Division 53: Postal and courier activities

Section H, Transportation and storage. 3 subcategories with ISTAT's explanatory notes and the ATECO 2022 codes they come from.

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  1. 53Postal and courier activities
  2. 53.1Postal activities under universal service obligation
  3. 53.10Postal activities under universal service obligation
    ISTAT explanatory notes ›

    This class includes the activities of postal services operating under a universal service obligation by one or more designated universal service providers. The activities include use of the universal service infrastructure, including retail sale locations, sorting and processing facilities, and carrier routes to pick up and deliver mail.

    The delivery can include letter post, in other words, letters, postcards, printed papers (newspapers, periodicals, advertising items, and so on), small packets, goods or documents.

    Also included are other services necessary to support the universal service obligation.

    Excludes

    • postal giro, postal savings activities and money order activities, see 64.1964.19
  4. 53.10.0Postal activities under universal service obligation
  5. 53.10.00Postal activities under universal service obligation
    From ATECO 2022: 53.10.00 Attività postali con obbligo di servizio universale (all from here)
    ISTAT explanatory notes ›

    Includes

    • pickup, sorting, transport and delivery (domestic (national) or international) of letter post and (mail-type) parcels and packages by postal services operating under a universal service obligation. One or more modes of transport may be involved and the activity may be carried out with either self-owned (private) transport or via public transport.
    • collection of letter-mail and parcels from public letter boxes or from post offices
  6. 53.2Other postal and courier activities
  7. 53.20Other postal and courier activities
    ISTAT explanatory notes ›

    Excludes

    • transport of freight, see (according to mode of transport) 49.20, 49.41, 50.20, 50.40, 51.21, 51.2249.2049.4150.2050.4051.2151.22
    • freight rail transport, see 49.2049.20
    • freight transport by road, see 49.4149.41
    • delivery of furniture, can include unpacking and installation, see 49.4149.41
    • sea and coastal freight water transport, see 50.2050.20
    • inland freight water transport, see 50.4050.40
    • freight air transport, see 51.2151.21
    • freight space transport, see 51.2251.22
    • home delivery of prepared meals, if performed by the same unit, which prepares the meals, see division 5656
  8. 53.20.0Other postal and courier activities
  9. 53.20.00Other postal and courier activities
    From ATECO 2022: 53.20.00 Altre attività postali e di corriere senza obbligo di servizio universale (in part) · 96.01.10 Attività delle lavanderie industriali (in part)
    ISTAT explanatory notes ›

    Includes

    • pickup, sorting, transport and delivery (domestic (national) or international) of letter post and (mail-type) parcels and packages by businesses operating outside the scope of a universal service obligation. One or more modes of transport may be involved and the activity may be carried out with either self-owned (private) transport or via public transport.
    • pony express services

    Also includes

    • home delivery services, including food
  10. 53.3Intermediation service activities for postal and courier activities
  11. 53.30Intermediation service activities for postal and courier activities
    ISTAT explanatory notes ›

    This class includes the intermediation of postal and courier activities, by bringing clients and service providers together for a fee or commission, without the intermediary providing the postal and courier services that are intermediated.

    These intermediation activities can be carried out on digital platforms or through non-digital channels (including face-to-face, door-to-door, telephone, mail, and so on).

    The fee or commission can be received from either the client or the provider of the postal and courier service. Revenue for the intermediation activities can include other sources of income (for example, revenues from the sale of advertising space).

    Excludes

    • food delivery services, see 53.2053.20
    • operation of online platforms for home delivery of prepared meals, if the delivery is carried out by the same unit which prepares the meals, see 56.4056.40
    • monetary intermediation services (e.g. payment of fees through the post office), see 64.1964.19
  12. 53.30.0Intermediation service activities for postal and courier activities
  13. 53.30.00Intermediation service activities for postal and courier activities
    From ATECO 2022: 47.99.10 Commercio al dettaglio di prodotti vari, mediante l'intervento di un dimostratore o di un incaricato alla vendita (porta a porta) (in part) · 61.90.99 Altre attività connesse alle telecomunicazioni n.c.a. (in part) · 62.09.09 Altre attività dei servizi connessi alle tecnologie dell'informatica n.c.a. (in part) · 63.12.00 Portali web (in part) · 63.99.00 Altre attività dei servizi di informazione n.c.a. (in part) · 82.99.99 Altri servizi di sostegno alle imprese n.c.a. (in part)
    ISTAT explanatory notes ›

    Includes

    • any intermediation service undertaken by third parties to postal service providers and offered to business and domestic (household) clients
    • operation of online platforms to allow people to book a food delivery

Source and disclaimer

The code you find here has no legal value, like the one from ISTAT's own navigator. You can use it as a reference when you register or change a VAT number with the Business Register or the Italian Revenue Agency. If in doubt, ask your accountant. ISTAT's official ATECO navigator.

Data: ISTAT, ATECO 2025 classification, CC BY 4.0 licence. We reorganised the files for search without changing the text of codes and notes, except for the capitalisation of section titles. CC BY 4.0

ISTAT files used

ATECO documentation on istat.it