Italy: templates and forms

For a passenger whose flight was cancelled with less than 14 days’ notice, arrived three hours or more late, or who was denied boarding: you ask the airline that operated the flight for 250, 400 or 600 € per person, depending on distance (EU Regulation 261/2004), unless there were extraordinary circumstances. It covers flights leaving an EU airport and flights into the EU on a European airline. Many airlines offer a free online form; with no answer within six weeks, a complaint to Italy’s civil aviation authority ENAC is free and online. This Italian letter goes by registered post with proof of receipt, or by PEC if the airline has a certified address.

For a traveller who bought a package holiday from an Italian organiser – flight and hotel, cruise, organised tour – and found services other than those promised: you ask the organiser for a price reduction, reimbursement of expenses and damages, including damages for a ruined holiday (Articles 42, 43 and 46 of the Italian Tourism Code). Defects must be reported promptly during the trip, to the organiser or the travel agency; damages are claimed within three years of returning. Italian chambers of commerce publish free guides on package travel. Send this Italian letter by PEC to the organiser’s certified address or by registered post with proof of receipt.

For anyone in Italy who wants to end a subscription – gym, swimming pool, magazine, online service – or stop it renewing: the letter gives notice at expiry, withdraws on the contract’s terms or, if a documented illness or injury prevents you from using the service, asks for termination because performance has become impossible (Articles 1463 and 1464 of the Italian Civil Code). Italy has no specific law on gyms: the contract and the Italian Consumer Code’s rules on unfair terms decide. Many providers state in the contract how to cancel. Send this Italian letter by PEC to the company’s certified address or by registered post with proof of receipt.

For anyone in Italy who wants to end an insurance policy – home, accident, liability, health – at expiry so that it does not renew tacitly, or to withdraw from a policy lasting more than five years once five years have passed (Article 1899 of the Italian Civil Code). The notice period is the one the policy sets and counts from receipt of the letter. Motor liability insurance, by contrast, needs no notice: it never renews tacitly. Many insurers also accept cancellation free of charge from the customer area or through the agent. Send this Italian letter by PEC to the insurer’s certified address or by registered post with proof of receipt.

For anyone who receives a notice or payment demand for Italian car tax (bollo auto) that is not owed: already paid, time-barred, vehicle not registered to them or exempt. The request, in Italian, asks the Region's tax office, or the body named on the notice, to cancel it on review; many Regions offer a free form or online service, to be preferred where it exists. In Friuli Venezia Giulia and Sardinia the tax is collected by the Agenzia delle Entrate, in Trentino-Alto Adige by the Province. No stamp duty; send by PEC, registered post or by hand. It does not stop the 60 days for an appeal.

Many banks let you revoke a direct debit free of charge in online banking or at the branch. This document, in Italian under Italian law, is for doing it in writing, with proof: it holds two letters to send on the same day, one to the creditor revoking the SEPA mandate and one to your bank asking it to stop executing that creditor's debits (legislative decree no. 11/2010). Revocation does not cancel sums owed: the letter asks how to pay them another way.

An Italian written complaint, in Italian, to the public relations office (URP) of a local health authority (ASL), a hospital trust or an accredited facility, about a poor service or conduct in care: the patient or a relative gives the ward, the date and the facts and asks for checks and a written answer within the time set by the authority’s service charter. Many authorities have their own free complaint form. Send it by PEC, registered post with proof of receipt, or by hand. It holds health data, so it is sold blank and filled in by hand.

For the liquidator of an Italian S.r.l. whose liquidation is complete: a document in Italian summarising the assets realised, debts paid, costs and remainder, stating what each member receives (the distribution plan, art. 2492 of the Italian Civil Code) and setting out the liquidator's statements. The final accounting statements and, where appointed, the auditors' report are attached. It is filed with the Companies Register: for ninety days each member may object, then the accounts are deemed approved (art. 2493) and the company's removal from the register is requested.

For anyone who received from the Agenzia delle Entrate an assessment, a notice of irregularity or a tax bill with an obvious error: wrong person, calculation error, payment already made and ignored. Before this letter, the free route: the Agency’s CIVIS online service, for notices and bills, and its own fac-simile on plain paper. The request goes to the Agency office that issued the act or, for a tax bill, the one that entered the sums for collection, by PEC, recorded delivery or by hand, with no revenue stamp; it does not suspend the 60 days to appeal.

For anyone who received from the Comune, or the agent collecting for it, an assessment or payment notice for IMU, TARI or another local tax with an obvious error: a property not owned, wrong floor area or cadastral value, payment already made, wrong person. Many Comuni have their own form or a free online desk: if there is one, use it. This Italian request goes to the tax office that issued the act, by PEC or recorded delivery, and does not suspend the 60 days to appeal.

For anyone in Italy who finds a contract in their name that they never asked for – electricity or gas moved to another supplier, a phone line or service switched on, a subscription – often after a phone call or doorstep visit: you repudiate the contract and ask for it to stop, for the bills to be cancelled and for a refund. A consumer owes nothing for an unsolicited supply, and silence is not consent (Article 66-quinquies of the Italian Consumer Code). For electricity and gas, ARERA has a restoration procedure; Altroconsumo publishes a free model. Send this Italian letter by PEC to the company’s certified address or by registered post.

For anyone in Italy who wants to end a landline, mobile, internet or pay-TV contract, even before it expires: the law lets you withdraw at any time, on no more than thirty days’ notice and without costs other than those justified by the operator’s own costs (Article 1(3) of Italian decree-law 7/2007, the «decreto Bersani»). Operators also offer free cancellation channels in the customer area or in their shops; to move to another operator and keep your number, just go to the new one. This Italian letter proves the date: send it by PEC to the operator’s certified address or by registered post with proof of receipt.

For an employer in Italy ending a job during the trial period. If the trial clause is valid, that is written before work began and naming the duties, the contract may be ended freely, without notice or compensation (art. 2096 of the Italian Civil Code). The letter states the end date and the final payments. It is not for a dismissal after the trial, which follows the rules on dismissal. Hand it over against a signed receipt, or send it by registered post with proof of receipt. In Italian.

For a family that, as a domestic employer in Italy, ends the job of its domestic helper, carer or nanny. In domestic work a dismissal needs no reason (art. 2118 of the Italian Civil Code; art. 4 of Italian Law 108/1990), but the notice of the collective agreement for domestic work must be given or paid in lieu. The letter states the dismissal, the notice, the last day and the final payments. It is not for a dismissal for just cause, nor during pregnancy or the leave that follows the birth. The end of the job is then reported to INPS, free of charge. Hand it over against a signed receipt, or send it by registered post. In Italian.

For a consumer in Italy who paid for an online order, or for goods to be delivered home, and has not received them by the promised date or, failing one, within 30 days: you invite the seller to deliver by a new, appropriate deadline and announce that otherwise you will terminate the contract and ask for everything paid back (Article 61 of the Italian Consumer Code). The risk of loss in transit stays with the seller until delivery (Article 63). Send this Italian letter by registered post with proof of receipt or by PEC to the seller’s certified address.

For a consumer in Italy who has already asked the seller to repair or replace a faulty product, without result: you ask for a proportionate price reduction, or declare the contract terminated and ask for the whole price back (Articles 135-bis and 135-quater of the Italian Consumer Code). It applies if the seller refuses or does not act within a reasonable time, if the defect comes back or if it is serious. Italian consumer associations also offer free models. Send this Italian letter by registered post with proof of receipt or by PEC to the seller’s certified address.

For a consumer in Italy who bought online, by phone, by mail order or from a doorstep seller and has changed their mind: you withdraw within 14 days without giving reasons (Article 52 of the Italian Consumer Code) and ask for everything you paid back within 14 days. The model form the seller must give you and, for contracts concluded from 19 June 2026, the «Recedere dal contratto qui» button on shopping websites are free and enough on their own. This Italian letter leaves written proof: send it by registered post with proof of receipt (raccomandata A/R) or by PEC to the seller’s certified e-mail address.

If you open an account with another bank in Italy, the new bank offers a free switching service that moves transfers and direct debits and closes the old account if you ask. This letter, in Italian under Italian law, is for closing the account only: it gives notice of withdrawal without penalty or charges (article 120-bis of the Italian Consolidated Banking Act), asks for linked cards and services to be closed, the balance transferred and a closing statement sent. Send it by registered post, by PEC or hand it in at the branch.

For a creditor and a debtor in Italy who agree to settle a debt in instalments: a private loan, a fee, rent arrears. The contract, in Italian under Italian law, acknowledges the amount owed and where it comes from (article 1988 of the Italian Civil Code), sets the number and amount of the instalments, any interest rate, the creditor's undertaking not to act while the plan is kept and what follows missed instalments. Both sign two copies. It is not for debts to the Agenzia delle Entrate-Riscossione.

For a consumer in Italy who paid a trader – a shop, a tradesman, a service company – and did not get what was agreed, or was charged sums not owed: you formally call on the trader in writing to perform within at least 15 days, put it in default (Article 1219 of the Italian Civil Code) and interrupt limitation (Article 2943). You choose whether, once the deadline passes, the contract ends by law (Article 1454) or you will sue for performance. Energy, phone, bank and insurance disputes also have a free sector route. Send this Italian letter by registered post with proof of receipt or by PEC to the trader’s certified address.

For a business or professional entrusting a continuing service to another business in Italy (cleaning, maintenance, IT support, consulting): an Italian contract covering scope, duration, price, e-invoicing through the SdI, payment term, late-payment interest under Legislative Decree 231/2002, the provider's duties, confidentiality and withdrawal on notice, specifically approved (arts. 1341–1342 of the Italian Civil Code). No exclusive jurisdiction or penalties. Signed in two copies, or digitally, with each party also signing the approval of clauses.

For a business or professional wanting to leave a contract with a supplier in Italy (cleaning, software, equipment rental, maintenance): a letter in Italian exercising the withdrawal the contract provides (art. 1373 of the Italian Civil Code), citing the clause, the notice, the effective date and the requests to close the relationship: final invoice, collection of equipment, return of data, an end to direct debits. Sent by PEC to the supplier's address in INI-PEC or by registered post. If the contract allows no withdrawal, this letter is not enough.

For professionals and self-employed workers in Italy asking to be paid before invoicing: the Italian fee notice (avviso di parcella) lists the work, the fee, any pension contribution, VAT and withholding tax, the total and the IBAN, and asks for payment by a date. It has no tax value and is not an invoice: anyone with a VAT number issues the electronic invoice through the Exchange System (SdI) on payment; anyone without one gives an occasional-work receipt. Sent by e-mail, PEC or registered post.

For a domestic helper, carer or nanny in Italy who asks the employing family for the payslips of certain months and for the statement of wages paid in the year, which the collective agreement for domestic work provides instead of the Certificazione Unica, as the family does not withhold tax. They are needed for a tax return, renewing a residence permit, renting a home, the NASpI unemployment benefit or checking contributions. Hand it over and have the copy signed, or send it by registered post. In Italian.