Faxing a landline in Italy
Fax an Italian landline from your browser. Leading zero, area codes, time zone and working hours explained. A single page is free, and anything longer costs €3.99.
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Italy still uses fax in a number of private practices, small offices and building administrations. You can reach an Italian landline from this page without a machine, an account or a telephone line.
Italian landlines keep the leading zero even when called from abroad, which differs from most European countries. Milan has 02 and Rome 06, Turin uses 011, Naples 081, Bologna 051 and Florence 055. The whole number, zero included, runs from six to eleven digits depending on the city: shorter in big cities, longer in small towns.
Mobile numbers begin with 3 and cannot take a fax, and the free-phone numbers starting with 800 are not landlines either. If a number is quoted as +39 06 1234 5678, keep the 0 after the country code and type 06 1234 5678.
The first page is free and longer documents cost a flat €3.99. Italy is on Central European Time. Offices often work from nine to one and again from half past two to six, so aim for a morning slot.
Italy fax numbers: how to enter them
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Dial code | +39 |
| ISO code | IT |
| Numbers accepted | Starts with 0 (kept), then 5 to 10 digits: area code and number; mobiles (3xx) and toll-free numbers (800) are refused |
| Example number | 0612345678 |
| Region | Southern Europe |
Italy: what we accept and what we turn down
| Number typed | Outcome | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 06 1234 5678 | Accepted | Rome |
| 02 8765 4321 | Accepted | Milan |
| 055 123 4567 | Accepted | Florence |
| 347 123 4567 | Rejected | Mobile number, which no fax can reach |
| 6 1234 5678 | Rejected | The leading 0 is left out |
| 39 06 1234 5678 | Rejected | Country code typed without a + or 00 |
Area codes for the main cities
| City or line type | Area code |
|---|---|
| Rome | 06 |
| Milan | 02 |
| Naples | 081 |
| Turin | 011 |
| Florence | 055 |
| Bologna | 051 |
Italy: who still takes faxes?
- Doctors' studios, dentists and private clinics exchange referrals and consent forms by fax.
- Accountants, notaries and engineers circulate signed pages and supporting documents by fax when a client has no certified e-mail.
- Building administrators use fax to send notices, authorisations and signed minutes to owners and suppliers.
- Shops, small manufacturers and suppliers still confirm orders by fax.
Fax numbers of organisations are not something we publish. Take the number from a recent letter or from the recipient’s official site.
The official online alternative
Italy has built its administration on certified e-mail (PEC), which is mandatory for companies and professionals and legally binding. Citizens sign in to public portals with SPID or the electronic identity card (CIE), and payments go through pagoPA.
Public administrations have not been allowed to exchange documents by fax among themselves since 2013, which is why you will find PEC addresses rather than fax numbers on most official sites. Private recipients are a different matter.
Italy: time zone and office hours
| Time zone | Central European Time |
|---|---|
| Gap with Paris | UTC+1 (UTC+2 in summer) |
| Typical office hours | Mon-Fri 9:00-13:00 and 14:30-18:00 local |
Italy: common questions
- Do I keep the 0 for an Italian number?
- Yes. The 0 is part of the number: 06 1234 5678 for Rome. Do not add +39, and do not drop the zero.
- Why do Italian numbers have different lengths?
- Area codes run from two to four digits and the subscriber number varies accordingly. Every combination between six and eleven digits starting with 0 is accepted by the form.
- Does an Italian office accept a fax for official procedures?
- Private firms and professionals often do. Public bodies are meant to use certified e-mail, so check with the recipient before relying on a fax for something formal.
Send a fax to Italy
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Keep exploring
A few pages that go well with the one you just read.
- Choose a country to see its dial code and the number format we expect, then send your fax to a landline.
- Look up a country’s code, its usual prefixes and how long its numbers are before you fax across a border.
- Choose the country, type the number, and find out at once whether it is ready to use.
- What time it is for your recipient, and when every office is staffed at once.
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