A private paper cannot be stamped as it stands
A deal between two firms is a private paper. Nobody at a state desk signed it, so no state office can vouch for it as it stands. That is the first thing to grasp about how to apostille a commercial contract: the signatures must be tied to a public officer before any stamp can follow.
An apostille is a slip that says a named signature and seal are genuine. It does not read the clauses, weigh the price or judge whether the deal binds. A buyer abroad who wants comfort on the terms needs a lawyer, not a stamp. Say that plainly to the desk asking for one.
The notary step, then the right desk
To apostille a commercial contract in Italy the usual first stop is a notaio. The notary either draws the deal as a public deed or witnesses the signatures on your own text, which is called an autentica di firma. Either way the paper now carries a seal the state can trace.
Where you apostille a commercial contract in Naples follows from that seal. The Prefettura (Prefecture) is the named desk for administrative papers. A notary's act is not one: notarial and judicial papers go to the Procura della Repubblica, the prosecutor's office at the court covering the district where the act was made.
Get the housekeeping right before the notary's slot. Every page should be numbered and initialled, and each annex named in the text should be in the bundle. Show that each signer may bind the firm, since the notary will ask. A deal signed by someone without that power is a costly thing to unwind later.
Fee, and what counts as one document
The apostille cost for a commercial contract in Naples is a €16 tax stamp per document, and some papers are exempt. A long deal with annexes may still count as one paper when the notary binds it as a single act, so ask the clerk. No wait is fixed here, so book the notary and the desk as soon as the text is settled.
Why a foreign desk wants a stamped deal
Firms send stamped deals abroad for many reasons. A customs office may want the sale terms behind a shipment. A bank may want the contract before it releases funds. A foreign court or arbitrator may want it as proof in a dispute, and a tax office may want it to show why money moved. Ask which pages each one needs.
Translation and acceptance notes
Some counterparties still write to us about the legalisation of a commercial contract in Naples. For Hague states the apostille has replaced that longer chain. For the rest, a consulate may still have to sign after the court does. Ask the party or office abroad which they need, and keep their reply on file.
Bilingual deals raise one more question. If the text already runs in two columns, ask whether the reader will take it as it stands. If not, the translator swears the asseverazione, an oath before a Tribunale (court) that the words match. Say in the deal itself which language rules if the two versions ever differ.