Italian electronic identity card
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The Italian electronic identity card (, CIE), or simply ''carta d'identità'' (), is an identification document issued to any Italian citizen and to legal aliens, that has been progressively replacing the paper-based identity card since version 3.0 was first released on 4 July 2016. The CIE is intended for both digital and physical identification. The
biometric Biometrics are body measurements and calculations related to human characteristics. Biometric authentication (or realistic authentication) is used in computer science as a form of identification and access control. It is also used to identify in ...
information is printed on an ID-1 card and stored in a contactless chip.


Overview

The Italian identity card is an optional
identity document An identity document (also called ID or colloquially as papers) is any documentation, document that may be used to prove a person's identity. If issued in a small, standard credit card size form, it is usually called an identity card (IC, ID c ...
that may be issued to anyone who is resident in Italy and to Italian citizens living abroad. A card issued to an Italian citizen is accepted in lieu of a
passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the personal ...
to exercise the right of free movement in the
European Economic Area The European Economic Area (EEA) was established via the ''Agreement on the European Economic Area'', an international agreement which enables the extension of the European Union's single market to member states of the European Free Trade Ass ...
and
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
or to travel to those countries with which Italy has signed specific agreements. Despite any government-issued document, such as the passport or the driving licence, can be shown for identification, the identity card is very widespread in Italy; so much so that it is the first document asked and the most accepted in both the public and private sectors. For an Italian citizen, it is not compulsory to carry the card itself, unless expressly ordered by public security authorities, which usually ask for only the identity of a person, not a specific document. However, if public-security officers are not convinced of the claimed identity, such as a verbal claim of identity, they may hold the claimant in custody until the identity is ascertained. All foreigners in Italy are required by law to have identification with them at all times. Citizens of the
European Economic Area The European Economic Area (EEA) was established via the ''Agreement on the European Economic Area'', an international agreement which enables the extension of the European Union's single market to member states of the European Free Trade Ass ...
(EEA) and
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
must be ready to display a national identity card or a passport. NonEEA citizens must have their passport with the proper entry stamp. Permanent resident foreigners with a valid '' permesso di soggiorno'' ''(residence permit)'' may request an Italian identity card, but in this case the document is valid only in Italy for identification purposes.


History

File:Carta d'identità cartacea (fronte).png, Last classic ID card (1994) FIle:Italian electronic ID card (oldest).jpg, CIE (2001) File:Italian electronic ID card (old).jpg, CIE 2.0 (2004) File:Italian_electronic_ID_card_(front-back).png, CIE 3.0 (2016) File:CIE_Italy(2022).jpg, CIE 3.0 (2022) In 1931, during the
Fascist regime Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...
, the
Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to ...
adopted the identity card for reasons of public security, based on the article 3 of the Law 773/1931. From then on, the identity card has been in service without interruption according to this old law, to which many other laws have been added over time. The classic paper-based identity card was issued for nearly 87 years until 2018 in Italy, and can still be issued abroad or in case of emergency. The project of an electronic identity card began in 1997, but the first phase started only in 2001 with a very first experimental model in 83 municipalities in order to identify any technical problem related to software, hardware, manufacture and use of the card. In 2004 a second experimental model was introduced, that was the CIE 2.0, working as a pilot version for future use on a national scale. In 2006 the service was extended to 153 municipalities, but at the end of 2009 just a total of 1.8 million cards was issued. The production turned out to be complex and inefficient due to the materials and mainly to the
transfer printing Transfer printing is a method of decorating pottery or other materials using an engraved copper or steel plate from which a monochrome print on paper is taken which is then transferred by pressing onto the ceramic piece. Fleming, John & Hugh H ...
machines which any municipality had to install to make the card. Therefore, on 23 December 2015 the government decided to use a single centralized manufacturing site, which is the IPZS in
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
(where
Italian passport An Italian passport is issued upon request to an Italian citizen for the purpose of international travel. It is valid for 10, 5 or 3 years, depending on the applicant's age. Its biometric version has been available since 2006. It is ranked as ...
s are made), and set the specifications of the next model. Finally, after about 15 years of trials, as per
decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for ...
of 25 May 2016 every classic identity card with expired validity has to be replaced by the electronic version. The issue of the CIE 3.0 began on 4 July 2016, initially in 199 municipalities and was extended to the whole country until 2018, as the issue of the classic identity card was definitively being suppressed inside the national territory. According to the Regulation (EU) 2019/1157 of 20 June 2019, the phasing-out of every classic identity card shall be completed by 3 August 2026, because it does not meet the minimum security standards and does not include a functional MRZ. On 18 July 2019, the Minister of Foreign Affairs signed a decree allowing Italians who reside abroad to request an electronic identity card. The service was tested at the consular offices in
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
,
Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
and
Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...
, before being extended throughout the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
, to some countries where Italians have the right of free movement (
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
,
Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
,
San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...
,
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
,
Vatican City Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—' * german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ') * pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—' * pt, Cidade do Vati ...
) and to
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. As per decree of 21 July 2022 which complies with the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2019/1157, on 29 September 2022 there were some design changes, such as the addition of the two-letter country code "IT" inside an
EU flag The Flag of Europe or European Flag consists of twelve golden stars forming a circle on a blue field. It was designed and adopted in 1955 by the Council of Europe (CoE) as a symbol for the whole of Europe. Since 1985, the flag has also been ...
(in the top left corner) as well as inside a square with
optically variable ink Optically variable ink (OVI) also called color shifting ink is an anti- counterfeiting measure used on many major modern banknotes, as well as on other official documents ( professional licenses, for example). The ink displays two distinct colo ...
(in the bottom right corner) and, if it is not valid abroad, a new position of "NON VALIDA PER L'ESPATRIO" field.


Contactless chip

Like European biometric passports, the CIE has an embedded electronic
microprocessor A microprocessor is a computer processor where the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit, or a small number of integrated circuits. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, and control circu ...
chip which complies with the international
ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...
9303 recommendations governing the characteristics of electronic travel documents and stores the following items: * 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 The information can be read by means of NFC tools, but anyway fingerprints are accessible just by police forces.


Physical appearance

The card has an ID-1 standard size and it is made of
polycarbonate Polycarbonates (PC) are a group of thermoplastic polymers containing carbonate groups in their chemical structures. Polycarbonates used in engineering are strong, tough materials, and some grades are optically transparent. They are easily work ...
with many security features (such as
holograms Holography is a technique that enables a wavefront to be recorded and later re-constructed. Holography is best known as a method of generating real three-dimensional images, but it also has a wide range of other applications. In principle, it ...
, security backgrounds, micro-texts, guilloches,
optically variable ink Optically variable ink (OVI) also called color shifting ink is an anti- counterfeiting measure used on many major modern banknotes, as well as on other official documents ( professional licenses, for example). The ink displays two distinct colo ...
), over which the information is printed by using
laser engraving Laser engraving is the practice of using lasers to engrave an object. Laser marking, on the other hand, is a broader category of methods to leave marks on an object, which in some cases, also includes color change due to chemical/molecular alte ...
technology. 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 The Capitolium or Capitoline Hill ( ; it, Campidoglio ; la, Mons Capitolinus ), between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. The hill was earlier known as ''Mons Saturnius'', dedicated to the god Saturn. Th ...
in
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
created by
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
artist and architect
Michelangelo Buonarroti Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...
. The descriptions of the fields are printed in
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
and
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
.


Front

#
ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...
symbol for contactless chip #
EU flag The Flag of Europe or European Flag consists of twelve golden stars forming a circle on a blue field. It was designed and adopted in 1955 by the Council of Europe (CoE) as a symbol for the whole of Europe. Since 1985, the flag has also been ...
with "IT" country code # Card number (for example CA00000AA) # Issuing municipality (or, if living abroad, issuing embassy/consulate) # Surname # Name # Place and date of birth # Sex # Height # Nationality # Date of issue # Date of expiry # Holder's signature # "IT" country code with
optically variable ink Optically variable ink (OVI) also called color shifting ink is an anti- counterfeiting measure used on many major modern banknotes, as well as on other official documents ( professional licenses, for example). The ink displays two distinct colo ...
# Card Access Number – CAN # (Optional) The sentence "NON VALIDA PER L'ESPATRIO" is printed only if the card is not valid for travel abroad


Reverse

# Surname and name of parents or legal guardian (for applicants aged 0–14, only if the card is valid abroad) # Italian tax code # Italian birth code # Residence address # (Optional) The field "COMUNE DI ISCRIZIONE AIRE" is added in case of an Italian applicant residing abroad # Secondary (ghost) facial image # Italian tax code in the form of barcode # Machine Readable Zone – MRZ


Trilingual versions

In some parts of
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
where a
minority language A minority language is a language spoken by a minority of the population of a territory. Such people are termed linguistic minorities or language minorities. With a total number of 196 sovereign states recognized internationally (as of 2019) and ...
is recognized as official, the identity card could be issued with a third additional language: * in
South Tyrol it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous province , image_skyline = , image_alt ...
with
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
File:Identitätskarte_xy.jpg * in the
Aosta Valley , Valdostan or Valdotainian it, Valdostano (man) it, Valdostana (woman)french: Valdôtain (man)french: Valdôtaine (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = Official languages , population_blank1 = Italian French ...
with French File:Carte_d'identité_Vallée_d'Aoste_2019_recto.png File:Carte_d'identité_Vallée_d'Aoste_2019_verso.png * in
Friuli Venezia Giulia (man), it, Friulana (woman), it, Giuliano (man), it, Giuliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_t ...
with Slovene


Issue, price and validity

The CIE may be requested at the Italian
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
of residence by Italian citizens and resident aliens. The request is digitally processed and transmitted to the
Ministry of Internal Affairs An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...
which issues the card in collaboration with the IPZS in Rome. The card is sent to the address specified by the applicant (or else to the municipality) and it should arrive within 6 working days. 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. Italian citizens residing outside Italy may submit an application for the electronic identity card at an Italian embassy or consulate in
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
,
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
,
Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
,
San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...
,
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
,
Vatican City Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—' * german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ') * pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—' * pt, Cidade do Vati ...
and
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. The issuing process is the same as in Italy and the card should arrive within 15 days. The costs are: €21.95 in case of renewal or first issue, otherwise €27.11 if the previous card was lost or stolen.


Validity

According to the Law 106/2011 the card lasts: * 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 must expire on the applicant's birthday.


See also

*
National identity cards in the European Economic Area National identity cards are issued to their citizens by the governments of all European Economic Area (EEA) member states except Denmark, Iceland and Ireland. Ireland however issues a passport card which is a valid document in the EEA and Swi ...
*
Identity document An identity document (also called ID or colloquially as papers) is any documentation, document that may be used to prove a person's identity. If issued in a small, standard credit card size form, it is usually called an identity card (IC, ID c ...
*
List of national identity card policies by country This is a list of identity document policies by country. A national identity document is an identity card with a photo, usable as an identity card at least inside the country, and which is issued by an official authority. Driver's licenses and ...
*
Italian passport An Italian passport is issued upon request to an Italian citizen for the purpose of international travel. It is valid for 10, 5 or 3 years, depending on the applicant's age. Its biometric version has been available since 2006. It is ranked as ...
*
Visa requirements for Italian citizens Visa requirements for Italian citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Italy. As of July 2022, Italian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 189 countries and territories ...


References


External links


Italian Identity Card Official Site – Ministry of Internal AffairsCNSD – Ministry of Internal Affairs
{{identity cards Identity documents of Italy National identity cards by country