Get a certified copy from the notary
The statuto, the bylaws of an Italian limited company, is drawn up by a notary. Ask that notary for a certified copy, a copia conforme, with a fresh date and a wet signature. Anyone working out how to legalize Company Bylaws starts here, because the whole chain rests on a notary's own hand. The version filed at the business register is not the same thing.
Say at the notary's office that the copy will travel abroad. The clerk then binds the sheets, numbers them, and signs the last page. Loose pages are refused further along the line. Check that the company name and the registered office read exactly as they do on your other papers.
Why the court desk, not the Prefettura
A notary's deed is not an act of the town hall, so it goes to the Procura della Repubblica, the prosecutor's office at the court in Milan. The Procura holds the signatures of notaries in its district and legalizes their hand. The Prefettura (Prefecture) deals with the other family of papers, those issued by an office of the state or by the Comune. The consular legalization of Company Bylaws in Italy cannot begin until the Procura has signed.
Bring the deed to the court district where the notary practises. A Milan notary means the Milan court. Staff there compare the signature against their register, then add the state legalization stamp on the back of the last sheet. Get this wrong and the mission will send the whole bundle back.
What the mission adds
Next the bundle goes to the embassy or consulate of the country that asked for it. Their officer checks the court seal against a sample, then stamps and logs the file. The embassy legalization of Company Bylaws in Milan is arranged with that mission alone; no Italian office can do it for them. Many want a covering letter from the company saying why the deed is being sent.
Fee and timing
A €16 tax stamp (marca da bollo) goes on the file on the Italian side. The notary charges separately for the certified copy, and the mission adds a consular fee that it fixes itself. Buy the tax stamp before you queue, because the court desk does not sell one.
Count 10–15 business days from the notary's counter to the consular seal. Corporate deadlines seldom leave that much room, so a lane of 3–5 business days is open when a signing date is fixed. The mission's diary still rules the final step, so secure that appointment first.
What the sealed deed is used for
Firms legalize Company Bylaws in Milan to open a branch abroad, to register a subsidiary, to sign a joint venture, or to show a bank who may bind the company. Foreign registrars read the deed for the objects clause and the powers of the directors. A tender board reads it for the share capital. Each of them may want a different set of papers behind it.
Whether the mission has to stamp anything depends on the destination, so ask the receiving authority to confirm in writing before you start. The embassy attestation of Company Bylaws in Milan is a wasted trip when the registrar on the other side takes the court seal alone. Ask them too which language the deed must be in, and whether a bound translation is part of what they expect.