List cleaning against the Italian opt-out register, before you call
Before the first number of a campaign is dialled in Italy, the list has to be compared with the Registro Pubblico delle Opposizioni, the public opt-out register. We do it on our own campaigns and we do it on the lists of companies that call with their own sales team. The result is a list of numbers that can be called, a list of those to leave alone and written proof of the check.
What cleaning a list against the register means
The Registro Pubblico delle Opposizioni is the Italian list of landline and mobile numbers whose holders do not want to receive commercial calls. Since 2022 it covers every national number, including those not in phone directories, and registering cancels any consent given in the past, except towards companies the registrant has a current contract with.
Cleaning a list means comparing its numbers with the register, before calling, and removing the ones that are in it. Only a registered operator can run the comparison, in the register’s reserved area or through its automated service, and the answer is valid for fifteen days. After that, the check has to be done again.
Why it also concerns companies that only call other companies
There is a belief that the register does not matter in B2B. The register, however, accepts the registration of any holder of a phone contract, legal entities included, and the duty to consult it applies to anyone using the phone for sales, advertising, commercial communication or market research, with no distinction between private and business numbers. A list of companies also contains sole traders, professionals and business mobiles registered to individuals: those are the numbers that most often end up in the register.
Our rule is simple: the whole list gets checked. It costs little, removes the doubt and leaves a written trail. For borderline cases, and for how to document the consents you collected yourselves, we work with your privacy adviser. Our guide to the Italian opt-out register and B2B calls explains which numbers in a B2B list deserve the closest look.
How we work
You send us the list in Excel or CSV, however untidy. We extract the numbers alone, write them all in the same format and remove duplicates and numbers that cannot exist. The file of numbers goes to the register digitally signed and comes back with the opted-out numbers flagged. We then put the callable numbers back next to the names and companies they came from, and mark the excluded ones as not callable, so they do not slip back into the next campaign by mistake.
Every check is archived with its date, the number of contacts checked and the outcome. If someone ever asks why you called a certain number, the answer is in a file and not in the memory of whoever ran the campaign.
What you receive
The callable list, with all the original data in place. The list of excluded numbers, not to be used until their status changes. The report of the check, with date and counts.
If the list feeds one of our B2B telemarketing or appointment setting campaigns, the check is part of the work and we repeat it when the fifteen days run out.
When it has to be repeated
Before every campaign, and in any case every month if the campaign continues: that is what the register requires. It also has to be repeated whenever you take a list from an outside supplier, pick up an archive that has sat idle, hand the calls to someone else or add mobiles to a list of landlines. A check from six months ago protects nobody.
What you risk by skipping the check
Calling a registered number to propose something is a breach that the Italian data protection authority sanctions, with amounts the European Regulation takes up to twenty million euros or four percent of turnover. One report from the person who received the call is enough to start an inspection. Since 2025 there is also a code of conduct for telemarketing and telesales in Italy: following it gives you one more way to show you worked properly.
Then there is the less visible damage. A call to someone who asked not to receive any leaves a poor memory of the brand, and an operator who spends her time apologising is not talking to someone who can buy.
How to buy it
We start from the list: tell us how many numbers it holds, where it comes from and when you want to start calling. We reply the same day with what is needed. Call +39 347 830 5930 or write to clienti@alis.srl.
If you then want us to make the calls, the clean list becomes the first step of a campaign measured on calls, duration, appointments and confirmations.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Registro Pubblico delle Opposizioni?
It is the Italian public service where people who do not want commercial calls register their landline and mobile numbers. Anyone doing telemarketing in Italy has to register as an operator and consult it before calling.
Does the check apply to companies too?
Yes. The register accepts the registration of any holder of a phone contract, companies included, and a B2B list contains sole traders, professionals and mobiles registered to individuals. That is why we check the whole list.
Does it cover mobile numbers?
Yes. Since 2022 the register includes mobile numbers and landlines that do not appear in phone directories.
How long is a check valid?
The register’s answer is valid for fifteen days. If the campaign lasts longer, we repeat it when it expires.
How often does it have to be repeated?
Before every campaign and in any case every month, as the register requires. Registrations change every day.
Can I send you my own list?
Yes, in Excel or CSV. We return it split into callable and excluded numbers, with the report of the check.
Does the check cancel the consents I collected myself?
No. Registering in the opt-out register cancels consents given before the registration, not those collected afterwards nor the relationship with customers who have a current contract with you. How to document these cases is something we go through with your privacy adviser.
What happens if I call a registered number?
It is a breach of privacy rules, sanctioned by the Italian data protection authority. One report from the person who received the call is enough to start an inspection.
What is the difference between cleaning against the register and list enrichment?
Cleaning against the register removes the numbers of people who opted out. Enrichment fixes the rest: duplicates, closed companies, wrong numbers, changed roles. We do both when we build profiled lists.
Let’s talk
If you want to find out whether this makes sense for your company, the quickest way is to send us a couple of lines on what you sell and who you sell it to. We reply with an honest assessment, even when the answer is that we are not the right choice.
Write to clienti@alis.srl or call +39 347 830 5930, every day from 8:30 to 18:00.