How much does an Italian electronic ID card cost?
An Italian electronic identity card costs EUR 16.79 in central government fees, which becomes EUR 22.21 or 22.22 at the counter once municipal charges are added, and about EUR 27.37 for a replacement. Counting the photograph, the typical real cost is around EUR 33.
Verifiable answer
An Italian electronic identity card costs EUR 16.79 in central government fees, which becomes EUR 22.21 or 22.22 at the counter once municipal charges are added, and about EUR 27.37 for a replacement. Counting the photograph, the typical real cost is around EUR 33.
- How much does an Italian electronic ID card cost?
- €33 / card
- €27 – €45
- Italy
- 22 July 2026
- Confidence: High
- Production of the card by the Italian state printing works; Delivery within six working days, to your home or to the town hall as you prefer; Fingerprint capture for applicants aged twelve and over; The card's digital identity function, usable to log into Italian public services online; Municipal fixed and clerical charges, where the town hall levies them
- A compliant photograph, which the applicant supplies or uploads in advance; Travel to the registry office for fingerprinting; A smart card reader or compatible smartphone to use the card as a digital identity; An early replacement after loss, theft or damage; Translations or legalisations if you need the document recognised abroad
- Whether this is a first issue, a renewal at expiry or an early replacement; The fixed and clerical charges set by your municipality; Where you obtain the compliant photograph; Whether you choose home delivery or collection at the town hall; The holder's age, which changes validity and therefore the cost per year of use
- 3 sources
Official price versus real cost
Official price
€16.79
/ card
Difference+€16.21 (+97%)
Real cost
€33
€27 – €45
The EUR 16.79 published by the ministry is accurate but describes only what the state collects. Nobody actually pays that at the counter: the town hall adds its own charges and the real total is EUR 22.21 or 22.22 in the two municipalities we checked. On top of that comes the photograph, which the applicant must bring and which costs between five and fifteen euros. The typical bill therefore lands around EUR 33, roughly double the ministerial figure. This is not a concealed surcharge: it is the sum of three tariffs that nobody publishes together, which is precisely why an Italian ID card appears to cost less than it does.
Short answer
The Italian electronic ID card has a state fee that is identical everywhere, a small municipal top-up that varies by cents rather than euros, and one item no schedule lists: the photograph you have to bring yourself.
The carta d'identità elettronica, or CIE, is the most widely issued document in Italy and it has an unusual price structure: a fixed state share, a tiny municipal share, and a share you pay yourself that appears nowhere. The state collects EUR 16.79, which covers production of the card by the state printing works and its delivery. The municipality adds its own fixed and clerical charges: in Andria the counter total is EUR 22.21, in Cagliari EUR 22.22. The difference between two town halls six hundred kilometres apart is one cent, and that is worth knowing, because it contradicts the widespread belief that the price of an Italian ID card depends on where you live. What genuinely changes is something else: if you replace the card before it expires because you lost or damaged it, the municipal charges double and the total rises to about EUR 27.37. And in every case you need a compliant photograph, which you bring and which you pay for. This guide separates the three items and says what each is worth.
What is included
- Production of the card by the Italian state printing works
- Delivery within six working days, to your home or to the town hall as you prefer
- Fingerprint capture for applicants aged twelve and over
- The card's digital identity function, usable to log into Italian public services online
- Municipal fixed and clerical charges, where the town hall levies them
What is not included
- A compliant photograph, which the applicant supplies or uploads in advance
- Travel to the registry office for fingerprinting
- A smart card reader or compatible smartphone to use the card as a digital identity
- An early replacement after loss, theft or damage
- Translations or legalisations if you need the document recognised abroad
How the price breaks down
| Item | Type | Frequency | Minimum | Typical | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ministerial issuing feeThe amount the town hall collects and passes to the state to cover production of the card by the state printing works. It is the same everywhere in Italy and includes delivery of the finished document. | Compulsory | one-off | — | €16.79 | — |
| Municipal fixed and clerical chargesThe part the town hall keeps. It is EUR 5.42 for an ordinary issue and rises to EUR 10.58 when the card is reissued before expiry because it has been lost, stolen or damaged. | Compulsory | one-off | €5.42 | €5.42 | €10.58 |
| Compliant photographThe applicant supplies the photograph, taken in a booth or uploaded in advance through the CIE booking system. It appears on no fee schedule, yet without it the application cannot start. An observed market range, not an administered price. | Compulsory | one-off | €5 | €5 | €15 |
| Travel to the registry officeThe application is made in person once only, because the card is posted afterwards. In a small town this costs nothing; in a large city it can mean a transport ticket or a parking fee. A stated estimate, not measured data. | Optional | one-off | €0 | €0 | €15 |
What the price depends on
- Whether this is a first issue, a renewal at expiry or an early replacement
- The fixed and clerical charges set by your municipality
- Where you obtain the compliant photograph
- Whether you choose home delivery or collection at the town hall
- The holder's age, which changes validity and therefore the cost per year of use
Hidden costs
- Replacing the card before expiry: municipal charges double and the total rises by about five euros
- A photograph rejected for not meeting the standard, which has to be retaken and paid for again
- Time off work for the appointment, which in large cities is booked weeks ahead
- An old paper ID card that is still valid is not replaced free of charge: an early renewal is paid in full
Three realistic scenarios
Economy scenario
€27
A renewal at expiry in a small town, photograph uploaded in advance for five euros, registry office within walking distance and home delivery included in the fee.
Typical scenario
€33
A first issue or renewal in a city, photographs from a studio for ten euros, one journey by public transport to the registry office and a wait for the appointment. Most people will recognise themselves here.
Premium scenario
€45
An early replacement after a loss, with doubled municipal charges, professional photographs, a car journey to the provincial capital and half a morning of leave from work.
How to spend less
- Upload the photograph in advance through the CIE booking system: you avoid the booth on the day and cut the risk of the image being rejected at the counter.
- Only choose collection at the town hall if you are passing anyway: home delivery is included in the EUR 16.79 and saves you a second journey.
- Do not replace the card early while a paper ID is still valid: it remains usable until it expires and early renewal attracts no discount.
- If you only want it to log into Italian public services, check whether you already have an active SPID digital identity: the card is not the only route and getting one purely for that is avoidable spending.
- Keep the letter containing the PIN and PUK codes, which arrives in two parts: losing them does not cost you a new card, but the reissue procedure means another trip to the counter.
Frequently asked questions
Why did the town hall charge me EUR 22.21 rather than EUR 16.79?
Because EUR 16.79 is only the share the municipality passes to the state for producing and posting the card. On top of it every town hall applies its own fixed and clerical charges, worth about EUR 5.42. The Interior Ministry's portal says so explicitly: the amount is due «plus fixed and clerical charges where these apply». In Andria the counter total is EUR 22.21, in Cagliari EUR 22.22.
Does the price vary from one municipality to another?
In principle yes, because the fixed and clerical charges are set by each town hall. In practice the variation is negligible: in the two municipalities we checked, one in Puglia and one in Sardinia, the totals were EUR 22.21 and EUR 22.22, a single cent apart. If your town hall asks for appreciably more and this is not a replacement, it is worth asking for an itemised breakdown.
How much does it cost to replace a lost ID card?
About EUR 27.37 instead of EUR 22.21. The ministerial share stays at EUR 16.79, but the municipal charges double, rising from EUR 5.42 to EUR 10.58. This applies to loss, theft and damage, in other words to any reissue before natural expiry. After a theft or a loss you also need a report to the police, which costs nothing but adds another step.
Is the photograph included in the price?
No, and it is the item that separates the official price from the real cost most sharply. The applicant brings the photograph to the counter or uploads it in advance through the booking system, and pays for it separately: between five and fifteen euros depending on whether you use a booth or a photographic studio. The format has to meet the travel document standard, so a non-compliant picture is rejected and has to be retaken, at double the cost.
Do I have to go back to collect the card?
Not necessarily. The card is delivered within six working days of the application, and when you apply you choose whether to receive it at home or collect it at the town hall. Delivery is covered by the EUR 16.79, so having it posted costs nothing extra and removes a second journey. This is a meaningful difference from the Italian passport, where home delivery is a paid service.
How long is the card valid?
For adults, nine years plus the days remaining until the next birthday, within the ten-year ceiling set by EU rules. For minors aged three to eighteen it lasts five years, and below three years of age it lasts three years. The price is the same for everyone, so the cost per year of validity for a very young child's card is markedly higher — worth weighing if the document is only needed for one trip.
Sources and methodology
How we worked it out
The state amount comes from the Interior Ministry's own CIE portal, which states it is due «plus fixed and clerical charges where these apply». To establish what those charges are worth we checked two municipalities in different regions, Andria in Puglia and Cagliari in Sardinia, looking at both ordinary issue and replacement: the near-perfect match between the two totals shows that municipal discretion here is minimal, and allows us to publish a figure rather than a wide band. The photograph and the journey have no administered price: they are given as an observed market range and a stated estimate respectively. That is why the real cost is published as a range while the official share is marked as a fixed amount.
Why this confidence level
High confidence: the EUR 16.79 comes from the ministerial portal that runs the scheme, and the municipal charges were verified against two town halls in different regions, producing totals that differ by one cent. Confidence falls on the two additional items — photograph and travel — which are market prices rather than tariffs, and that is why the real cost is published as a range rather than a single number.
Ministerial fee of EUR 16.79 «plus fixed and administrative charges where these apply»
Rilascio e rinnovo in Italia — Carta di Identità Elettronica (opens in a new tab)
Ministero dell'Interno · Public authority · Verified on 22 July 2026
The Interior Ministry's official CIE portal. Besides the amount, the page sets out validity (nine years plus the days to the next birthday for adults, five years between three and eighteen, three years below three) and states that the card is delivered within six working days, to the home or to the town hall at the applicant's choice, and that the photograph is supplied by the applicant.
Authority5/5
Counter total of EUR 22.21 for a new card and EUR 27.37 for a replacement
Chiedere il rilascio della carta d'identità elettronica (CIE) (opens in a new tab)
Città di Andria · Public authority · Verified on 22 July 2026
The first municipality checked, to measure how much local charges add on top of the EUR 16.79 that goes to the state: the difference is EUR 5.42 for an ordinary issue and EUR 10.58 for a replacement after loss or damage.
Authority4/5
Total of EUR 22.22 for a new card and EUR 27.38 for a replacement, including a EUR 0.26 clerical charge
Rilascio carta d'identità elettronica (CIE) (opens in a new tab)
Comune di Cagliari · Public authority · Verified on 22 July 2026
A second municipality, deliberately chosen in a different region, to check that the local mark-up is a constant rather than an isolated case. It confirms the structure and shows that the gap between two town halls can be a single cent: evidence that municipal discretion on this particular procedure is very small.
Authority4/5
Revision history
Verified on 22 July 2026 against the Interior Ministry portal and two independent municipalities, Andria and Cagliari, to measure the local charges sitting above the state fee. Confirmed EUR 16.79 to the state, EUR 22.21-22.22 at the counter and EUR 27.37-27.38 for a replacement.
- 22 July 2026
- 22 July 2026
- 22 October 2026
What did you actually pay?
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