PLEASE NOTE
ID Cards are not issued at sight. Instead, they are posted to the applicant’s residence address two/three weeks after the appointment.
1. What is an electronic ID card?
An ID card is an identification document used to verify a person’s identity and to travel to EU Member States, some Schengen States (i.e. Iceland, Norway and Switzerland) and other States with which bilateral agreements have been reached (please visit each country tab onwww.viaggiaresicuri.it).
2. Who can apply for an electronic ID card?
The Consulate General of Italy in London can issue an ID card only to Italian nationals legally residing in the London consular district and registered in AIRE. (Anagrafe degli Italiani Residenti all’Estero – Register of Italians residing abroad).
If you have changed your residence address, you need to communicate it through the FAST ITportalbefore booking your appointment.
3. When can I apply for a CIE?
- to those who wish to replace their paper ID card;
- to those do not have another valid ID card;
- to those whose previous ID card has been lost, stolen or is deteriorated.
4. How do you apply for an electronic ID card (CIE)?
The application for an electronic ID card must be submittedthrough the Prenot@MI online platform. The Prenot@mi portal can be accessed from a PC/laptop.
Click here for additional information about the booking system.
Should investigations reveal evidence preventing the processing of the CIE application, the applicant will be informed of the reasons for rejection and will need to make a new application.
5. Can I book an appointment for my minor children?
Yes. Whilst booking your appointment you will need to complete the form for each person who needs a new CIE (applicant). With one application you will be able to book an appointment for up to 5 (five) people.
6. What documents must I submit at the appointment to apply for my CIE?
Normally the applicant must come to the appointment with the following:
– Recent passport-size photograph complying with ICAO international standards;
– Previous ID card. If it is missing, an identification document (even if it has expired);
– Lost/stolen ID card form, if applicable (mod. DEN1);
– Both parents’ consent if the applicant is under 18 (see point 10);
– British debit card for payments in pounds sterling.Please note that contactless payments ARE NOT ACCEPTED.
7. What will happen at the appointment?
At the appointment, the consular officer will collect the documents listed at the previous point, carry out the identification of the applicant, and acquire their photograph and fingerprints (except for applicants under 12).
8. How do I receive my electronic ID card?
The CIE is issued by the Italian Ministry of the Interior and printed by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato (Italian State Printing Works and Mint), which sends it by registered delivery to the applicant’s residence address. The applicant will be able to track the delivery online through the tracking code provided.
9. How long is the ID card valid for?
The validity of the ID card varies according to the age of the holder, more specifically:
– 3 years for minors aged from 0 to 3 years;
– 5 years for minors aged from 4 to 17 years;
– 10 years for adults (aged 18 and above).
10. What is the consent?
If the ID application is for a minor, the consent form (CIE2) must be completed and signed by both parents.
The consent is necessary even if the parents are not married, are separated or divorced.
If the other parent of the minor children is an EU national, they will not need to come to the Consulate. Instead, they may give their consent by completing and signing the CIE1 form and by attaching a photocopy of their own ID document, so that the consular officer may verify their signature.
If the parent giving consent is a non-EU national – which includes British nationals – the consent form must be signed in one of the following ways:
– At this Consulate General on the day of the appointment. The parent must come with a valid identity document;
– Without coming to London, at one of theHonorary Consulates or Consular Agencies of our consular network. Contact details here;
– At any British notary public. The declaration certified by the notary must then be legalised by the Legalisation Office of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Get your document legalised);
– Before a public official in Italy;
– If the non-EU parent is in a country other than Italy or the UK, before an officer of the relevant Italian Embassy or Consulate;
– If one of the parents is deceased, a copy of their death certificate must be submitted.
– If the other parent’s consent cannot be obtained, please contact our Welfare Office for more information (email: sociale.londra@esteri.it).
11. Do I have to apply for a new ID card if I change address?
No. The ID card is an identification document, not a residence document.
12. Can married women have their married name added?
No. The ID card is an identification document, not a marital status document.
13. May I apply for ID card in my Municipality in Italy even if I am resident abroad?
Italian nationals living abroad who wish to apply for an ID card in Italy will need to contact their Italian town hall.
