According to the latest data from Infocamere, there are over 500,000 professionals who have not communicated their PEC address and risk suspension from their register
The Simplification Decree approved by the government last July to streamline bureaucracy in Italy and to give a boost to the country's digitalization includes rules that also concern freelancers. And if they are not respected, they lead to some rather harsh sanctions: the suspension from their own register of reference.
We are talking about the obligation for freelancers and companies to communicate their digital domicile (which matches the Certified E-Mail address) to their own orders of reference or to the Register of Companies. What should be a normality for VAT registered companies and SMEs, i.e. having a legally recognized PEC address with which to communicate with the Public Administration and other companies, is actually not so. The latest report by Infocamere, realized for Il Sole 24 Ore, quantifies in over 500.000 the professionals that at the moment have not communicated an official PEC address to their own order. A high number that finds especially in journalists and midwives the professional orders with the lowest percentage of PEC addresses.
Professionals can not even make excuses about the high price to subscribe to a PEC address. With Libero Mail PEC Unlimited you spend 30 euros + VAT for one year and you have unlimited space to receive and send e-mails.
PEC, over 500,000 professionals do not have a certified address
The research by Infocamere for Il Sole 24 Ore takes a picture of the spread of PEC addresses among the various professional orders. If for lawyers, architects, accountants, veterinarians, labor consultants and notaries the percentage of professionals with PEC is almost 100% (also thanks to the fact that they constantly communicate with the PA), for the other VAT numbers the issue is different. The worst result is for industrial experts, social workers, midwives and journalists, with a percentage of less than 70% and 41% for journalists.
In total, there are over 500,000 VAT registered with the various professional orders that have never communicated their PEC address and now risk suspension from the Register. In fact, the Simplification decree foresees a very harsh sanction for those who do not comply as soon as possible. The orders are obliged first to send a warning and then to suspend those who do not communicate their digital address. The same orders risk the commissioner or the dissolution in case they do not send to the Chambers of Commerce the updated list of the orders.
As far as companies are concerned, the deadlines are even more stringent: they have until October 1st to comply with the obligation, otherwise they risk administrative sanctions.
After all, the PEC is the safest and fastest way to communicate with the Public Administration. Businesses and VAT holders who do not yet have a certified email address for their digital residence can use a service such as Libero PEC Unlimited, which costs 30 euros + VAT per year and is designed specifically for professionals and companies and offers unlimited space to send and receive messages. Signing up is very simple and all messages have the same legal value as a registered letter.