Italian electronic identity card

Italian citizens are entitled to request an identity card, that is an optional identity document in Italy and is also a valid document to leave the country when travelling to another EU country or to those countries with which Italy has signed specific agreements.[5][6]

Despite any government-issued document (such as the passport, the driving licence, etc...) can be shown for identification,[7] the identity card is very popular in Italy; so much so that it is the first document asked and the most accepted in both the public and private sectors.

It is not compulsory to carry the card itself, as the authorities may ask for only the identity of a person, not a specific document. However, if public-security officers are not convinced of the claimed identity, like from a verbally-provided identity claim, they may keep the claimant in custody until the identity is ascertained.[8][9]

All foreigners in Italy are required by law to have identification with them at all times. Citizens of EU member countries must be ready to display an identity document that is legally government-issued in their country. Non-EU residents must have their passport with customs entrance stamp or a residence permit issued by Italian authorities; while all the resident/immigrant aliens must have a residence permit (otherwise they are illegal and face deportation), foreigners from certain non-EU countries staying in Italy for a limited amount of time (typically for tourism) may be required only to have their passport with proper customs stamp.[10]

The identity card is usually for Italian citizens, nonetheless, even permanent resident aliens with a valid permesso di soggiorno (residence permit) may request one, but in this case the document is valid only and exclusively in Italy for identification purposes and the sentence "NON VALIDA PER L'ESPATRIO" (not valid abroad) is printed on the front side of the card.[11]

Specimen of CIE not valid abroad

The CIE can be requested at the Italian municipality of residence[12] by Italian citizens and resident aliens. The request is digitally processed and transmitted to the Ministry of Internal Affairs which issues the card in collaboration with the IPZS in Rome. Finally, the card is sent to an address chosen by the applicant (or else to the municipality) and it should arrive within 6 business days.[13] The costs are: €16.79 for the card issuing and €5.42 for fees charged by the municipality, which may vary (usually doubled) if the previous card was lost, stolen or deteriorated.[12]

Starting from 20 September 2019 the request can be submitted even at the Italian embassies/consulates just by Italian citizens residing abroad. After a test time at the consular offices in Vienna, Athens and Nice, the service is extended to all the European Union and to some countries where Italians have the right of free movement (Norway, Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland and Vatican City).[14] The issuing process is the same as in Italy and the card should arrive within 15 days.[14] The costs are: €21.95 in case of renewal or first issue, otherwise €27.11 if the previous card was lost or stolen.[14]

The biometric symbol on the front of the CIE 3.0

Like European biometric passports, the CIE has an embedded electronic microprocessor chip that stores the following items:[15]

• Name
• Surname
• Place and date of birth
• Residency
• Holder's picture
• Two fingerprints (one of each hand), only if the applicant is aged 12 or over[16]

The information can be read with NFC tools, but anyway fingerprints are accessible just by police forces.[15]

The card has an ID-1 standard size and it is made of polycarbonate with many security features (such as holograms, security backgrounds, micro-texts, guilloches, etc...), over which the information is printed by using the laser engraving technology.[1][17]

About the design, the front side bears the emblem of the Italian Republic and the background of the reverse side is derived from the geometric design of the Piazza del Campidoglio in Rome created by Renaissance artist and architect Michelangelo Buonarroti.[17]

Front

Front of the CIE 3.0

1. Card number (for example CA00000AA)
2. Issuing municipality (or, if living abroad, issuing embassy/consulate)
3. Surname
4. Name
5. Place and date of birth
6. Sex
7. Height
8. Nationality
9. Date of issue
10. Date of expiry
11. Holder's signature
12. Card Access Number – CAN
13. This field is located under the CAN and it doesn't exist if the document is valid to travel abroad. On the contrary, the sentence "NON VALIDA PER L'ESPATRIO" is printed if it's not valid to travel abroad.

Reverse

Back of the CIE 3.0

1. Surname and name of parents or legal guardian (this field is filled in only for applicants aged 0–18)
2. Italian fiscal code
3. Italian birth code (this field is filled in only if the applicant was born in Italy)
4. Residence address
5. This field is located under the residence and it usually doesn't exist. However, in case of an Italian applicant living abroad, the sentence "COMUNE DI ISCRIZIONE AIRE" is printed and followed by the name of the municipality where the applicant was resident before moving abroad
6. Italian fiscal code in the form of barcode
7. Machine Readable Zone – MRZ

According to the Law 106/2011 the card lasts:[12]

• 10 years for adults aged 18 and above
• 5 years for minors aged 3–18
• 3 years for children aged up to 3

and, according to the Law 35/2012, the validity is extended or shortened in order to expire on the birthday.[18]

• National identity cards in the European Economic Area
• Identity document
• List of national identity card policies by country

• Italian Identity Card Official Site – Ministry of Internal Affairs
• CNSD – Ministry of Internal Affairs
• Identity Card abroad – Ministry of Foreign Affairs