SPID, PEC and CIE in Italy: where to start

After moving to Italy it quickly becomes clear that almost all communication with the state has moved online: booking at the questura, the INPS personal account, the Agenzia delle Entrate tax authority, applications to the comune. To log in there you need digital keys: SPID, PEC, and CIE. This is not legal advice, but an overview based on community experience; the order and requirements depend on the provider and the comune, so verify the details on official sources.

Why do you need SPID, PEC and CIE in Italy?

These are three different digital-identity tools - they are often confused, but in terms of functions they are not interchangeable, so a newcomer usually ends up needing all three. SPID (Sistema Pubblico di Identita Digitale) is a single login-password for logging into almost all government websites and the most in-demand key for a newcomer. PEC (Posta Elettronica Certificata) is certified email, a letter from which has the same legal force as a registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt. CIE (Carta d'Identita Elettronica) is an electronic identity card with a chip that also works as another way to log into public services; a detailed breakdown of SPID and the PEC/CIE pair is in the section articles below.

It's like in a fairy tale: to get one thing you first have to obtain another, and for it a third. Without a permesso there is no identity card, without the card there is no SPID, and without SPID half the websites are closed. You walk in circles and tick the boxes, like in a quest.

What is hard to do without them

Based on community experience, without at least one digital key life in Italy gets noticeably harder. Through SPID (and in many cases through CIE) people usually do:

• the INPS personal account - contributions, benefits, certificates, submitting ISEE (see also Taxes for the self-employed: regime forfettario and INPS);
• the Agenzia delle Entrate account (cassetto fiscale) - codice fiscale, tax declarations, certificates;
• online booking and status checking at the questura and the comune;
• access to regional medical portals (booking a doctor, prescriptions) - for example ER Salute or Salute Piemonte;
• ACI/PRA, the advertising-opt-out registry (registro delle opposizioni), portals for applying to government vacancies;
• booking the Italian exam at level A2, generating an Ecobonus voucher, submitting nulla osta al seguito on the prefettura website.

According to the community, some portals (for example ACI and some medical ones) accept only SPID, but not CIE - so sometimes SPID still has to be set up separately. Verify the current requirements of the specific service.

A couple of everyday nuances from the community that show how deeply all this is tied to keys:

• viewing test results online can often be done even without SPID - the laboratory issues a separate login, password, and a link to the codice fiscale (a kind of PIN), and that is enough; but regional medical portals differ: somewhere (for example ER Salute) they let you in only by SPID, and somewhere (Salute Piemonte) - both by CIE and by CNS;
• even a small co-payment like the tax on a doctor's visit (a ticket of about 16 euro) some people couldn't pay without SPID - online payment not infrequently runs into login by a digital key.

Which login a specific service supports is time-dependent, verify it on its site.

Where people usually start

According to the community the typical sequence is this: first they obtain the codice fiscale, then arrange SPID (it covers most tasks; it is free with an Italian document, while newcomers more often end up with paid video identification of around 10-30 euro per the community - see the SPID provider comparison), and add PEC and CIE as needed - PEC is more often needed by the self-employed with a Partita IVA, CIE comes together with the plastic identity card at the comune.

An important caveat about dependencies: for SPID, as a rule, you need an Italian document. According to the community it is not issued on a single foreign passport - they ask for a carta d'identita (or an Italian license/passport) plus a codice fiscale and usually a tessera sanitaria. And the carta d'identita and CIE run into residenza, while residenza runs into the permesso or ricevuta. Hence the familiar chain: no permesso - no identity card - no SPID. In some comuni (according to the community - for example in Milan) residenza and even CIE are arranged on a ricevuta before the first permesso, and in Milan the registration can be submitted online.

For a month I struggled with booking at the questura by phone, until I got SPID. After that almost everything started being resolved online - both INPS and the tax authority. My only regret is that I didn't take up the digital keys in the first week.

A workaround without a permesso and registration: CNS

If there is no permesso and residenza yet, the community advises not to wait but to order a CNS - this is either the chip of an already-existing tessera sanitaria (TS/CNS) or a commercial CNS key. It is arranged with only a codice fiscale and a passport, sometimes literally the day after arrival, and it gives the same access to the websites as SPID. And when a CIE appears, through it (or through the CNS) you can generate SPID for free in a few minutes, identifying yourself on the provider's website.

While everyone around was waiting for the permesso for the sake of SPID, I ordered a CNS with a codice fiscale and a passport - and logged into the personal accounts almost right away. It does exactly the same as SPID, and you don't have to wait for anything. I regret not finding out about this earlier.

According to the community, a convenient option is a hardware CNS from a provider like Aruba: everything is arranged online, after a short video identification the USB key is delivered home within a couple of days, and it has both the CNS and the firma digitale right away - "plug it in and work." The reference price they cite is about 120 euro for three years (this is both the signature and access to the services), but the sums are time-dependent - check with the provider. There is also a software path: some providers (for example Namirial) promise the issuance of SPID without a CIE and without a tessera sanitaria - but this is usually a paid video check, and an Italian document may still be required.

I ordered the "signature plus CNS" kit on a USB key from a provider - everything online, video identification of about fifteen minutes, a courier brought it within a couple of days. I plugged it into the laptop - and logged straight into the tax authority and the personal accounts. For me it turned out simpler than fighting for SPID without an identity card.

It is important to understand the limits: a digital key opens logins to the portals, but does not cancel the separate requirements of specific institutions. According to the community a bank may refuse to open an account even with SPID, a tessera, a CIE, and an Italian contract - citing the passport itself; the digital identity has nothing to do with it. So SPID/CIE/CNS is worth making, but as a key to public services, not as a universal solution to all questions.

I brought the bank everything: SPID, the tessera, the identity card, and an Italian contract. They still refused - they called and said they couldn't open an account because of the passport. So digital keys solve online access, but not every door.

CIE is gradually replacing SPID

According to the community CIE is increasingly replacing SPID: SPID is promised to be wound down over time, and login by CIE works on most websites. So, having a CIE, there is often no longer any point in making SPID separately. The launch of the IT Wallet and the IO app is conceived so as to eventually absorb both SPID and CIE. The timeframes and coverage change - verify the current details on official sources.

As soon as I finally got around to the CIE, I never found a reason to set up SPID. The card works almost everywhere - you tap it to the phone, and that's it. It turns out I could have saved myself one extra step.

PEC: what it is for and where people stumble

In brief, what matters about PEC per the community (the detailed breakdown of providers, prices and the identification pitfalls is in PEC and CIE in Italy: how to get them):

• it is the only channel agencies are obliged to reply to: the questura, the prefettura, the comune and schools often ignore ordinary mail, and to write to their PEC you also need to send from a PEC;
• it is set up without a permesso and without an Italian number, often right after the codice fiscale; the bottleneck is not opening the mailbox but the video identification in Italian, where a foreign passport may not be accepted;
• prices and procedures differ by provider (Aruba, Poste/postecert, Namirial, InfoCert and others), the subscription is yearly, sending letters is free - all figures are time-sensitive, verify with the provider.

Security: SPID and firma digitale are never handed over

SPID and firma digitale credentials cannot be handed over to third parties - including an accountant (commercialista). This is illegal and dangerous. The correct path is to arrange a delega (power of attorney) or a notarial power of attorney; the organization can sit alongside while you log in with your own credentials yourself.

The most frequent and dangerous mistake is to give the SPID login and password to an assistant or accountant "to be faster". You must not do this. Arrange a delega or log in yourself, and let the specialist prompt you alongside. With firma digitale it's the same rule, it is equated to your signature.

Codice fiscale: the conflict of codes 154 and 135

A separate pain for those born in the USSR is the country-of-birth code in the codice fiscale. According to the community some are assigned code 154, others 135, and a discrepancy between the CIE, permesso, tessera sanitaria, and the Agenzia delle Entrate database leads to failures: the services and SPID start reading "different people". According to the community the Ministry of the Interior nudges the comuni to switch those born in the USSR to code 135. To get the correct code, people use a birth certificate with an apostille and a sworn translation or a "stessa persona fisica" certificate; in the end all the codes must be brought to one in the Agenzia delle Entrate, otherwise SPID and every service will see different values.

At the comune they seriously argued with me about the country-of-birth code - the clerk literally invented a different country for me. Only an apostilled birth certificate and stubbornness helped. Until I brought all the codes to one in the Agenzia delle Entrate, SPID saw me as two different people.

It is convenient to calculate and break down your codice fiscale into parts in the calculator - this will help you understand exactly which country code is embedded in you and where a discrepancy may be:

Section articles

• SPID: what it is, providers, and how to get it - why you need SPID, what levels L1, L2, and L3 there are, which providers (identity providers) issue it, how to arrange it with a permesso and on a ricevuta, and why CNS is sometimes faster.
• SPID without CIE: which provider to pick - a comparison of Poste, Aruba, Namirial, Sielte, InfoCert and Lepida for a foreigner without an Italian document: video identification, price and what to do from abroad.
• PEC and CIE: certified mail and electronic identity card
  • why you need PEC and where to get it, the providers' prices and the pitfalls of identification, what a CIE is, how it differs from a tessera sanitaria, and how to get it at the comune.
• Codice fiscale (tax code) for foreigners - what is encoded in it, where it is issued for free and how to fix the country-of-birth code.

Related articles

Digital identity ties together almost all the portal's topics:

• After arrival: codice fiscale and residenza - the basis, without which you can get neither SPID nor CIE; the tessera sanitaria is also here.
• KIT and permesso - the first document in the chain "permesso - residenza - identity card - SPID".
• Taxes for the self-employed: forfettario and INPS - where SPID and PEC are needed daily: cassetto fiscale, INPS, Partita IVA.
• Permesso renewal and travel - why domicilio digitale and PEC are convenient when you are abroad.
• Document library - ready forms and sample applications.

It is convenient to assemble the envelope step by step through the interactive KIT-filler.

Official sources

• spid.gov.it - the official SPID system portal and the list of providers
• agid.gov.it - Agenzia per l'Italia Digitale: the rules for SPID, PEC, and CNS
• interno.gov.it - the Ministry of the Interior: CIE and Carta d'Identita Elettronica
• agenziaentrate.gov.it - Agenzia delle Entrate: codice fiscale and cassetto fiscale (consolidating the country-of-birth codes)
• inps.it - INPS: personal account, ISEE, domicilio digitale for notifications

Frequently asked questions

Where to start - with SPID, PEC, or CIE?

According to the community, most often people first arrange SPID - the universal key to almost all public services. It is free with an Italian document (a CIE or CNS); newcomers without one are usually left with paid video identification - around 10-30 euro per the community, the providers' rates are compared in a separate article of this section. PEC is set up when you need legally significant correspondence (Partita IVA, appeals), and CIE is obtained together with the plastic identity card at the comune. Verify the exact order and the available providers on spid.gov.it and agid.gov.it.

Can you get SPID without a permesso?

According to the community, for SPID you need a valid Italian document (a codice fiscale and an identity card or passport with a tessera). Some providers accept applicants with a ricevuta, some ask for an already-ready permesso. See the current list of providers and their requirements on spid.gov.it.

How does CIE differ from a tessera sanitaria?

A tessera sanitaria is a card for access to healthcare (SSN), while a CIE (Carta d'Identita Elettronica) is an electronic identity card. These are different cards, issued by different bodies: the tessera through the ASL, the CIE through the comune. The tessera sanitaria chip (TS/CNS) also gives access to public services. Details about the CIE are on the interno.gov.it website.

Can you log into public services without SPID and without a permesso?

According to the community yes: the tessera sanitaria chip (TS/CNS) or a commercial CNS can be ordered with only a codice fiscale and a passport, sometimes literally the day after arrival, and it gives the same access to the websites as SPID. This is a workaround while there is no permesso and residenza. Verify the available providers and conditions on agid.gov.it.

Can you set up a PEC from abroad and without an Italian phone?

According to the community, a PEC is opened without a permesso and without an Italian number - cases of arranging it from abroad with a foreign number were encountered. Difficulties usually arise at the identity-confirmation stage (video identification in Italian, a foreign passport may not be accepted), not at the opening of the mailbox itself. See the current requirements at the provider and on agid.gov.it.

Can you hand over SPID to an accountant or assistant?

No. Handing over your SPID credentials or firma digitale to a third party is not allowed - it is illegal and risky. The correct path is to arrange a delega (power of attorney) or to log in with your own credentials yourself while the specialist is alongside. This is not legal advice.

How do you view test results online if you don't have SPID yet?

According to the community this can often be done even without SPID: the laboratory issues a separate login, password, and a link to the codice fiscale, and that is enough to see the results. But regional medical portals differ: somewhere (for example ER Salute) they let you in only by SPID, and somewhere (Salute Piemonte) - both by CIE and by CNS. Which login your portal supports, verify on its site.

Related materials - Digital services (SPID, PEC, CIE)

• How to get SPID in Italy as a foreigner 2026
• SPID without CIE: which provider to pick
• PEC and CIE in Italy: how to get them
• Codice fiscale (tax code) for foreigners

Next stepCodice fiscale calculatorCompute your codice fiscale and see each part explained (unofficial aid).

Documents for this topic

• Mod. APR/4 and APR057: residenza change checklist
• Mod. APR057: owner's declaration of consent to a residenza change (Turin)
• Certificate of Tax Residency in Italy (Attestato di Residenza Fiscale - Agenzia delle Entrate)