How Much It Really Costs
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How much does the Italian digital stamp duty cost?

The digital marca da bollo costs EUR 16, exactly like the paper one: it is the electronic version of the ordinary stamp duty, paid through PagoPA and certified by a unique identifier (IUBD). The price is set by law and does not change between paper and digital.

Verifiable answer

The digital marca da bollo costs EUR 16, exactly like the paper one: it is the electronic version of the ordinary stamp duty, paid through PagoPA and certified by a unique identifier (IUBD). The price is set by law and does not change between paper and digital.

Question
How much does the Italian digital stamp duty cost?
Average cost
€16 / stamp
Price range
€16
Area
Italy
Last verified
23 July 2026
Confidence
Confidence: High
What is included
The ordinary EUR 16 stamp duty; The unique digital-stamp identifier (IUBD) certifying payment; Valid discharge of the duty towards the public administration
What is not included
Any fee from a private service reselling the digital stamp; The cost of the document or procedure the stamp applies to; Additional stamps when a document requires more than one
What the price depends on
The number of stamps the document requires; The channel chosen: official with no surcharge, or an intermediary with a fee; The type of document, since not all require the stamp
Sources and methodology
1 source

Official price versus real cost

Official price

€16

/ stamp

Difference+€0 (+0%)

Real cost

€16

€16 – €18

Here the official price and the real cost almost always coincide: the duty is EUR 16 and stays EUR 16. The real cost rises slightly in only one case, when the digital stamp is bought through a private intermediary that adds a small handling fee; paying through the official PagoPA channels carries no surcharge. This is one of the few cases on the site where the gap between the two figures is deliberately minimal — it exists to show that when a cost really is just the duty, we say so.

Short answer

The digital stamp is neither dearer nor cheaper than the paper one: it is the same EUR 16 duty, paid online instead of bought at a tobacconist.

The marca da bollo is one of the most recurring and least explained costs of Italian administrative life: it appears on applications to the public administration, on many certificates, on flat-rate-regime invoices above a threshold, and on a long list of documents. The digital version, introduced for people handling paperwork online, often raises the suspicion that it costs more or less than the paper one. It does not: the ordinary stamp duty is EUR 16, set by law, and is identical in both formats. What changes is only how you pay it — a stamp bought from the tobacconist, or a PagoPA payment that returns a unique identifier for the digital stamp, the IUBD — not the amount. This guide exists mainly to settle that doubt and to explain when the stamp is actually required.

What is included

  • The ordinary EUR 16 stamp duty
  • The unique digital-stamp identifier (IUBD) certifying payment
  • Valid discharge of the duty towards the public administration

What is not included

  • Any fee from a private service reselling the digital stamp
  • The cost of the document or procedure the stamp applies to
  • Additional stamps when a document requires more than one

How the price breaks down

How the price breaks down: The Italian digital stamp duty (marca da bollo)
ItemTypeFrequencyTypical
Stamp dutyThe ordinary EUR 16 amount, identical whether bought as a paper stamp at a tobacconist or digitally through PagoPA.Compulsoryone-off€16

What the price depends on

  • The number of stamps the document requires
  • The channel chosen: official with no surcharge, or an intermediary with a fee
  • The type of document, since not all require the stamp

Hidden costs

  • Some private services add a handling fee to the price of the digital stamp
  • Many documents require more than one stamp: the cost multiplies by the number of sides or copies
  • A stamp applied to the wrong procedure is not easily recovered

How to spend less

  1. Pay the digital stamp through the official PagoPA channels or the Agenzia delle Entrate: there is no surcharge over EUR 16.
  2. Check how many stamps are actually needed before buying: some documents require one per four sides, not just one.
  3. If a procedure can be handled under a regime that does not require the stamp, consider it: the flat tax on tenancies, for instance, also cancels the stamp duty.

Frequently asked questions

Does the digital stamp cost more than the paper one?

No. The ordinary stamp duty is EUR 16 in both formats: the digital version is neither dearer nor cheaper. Only the way you pay it and prove it changes, with a unique identifier (IUBD) instead of an adhesive stamp. If a service asks more than EUR 16 for a single digital stamp, the difference is its own fee, not the duty.

How do you pay the digital stamp duty?

Through the PagoPA system. For online applications to the public administration, the procedure's own portal often generates the stamp payment directly. Alternatively you can handle stamp duty virtually through the Agenzia delle Entrate services, reached with the SPID digital identity or Fisconline credentials. At the end you receive the IUBD, which certifies payment and replaces the paper stamp.

When is the EUR 16 stamp required?

In many cases: applications to the public administration, numerous civil-registry and judicial certificates, private deeds, and flat-rate-regime invoices above EUR 77.47, among others. Not every document requires it, and some require more than one depending on the number of sides: it is always worth checking with the body or portal handling the specific procedure.

Can I still use the paper stamp?

Yes, the paper stamp bought at a tobacconist remains valid for the uses that allow it. The digital version is designed mainly for people submitting documents online to the public administration, or professionals who prefer to handle everything remotely. The amount and the legal value are the same.

Sources and methodology

How we worked it out

The EUR 16 amount is the ordinary stamp duty set by law (the tariff annexed to Presidential Decree 642/1972) and referenced by the Agenzia delle Entrate portal. The guide separates the duty, which is fixed and administered, from any incidental costs: some private services that resell the digital stamp add a small handling fee, which is why the maximum real cost shown sits just above EUR 16. Paying directly through the official PagoPA channels carries no surcharge.

Why this confidence level

High confidence: EUR 16 is the ordinary stamp duty set by law and confirmed by the Agenzia delle Entrate portal, identical in paper and digital form. The only margin of variation is the optional, modest fee of a private reseller.

  1. The ordinary stamp duty is EUR 16 and can be paid in virtual form

    Agenzia delle Entrate — area tematica Casa e imposta di bollo (opens in a new tab)

    Agenzia delle Entrate · Public authority · Verified on 23 July 2026

    Official Agenzia delle Entrate portal accessed on 23 July 2026. The EUR 16 amount is the ordinary stamp duty set by law (the tariff annexed to Presidential Decree 642/1972).

    Authority5/5

Read the methodology

Revision history

First published on 23 July 2026, with the EUR 16 ordinary stamp duty verified on the Agenzia delle Entrate portal and traced to the tariff annexed to Presidential Decree 642/1972.

Published on
23 July 2026
Last verified
23 July 2026
Next review
23 January 2027

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