Campione D'Italia - Economy and Administration

Economy and Administration

Campione has a considerable amount of economic and administrative integration with Switzerland. Because of its particular status, legal tender in the town is the Swiss franc but the euro is widely accepted; Italian citizens residing in Campione must abide by Swiss law regarding customs duties. Car plates are not Italian, but Swiss; similarly, the telephone system is almost entirely operated by Swisscom, meaning that calls from Italy and all other countries outside Switzerland (with very few exceptions such as calling the city hall) require the international dialing code for Switzerland (+41) and the Ticino area code (91). Mail may be sent using either a Swiss postal code or an Italian one using Switzerland or Italy as destination country respectively.

Pursuant to bilateral agreements, Italians residing in Campione also benefit from many services and facilities located in Swiss territory, such as hospital care, that would otherwise be available only to Swiss residents.

Like the Italian town of Livigno, it is exempt from the EU VAT. Campione takes advantage of its status by operating a casino, the Casinò di Campione, as gambling laws are less strict than in either Italy or Switzerland (also a legacy of the pre-World War II era).

Security is provided by the Carabinieri (Italian military police) and the city also has a Polizia Locale group. However, firemen and ambulances are Swiss.