask first. Count the deed and the statuto as two if the clerk treats them so. No set turnaround applies, so start early when a deal has a closing date.
Why firms send these pages abroad
Firms send these pages abroad against real deadlines. A bank wants them to open an account in the company's name. A foreign registry wants them to log a branch. A tender board, a customs broker or a buyer's lawyer may want them to see who may sign. Ask which of the two papers each one needs.
Translation and acceptance notes
Older guides still call this the legalisation of an Articles of Incorporation in Naples. Inside the Hague club the apostille has taken over that longer path. Outside it, a consulate may still have to sign. Get the rule in writing from the office that will read the file, then buy stamps.
Company text is full of share figures and clause numbers, so a loose translation gets picked apart. A sworn version is safer. The translator swears the asseverazione, a signed oath that the words match, in front of a Tribunale (court). Ask the desk abroad whether it wants the stamp on the deed, on the translation, or on both.