Lo Speed, the Public Digital Identity System used by over 39 million Italians to access online services of the Public Administration – such as INPS, Revenue Agency, registry office, digital healthcare and state bonuses – it will not bemore and more Free. Some managers, in fact, they have decided to introduce a annual fee, marking an important turning point in what had until now been a free tool for all citizens.
The first providers to move in this direction were Aruba e InfoCert, which have started the transition towards a paid model for the renewal of digital identities. The novelty has raised critical by consumer associations, including the Codacons, who spoke of “institutional incorrectness” and announced possible compensatory actions against the State and the Agency for Digital Italy.
Spid: why is it becoming a paid service?
The reason is related to the lack of funds promised by the government to support management costs: the 40 million euros earmarked for providers are still blocked. The Minister of Public Administration, Paolo Zangrillo, has assured that the resources will be released at the end of July, when the current agreement between the State and the service providers expires. However, even with the funds arriving, those who have already chosen to make the service paid do not seem to be willing to go back.
Meanwhile, the phase of negotiation for the renewal of the agreements, in view of their definitive expiry scheduled for October 2025.
How much does Spid cost with Aruba and Infocert
Aruba introduced the payment to starting from May 2025: the first year of activation remains free, but from the second it is expected a cost of 4,90 euros plus VAT per year. InfoCert will follow with a similar measure starting from the 28 July 2025a cost of 5,98 euros VAT included. It is good to know that, in the case of InfoCert, the renewal is not automatic: the user must express explicit consent, otherwise the digital identity will be deactivated without any charge. For those who intend to cancel the Spid service with InfoCert, it is possible to do it via Pec ([email protected]), registered mail or through assistance on the operator's official website.
How to continue using Spid for free: the alternatives
Fortunately, not all providers have introduced fees. The main operator on the market, Poste Italiane, which manages over 70% of active digital identities, maintains the free service. Users who do not want to pay for the renewal with Aruba or InfoCert can simply decide not to renew the service and activate a new SPID for free with another operator that does not involve costs, such as PosteID.
Alternatively, you can use the Electronic Identity Card, also free, which allows access to the same digital services as the PA and is valid throughout Europe. The activations of the Cie app have grown in the last year, going from 5,5 to 7,3 million, and the usage ratio compared to the Spid has gone from 1 to 20 to approximately 1 to 10. However, the Cie is still far from the numbers of the Spid, which in 2024 alone totaled over 1,2 billion accesses, compared to approximately 52 million made via electronic card.
