One year of time and the paper identity card will no longer have any value. From August 3, 2026, to security reasons and in compliance with European regulation 2019/1157, will no longer be valid for expatriation, regardless of the expiration date shown. It will be replaced by the Cid, the electronic version, already available since 2019. The reason? The paper identity document does not have the MRZ technology (Machine Readable Zone), i.e. the optical reading area that contains machine-readable identity information, which its electronic counterpart is instead equipped with.
Paper identity card: how to replace it
It is possible to go to the following locations right away: municipalities of residence to provide for the replacement of the document. They are urging their citizens to do so in time in order to better channel the flows and avoid everyone making arrangements at the last minute. There are no official estimates of how many paper documents are still in circulation, for this reason it is useful to act in advance. It is recommended to proceed with the replacement even if the document expiration date has not been reached same. The only binding deadline is August 3, 2026, the date on which every document in paper version will cease to be confirmed by European, and therefore Italian, regulations.
How to get the new electronic identity card
In order to replace the paper identity card with the electronic one, it will be necessary to take a appointment at the registry office, bring a report to the municipality passport with the appropriate dimensions, return the old paper document and provide the fiscal Code. In approx six days, the new document will be sent to your home. The total cost of the operation is 22 euros.
