Arcasa Group: reviews & investigation
Arcasa Group sells Italian residency permits, property deals, and business setup from offices in Moscow and Rome. Their Italian registration is real. But the Russian LLC was shut down by tax authorities in 2021 for submitting false information. And their website openly promises a "guaranteed visa D." No agency on earth can deliver that.
Who is Arcasa Group and what do they actually do
Arcasa Group (also branded as "Italia Service") has sold Italian immigration and real estate services since 2005, or so they claim. The company runs at least four websites: italiaservice.ru for immigration services, arcasagroup.ru and arcasagroup.com for property listings, and arcasagroup.it for the Italian-language audience. They also operated a development project called "Residence Serra di Mare" in Calabria.
Services: Italian residency permits (permesso di soggiorno), visa D applications, business registration in Italy, real estate purchases, tax consulting, document translation, Codice Fiscale registration
Founded: Claimed 2005 (19 years of experience per their site)
Jurisdiction: Italy (active, P.IVA 12408261001); Russia (LLC liquidated December 9, 2021)
Key people: Sergey Viktorovich Anikeev (director, expert); Tatiana Nikolaevna Anikeeva (founder of the Russian entity)
Pricing: Visa D - from 2,000 EUR; Residency permit - from 3,000 EUR; Business + residency - from 2,000 EUR; Codice Fiscale fee not published
Offices: Moscow (Tryokhprudny per. 11/13, formerly Udaltsova 85A); Rome (Piazza di Spagna, 51); Pescara; Nice
Phones: +7 926 707-35-53, +39 340 122 7444
Email: [email protected], [email protected]
Key fact: The Russian LLC (INN 7705650057) was not voluntarily closed. The Federal Tax Service struck it off the register in December 2021 for submitting false information, with an outstanding tax debt of 61,000 rubles at the time. That's not a routine closure.
Trust Score
Based on 1.7/5 from verified data points. Active Italian registration pulls the score up. Liquidated Russian LLC, zero public refund policy, and false visa guarantee claims pull it down hard.
Who's actually behind Arcasa Group: checking the paperwork
Italian entity: active
The Italian registration is real. Arcasa Group holds P.IVA 12408261001 and REA PE154924, placing it in the Pescara province chamber of commerce. You can verify this yourself on registro.imprese.it or through OpenCorporates. The company also claims documented membership in the Italian-Russian Chamber of Commerce (C.C.I.R.) since 2005 and registration with the professional real estate agents association I.R.A.
Agents named in their materials: Sergey Anikeev (director, honorary C.C.I.R. member), Yulia Buzhons (Rome office), Anastasia Shpakovskaya (Lazio region). Named people with verifiable professional profiles - that's better than most small operators who hide behind anonymous contact forms.
Russian entity: liquidated for cause
OOO "AN Arkasa-Grupp" (INN: 7705650057, OGRN: 1057746389975) was registered on March 9, 2005. The Federal Tax Service struck it off the Unified State Business Register on December 9, 2021. The reason listed: submission of false information to the register. Outstanding tax debt at closure: 61,000 rubles. Founder: Tatiana Nikolaevna Anikeeva (100% stake). Director at the time: Sergey Viktorovich Anikeev.
Domain and web presence
The primary domain italiaservice.ru uses private WHOIS registration (owner details hidden), runs on WordPress, and sits behind Cloudflare CDN. You can check the basic WHOIS record at whois.com and historical snapshots at Web Archive. No SSL certificate details were found in public records, though the Cloudflare setup typically includes automated HTTPS.
Office addresses: a note of caution
The Rome address listed on their site, Piazza di Spagna, 51, matches a registered guest house in Rome, which is a classic virtual office setup. The Moscow address has shifted at least three times: Dukhovskoy per. 17 (earlier records), then Udaltsova 85A, now Tryokhprudny per. 11/13. Frequent address changes at a company this old are worth noting. You can check the Moscow location on Google Maps.
No criminal history found
Searches across scam databases, court records, and regulatory watchlists returned no results. The company does not appear on the Russian Central Bank's warning list or on Italy's financial regulator Consob's blacklist. No fraud complaints were found on baxov.net, moshennik.eu, or ScamAdviser. That's genuinely positive for a company operating since 2005.
Arcasa Group risk analysis: 5 things to know before paying
| Area | Risk | What we found | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | medium | Partial price list published: 2,000 EUR for visa D, 3,000 EUR for residency permit, 2,000 EUR for business setup. No full service catalog online. Oral consultation: 200 EUR. Written consultation: 150 EUR. | Budget for government fees on top: roughly 80.46 EUR for the permit card, 30 EUR for postage. Ask for a full written quote that covers all line items before you commit. |
| Contract | high | Contracts are structured as "consulting agreements" (contratto di prestazione di servizi). The company provides document preparation services, not legal representation. The contract does not bind them to a visa or permit outcome. | Read the contract carefully. "Consulting" means you pay for their time and paperwork, not for a result. Visa denials are not their contractual problem. Get refund terms in writing before signing. |
| Timelines | medium | The site claims Codice Fiscale registration takes 1-2 days. Italian government processing windows for this document typically run 5-10 business days through standard channels. No written timeline commitments found in public contract templates. | Ask for processing timelines in writing. Verbal promises about speed are not binding. If the website says "fast," that word means nothing without a specific date in your contract. |
| Legal risks | high | Russian LLC liquidated December 2021 for false information. Rome office is likely a virtual address. Multiple Moscow address changes recorded. Any contract signed with the Italian entity falls under Italian law and Italian court jurisdiction. | If something goes wrong, dispute resolution happens in Italian courts, in Italian. Keep copies of all documents. Pay only to the Italian entity's bank account. Don't rely on the Moscow office for legal recourse. |
| Refunds | high | No refund policy found in any public materials: not on the main website, not in published contract templates, not in client testimonials. Zero independent reviews discussing what happens after a denial. | Ask directly before paying: "What happens to my fee if the consulate rejects my application?" Get the answer as a signed clause in the contract. If they refuse, that refusal tells you something important. |
Arcasa Group: red flags and green lights
| ✅ | Active Italian P.IVA confirmed. P.IVA 12408261001 and REA PE154924 (Pescara province) check out through the Italian Chamber of Commerce database. The registration is real and currently active. |
| ✅ | C.C.I.R. membership documented. Sergey Anikeev is listed as an honorary member of the Italian-Russian Chamber of Commerce since 2005 - a membership that involves a real vetting process, not just a fee payment. |
| ✅ | No fraud complaints found. After checking baxov.net, plohotron.online, moshennik.eu, telltrue.net, scamadviser.com, and proverj.com, we found zero fraud allegations. For a company claiming 19 years of operation, that silence is meaningful. |
| ✅ | Named leadership with verifiable profiles. Sergey Anikeev, Yulia Buzhons, and Anastasia Shpakovskaya are named publicly and tied to real professional credentials in Italy. Anonymous operators are a red flag; these people are not anonymous. |
| ✅ | Long-term presence on real estate aggregators. Arcasa Group's profile on Realting.com has been active for 6+ years with documented property listings. Prian.ru also carries their listings. Fake companies don't maintain these profiles for years. |
| ⚠ | Russian LLC liquidated for cause, not by choice. OOO "AN Arkasa-Grupp" (INN 7705650057) was struck off the Russian business register on December 9, 2021, because the Federal Tax Service found false information in their filings. A 61,000-ruble tax debt was also outstanding at closure. |
| ⚠ | Free public email for business correspondence. Client-facing addresses are [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected]. A company handling 3,000 EUR+ transactions should run corporate domain email. Using Yandex and Gmail is not a dealbreaker, but it's not professional-grade either. |
| ⚠ | Rome address matches a guest house. Piazza di Spagna, 51 in Rome is associated with a registered guest house. Virtual office arrangements at prestigious addresses are common in Italian cities, but you should know you're not walking into a dedicated law office at that address. |
| ⚠ | Contracts are consulting-only agreements. The service contract is a "contratto di prestazione di servizi" - a consulting agreement. This means the company charges for their time and document handling. They carry no contractual liability if the consulate or immigration authority says no. |
| ❌ | "Guaranteed visa D" on their website. The italiaservice.ru website openly states "guaranteed visa D." This is false advertising. The Italian consulate makes all visa decisions independently based on the applicant's file. No intermediary can guarantee that outcome. Period. |
| ❌ | No published refund policy. If the consulate rejects your application, you could lose the full 2,000-3,000 EUR fee. No public document explains what happens next. This is the single biggest financial risk in working with Arcasa Group. |
| ❌ | Near-zero independent review presence. One rating on Zoon.ru (score: 5.0 from a single reviewer). Zero results on Trustpilot, Google Maps reviews, or BBB. A company claiming 400-500 clients with 19 years of history should have more of a paper trail in independent review systems than this. |
Arcasa Group vs alternatives: where do they stand
The highlighted column is the company under review. Legend: best = best in class, worst = weakest, mixed = depends on circumstances.
| Parameter | Arcasa Group ★ | Licensed Italian Lawyer (direct hire) | DIY (Italian Consulate directly) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | from 2,000-3,000 EUR mid-range | from 1,500-4,000 EUR (case-dependent) | 80-300 EUR (state fees only) cheapest |
| Timeline | Not specified in contract | Case-dependent, written scope typical | 4-12 months (self-managed) slowest |
| Outcome guarantees | "Guaranteed visa D" claim (false) misleading | No guarantee, honest framing transparent | No guarantee, consulate decides |
| Refund policy | Not published risk | Typically negotiated per contract | State fees partially refundable best |
| Legal entity status | Italian entity active; Russian LLC liquidated 2021 mixed | Licensed and active cleanest | N/A |
| Independent reviews | 1 review on Zoon.ru; none elsewhere thin | Varies by firm; typically findable | N/A (government process) |
Note: "Licensed Italian Lawyer" refers to a direct hire from the Italian Bar Association (Consiglio Nazionale Forense) registry, not another migration agency. DIY timelines assume first-time applicants without prior Italian bureaucratic experience.
What to check before paying Arcasa Group
- Contract: Read every page before signing. If the document says "consulting services" without specifying a deliverable tied to outcome, you have no contractual recourse if the application is denied. Ask them to describe exactly what they will and won't do.
- Payment: Send money only to the Italian entity's bank account. Request a formal Ricevuta Fiscale (Italian fiscal receipt) for every transfer. Don't pay to personal cards or accounts outside Italy.
- Guarantees: Cross out any "guaranteed visa" or "guaranteed residency" language before signing. Ask them to remove it. If they refuse, that tells you how they handle client protection in other areas too.
- Verification: Check P.IVA 12408261001 yourself on registro.imprese.it before sending any money. It takes under two minutes and is free. Confirm the entity is still active on the date you pay.
- Refunds: Ask directly, in writing: "What happens to my fee if the consulate rejects my application?" If they can't answer that in writing, assume the answer is "nothing."
- Legal status: The Russian LLC is gone. If you're based in Russia and something goes wrong, your only legal recourse is Italian courts, under Italian law, in Italian. Factor that into your risk assessment.
- References: Ask for at least two past clients who completed the same service you're buying. Contact them independently, not through email addresses Arcasa Group provides.
- Timeline: Ask for a written processing schedule with milestone dates. "We work quickly" is not a timeline. A signed document with specific dates is.
Frequently asked questions about Arcasa Group
Is Arcasa Group a legitimate company?
Their Italian entity (P.IVA 12408261001, REA PE154924) is active and registered in Pescara province - verified through the Italian Chamber of Commerce. The company has operated since 2005, holds professional memberships, and has named, traceable staff. But the Russian LLC was forcibly liquidated by the Federal Tax Service in December 2021 for submitting false information. That's not a technicality. Combine that with false visa guarantee claims and a missing refund policy, and "legitimate but risky" is the most accurate description.
What does Arcasa Group charge for Italian residency services?
Based on published data: 3,000 EUR for residency permit (permesso di soggiorno) support, 2,000 EUR for a visa D application, and 2,000 EUR for business registration combined with residency. Oral consultations cost 200 EUR; written consultations, 150 EUR. Government fees are separate: roughly 80.46 EUR for the permit card and 30 EUR for postage. A full price list covering all possible services is not published online.
Can Arcasa Group guarantee a visa D for Italy?
No. Their site claims "guaranteed visa D," but that claim is legally and practically false. The Italian consulate makes all decisions based on the applicant's file. No intermediary - not Arcasa Group, not any other agency - controls that decision. Treat any "guaranteed outcome" language in a contract as a warning sign, not a comfort. Strike it out before signing.
What happened to Arcasa Group's Russian company?
OOO "AN Arkasa-Grupp" (INN 7705650057, OGRN 1057746389975) was registered March 9, 2005. The Federal Tax Service excluded it from the Unified State Business Register on December 9, 2021. The reason: false information submitted to the register. An outstanding tax debt of 61,000 rubles was also recorded at the time. The founder was Tatiana Nikolaevna Anikeeva. Sergey Viktorovich Anikeev served as director.
How can I verify Arcasa Group's Italian registration?
Go to registro.imprese.it and search for P.IVA 12408261001. The REA number PE154924 places the entity in Pescara province. Both lookups are free and take under two minutes. You can also use OpenCorporates for an English-language view of the same data.
Are there refunds if my Italian residency application is denied?
No refund policy was found in any public materials. Their contracts are consulting agreements, meaning the fee covers document preparation rather than a guaranteed outcome. Ask for a written refund clause before signing. If the company refuses to put their refund terms in writing, assume there are none.
Where can I leave a review about Arcasa Group?
You can read existing reviews and submit your own at proverj.com/arcasa-group/. Migration.us.com also collects feedback about immigration service providers for the English-speaking audience. As of our investigation date, no Arcasa Group reviews were found on Trustpilot, Google Maps, or BBB - so the available public record is thin. Your review would genuinely help other people making this decision.
Expert verdict: a company worth watching, not blindly trusting
I've been in the immigration business since 2011. In that time I've seen dozens of operations that look like Arcasa Group: a real registration in one country, a dissolved entity in another, and marketing copy that promises things no honest advisor would promise.
What concerns me most is the Russian LLC situation. A company shut down for "false information" - not for late filings, not for going bust, but for submitting incorrect data to the government register - that's a specific kind of problem. It says something about how the leadership handled official paperwork when the stakes were low. So what does that suggest about how they handle your visa application when the stakes are high?
The "guaranteed visa D" language is the other thing I can't get past. I've qualified as a lawyer. I know exactly what that phrase means legally: nothing. But clients don't know that. They read "guaranteed" and feel safe. Then the consulate says no, and suddenly the contract says "consulting agreement" on page one and the client has no legal hook. That's not accidental wording.
And yet. The Italian registration is documented and active. P.IVA 12408261001 checks out. The C.C.I.R. membership is real. Named staff with verifiable profiles. A 19-year run without a single fraud complaint in the public record - that does mean something. Scammers rarely operate that long without leaving a trail.
My read: Arcasa Group is probably a real company doing real work. But the Russian LLC closure, the false visa guarantee, and the absent refund policy are three things you'd see in a company that prioritizes client acquisition over client protection. If you want to use them, do it with your eyes open. Pay to the Italian bank account. Get refund terms in writing. Strip the guarantee language from the contract. And don't let anyone convince you that because Italy sounds wonderful, due diligence is somehow optional.
Don't get burned on your Italian dream
Marketing promises don't always match what clients actually experience. Read what real people say about Arcasa Group before you hand over 2,000-3,000 euros.
Read real reviews about Arcasa Group