Italian-speaking accountants in Germany

An Italian founder will find the German GmbH familiar in outline and different in detail: the notary plays a larger part, the accounts follow German commercial law rather than the codice civile, and the tax office writes in German. A firm where someone speaks Italian can set each step against what you know from Italy, and can follow the questions that cross the border, such as an amministratore who lives in Milan and manages a company in Munich, or a German subsidiary that invoices its Italian parent.

Twelve firms on Accountanty in Germany list Italian: ten accounting firms and two law firms. Six are small, four medium-sized and two part of large networks. All twelve also work in German, 11 in English, and French and Spanish are each offered by four. Eleven handle tax compliance, ten keep accounts and handle VAT, eight run payroll and six handle company formation. Subsidiaries are the structure they name most often, followed by the GmbH and branches, which suits an Italian company opening a German arm. Half of them are in Munich, three in Frankfurt, two in Hamburg and one in Berlin. None lists residence permits or corporate secretarial work, so plan for a second adviser if you need either.

Before engaging one, ask whether the person who handles your file speaks Italian or whether a colleague translates, and which reports you will receive in Italian. Ask whether the firm has dealt with the Italian side of cross-border cases, and whether it will talk directly to your commercialista. For the German setup steps, read the Germany guide, or send one quote request that names Italian as your language.