A digital identity is how you actually use Italy’s public administration online. Once you have your codice fiscale, residency and health enrolment, almost every service — INPS, the Agenzia delle Entrate, your Fascicolo Sanitario Elettronico (electronic health record), your comune’s online desk, tax payments and public bonuses — is reached by logging in with one of two national digital identities: SPID or the CIE. Both meet the EU eIDAS standard.
Why you need one
Without a digital identity you can do very little online, and end up queueing in person for things that take two minutes from a phone. With SPID or CIE you can:
- log in to INPS (social security) and the Agenzia delle Entrate (tax);
- read prescriptions and reports in your Fascicolo Sanitario Elettronico, and choose or change your medico di base online;
- use your comune’s online services (certificates, appointments, payments);
- claim public benefits and bonuses, and sign documents digitally.
Option A — SPID (the fast, online route)
SPID (Sistema Pubblico di Identità Digitale) is a digital identity issued not by the state directly but by accredited private Identity Providers (gestori), overseen by AgID. It is the quickest to get and is accepted by the vast majority of services.
What you need: to be 18+, a valid Italian identity document — an Italian carta d’identità (including the CIE), an Italian driving licence, or an Italian passport — plus your codice fiscale / tessera sanitaria, an email address, and an Italian mobile number.
You don’t have to be an Italian citizen to get SPID — but, per spid.gov.it, the identity document must be Italian-issued. A home-country passport on its own is not accepted, and a permesso di soggiorno doesn’t count as the document. If you’ve just arrived with only a foreign passport, get your Italian carta d’identità (CIE) at the comune first (Option B): that’s the document SPID will accept — and the CIE is itself a digital identity you can use directly, so you may not even need SPID.
How and where: register online on any Identity Provider’s site (the official list of providers is on spid.gov.it), then verify your identity by one of several methods — free ones (for example with your CIE/CNS, or a free recorded video session) or paid ones (a live webcam operator, usually a few euros), or in person at a partner counter such as a post office.
Security levels: Level 1 (password), Level 2 (password + a one-time code — what most services ask for), and Level 3 (a physical device). Getting SPID is free; only some identification methods carry a charge.
Option B — CIE (your ID card, which is also a digital identity)
The CIE (Carta d’Identità Elettronica) is the Italian electronic identity card. It is both your physical ID and a built-in digital identity — the “Entra con CIE” login — at the highest assurance level.
Where and how: you book at your comune’s Ufficio Anagrafe, and how you book
is set by the comune — its own online form, by phone, or in person. Some comuni use
the Ministry’s national Agenda CIE portal (prenotazionicie.interno.gov.it), but
its citizen area only lets you log in with a digital identity you already have
(SPID/CIE/CNS) — there’s no plain sign-up, which is a catch-22 for your first
Italian ID. So if you don’t yet have SPID or a CIE, book through your comune’s own
channel (check its website, or call/visit the Ufficio Anagrafe). Bring a recent
passport-style photo, your codice fiscale/tessera sanitaria, and your previous ID (for
a renewal).
Cost and timing: about €16.79 plus fixed fees (roughly €22 in total, varying slightly by comune). The card is produced by the State Mint and mailed within about 6 working days to the address you choose. Your PIN arrives in two halves — the first at the counter, the second with the card.
Using it online: install the CieID app and log in by tapping the card to your phone (NFC) or through the app, which also offers quicker level-1/2 access. CIE is recognised across the EU under eIDAS.
Which one, when, and where
- Already hold an Italian ID document? (an Italian ID card, driving licence or passport) Then SPID is the fastest route: register online, free, no appointment, and accepted almost everywhere.
- Just arrived with only a home-country passport? SPID won’t accept a foreign document, so get your CIE (Italian ID card) at the comune once you’re a resident. It is itself a digital identity — so you may not need SPID at all — and if you do want SPID later, the CIE unlocks it for free (CIE + PIN).
- Sensible order for most newcomers: residency → CIE → (optionally) SPID. For anyone arriving without an Italian document, the CIE is the foundational digital identity; SPID is the quick add-on once you hold one.
- Looking ahead: the government has announced a gradual move toward CIE as the single national digital identity over the coming years, with SPID wound down — so CIE is the longer-term choice anyway.
Common pitfalls
- No Italian mobile number. SPID registration and its one-time codes need one — arrange a SIM early.
- Mismatched details. Your name and codice fiscale must match across your documents, or identity verification fails.
- The CIE PIN halves. Keep both the slip from the counter and the part that arrives with the card; you need both to set the PIN.
- Settling for Level 1. Most services require Level 2, so set that up rather than password-only access.
You’re set up
With a digital identity in hand you can run the rest from a phone: book anagrafe and ASL appointments, read your health record, deal with INPS and the tax office, and claim what you are entitled to — the practical pay-off of the first three steps.