SPID and a bank account in Italy – conto di base, CIE and the IO app, step by step
Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →
Italy's online public services, from INPS to your tax return, open with SPID or the electronic identity card, and fees to public bodies go through pagoPA. Here is how to open a bank account in Italy – possibly a free one – and set up your digital identity in the order that works.
If you are setting up SPID and a bank account in Italy in 2026, two recent changes matter. In supervisory guidelines announced on 5 August 2026, Banca d'Italia (the Bank of Italy) asked banks to remove obstacles to the basic account, without discrimination by origin or type of identity document – including for people still waiting for their permesso di soggiorno (residence permit). Banks must check and fix their procedures by 30 November 2026. These are supervisory expectations, not regulation, so a branch may lag behind.
Paper identity cards, meanwhile, stopped being valid for travel abroad on 3 August 2026. Under decree-law 108 of 26 June 2026, an unexpired paper card still works inside Italy until 31 January 2027 for public offices, health, social security, post and banks. Returning Italians should switch to the electronic card – it is also the key to SPID.
In what order do you set up your Italian identity and bank?
Each step unlocks the next. SPID (Sistema Pubblico di Identità Digitale, the public digital identity) cannot be requested with a residence permit: you need an Italian identity document, which for most newcomers means the CIE (carta d'identità elettronica), issued by the comune (municipality). Part 3 covers the codice fiscale (tax code) and the anagrafe (registry office).
| Step | What | Where | National or local? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Codice fiscale | Agenzia delle Entrate by appointment; for many non-EU arrivals the Sportello Unico or the Questura (police immigration office) | National |
| 2 | Bank account – the conto di base if you qualify | Any bank, Poste Italiane or payment provider | National rule |
| 3 | Residence registration | Anagrafe of your comune | Procedures differ by comune |
| 4 | CIE | Comune of your residence or dimora (where you actually live) | Fee differs by comune |
| 5 | SPID, or the CIE's own login | SPID providers; CieID comes with the card | National |
| 6 | IO app and pagoPA | Your phone | National |
Source: AgID, Agenzia delle Entrate, Ministero dell'Interno and Banca d'Italia, read 23 September 2026.
Who has the right to a conto di base in Italy?
Every bank, Poste Italiane and other payment provider must offer the conto di base (basic account) to anyone legally staying in Italy or another EU state, including homeless people and asylum seekers – provided you hold no other payment account in Italy and use it as a consumer. This is a national rule.
The bank must verify your identity and the account's purpose, and may refuse a basic account only on anti-money-laundering or terrorism grounds or if legal requirements are not met. Few people use the right: about 180,000 basic accounts were active at the end of 2025, against more than seven million residents who could potentially get one free.
| Point | The rule |
|---|---|
| ISEE below €11,600 | Free – no fee and no stamp duty |
| Pensioners with gross income below €18,000 | No fee, but €34.20 a year stamp duty |
| Refusal | Reasons within ten working days |
| If you disagree | Complain to the bank, file an esposto with Banca d'Italia or go to the Arbitro Bancario Finanziario (€20 contribution) |
| Closing | Free; you pay only for extra services used |
Source: Banca d'Italia and the Arbitro Bancario Finanziario, read 23 September 2026.
The ISEE is the household means indicator you get by filing a DSU declaration with INPS (the national social security institute). On an ordinary conto corrente, the €34.20 annual stamp duty is not due if your average balance stays below €5,000. Switching banks (portabilità) is free: the new bank must finish within 12 working days, or you are entitled to €40 compensation plus a surcharge.
The interbank deposit guarantee fund protects deposits up to €100,000 per depositor per bank. Cash payments between people of €5,000 or more are banned nationally, so larger sums go through a bank, Poste Italiane or a payment institution.
How do you get the CIE electronic identity card?
You apply at the comune of your residence or dimora. The state fee is €16.79 nationwide, and each comune may add fixed and secretarial fees. Bring a passport-style photo and your codice fiscale; fingerprints are taken, and first-time applicants show another valid ID or come with two witnesses. Non-EU citizens also show a valid permit or the renewal receipt. The card arrives within six working days.
| Total cost | Good to know | |
|---|---|---|
| Rome | €22.21 (€16.79 state + €5.42 comune) | €5.16 extra after loss or theft; the application receipt is valid as ID only within Italy |
| Milan | €22.20 | Cash or debit card; non-EU first-timers bring tessera sanitaria or codice fiscale, a paper photo, the permit or renewal receipt and another valid ID |
| Turin | €22.21 | Non-EU applicants show a valid permit or renewal receipt |
| Validity (national) | – | 10 years for adults, 5 years from age 3 to 18, 3 years under 3 |
Source: Roma Capitale, Comune di Milano, Città di Torino and Ministero dell'Interno, read 23 September 2026.
According to the City of Turin, for foreign residents the Italian card is an identity document only, not a travel document, so keep your passport for trips abroad.
How do you get SPID in Italy as a foreigner?
SPID is a login, not a card. You must be 18 or over and hold a valid Italian identity document – identity card, driving licence or passport – plus your tessera sanitaria (health card) or codice fiscale, a personal email address and a mobile number. AgID, the agency behind SPID, is explicit: your permesso di soggiorno is not enough, but it gets you the identity card you need.
Using SPID is free. Activation is free or paid depending on the method you choose with one of nine accredited providers – Aruba, Infocert, Intesa, Namirial, Poste, Register, Sielte, Tim or Lepida – and free identification is available at authorised public offices such as comune counters. The CIE also works as a free digital identity, CieID, at levels 1 to 3. You will need one of them almost everywhere.
| Service | Log in with |
|---|---|
| INPS (benefits, pensions) | SPID level 2, CIE, CNS (national services card) or, for EU citizens, eIDAS with their home digital identity |
| Pre-filled tax return (precompilata) | SPID, CIE or CNS |
| Online change of residence on ANPR | SPID or CIE |
| School enrolment on Unica | SPID, CIE, CNS or eIDAS |
| IO app | SPID or CIE |
Source: INPS, Agenzia delle Entrate, Ministero dell'Interno, Ministero dell'Istruzione e del Merito and PagoPA, read 23 September 2026.
What are pagoPA and the IO app?
pagoPA is the national platform for paying taxes, fees and charges to public bodies. Scan a notice's QR code in the IO app or your home banking, or pay at a bank, post office or affiliated shop; providers charge different fees. You will meet it everywhere, from driving-licence conversion fees to Turin's waste tax.
The IO app, run by PagoPA S.p.A., is for adults logging in with SPID or CIE. It delivers legally valid notices, lets you pay pagoPA notices and holds digital documents; more than 40 million people had downloaded it by 1 November 2025. Since 4 December 2024 you can add your driving licence, tessera sanitaria and European Disability Card to its wallet, IT-Wallet – free and optional.
What to do now
| Step | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Get your codice fiscale (part 3) | Before anything else |
| 2 | Open an account – ask for the conto di base if you qualify | In your first weeks |
| 3 | Register your residence at the anagrafe | When you have an address (part 3) |
| 4 | Apply for the CIE at your comune | Once you live there |
| 5 | Activate SPID or start using CieID, then download IO | Once you hold the CIE |
| 6 | If a bank refuses you, ask for the written reasons | Due within ten working days |
Source: Banca d'Italia, AgID, Ministero dell'Interno and PagoPA, read 23 September 2026.
Official sources
The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.
- Banca d'Italia – L'economia per tutti · economiapertutti.bancaditalia.it
- Banca d'Italia – L'economia per tutti · economiapertutti.bancaditalia.it
- Banca d'Italia – L'economia per tutti · economiapertutti.bancaditalia.it
- Banca d'Italia – L'economia per tutti · economiapertutti.bancaditalia.it
- Banca d'Italia – L'economia per tutti · economiapertutti.bancaditalia.it
- Arbitro Bancario Finanziario (Banca d'Italia) · arbitrobancariofinanziario.it
- Agenzia delle Entrate · agenziaentrate.gov.it
- Agenzia delle Entrate · agenziaentrate.gov.it
- Ministero dell'Interno – Carta d'Identità Elettronica · cartaidentita.interno.gov.it
- Roma Capitale; Comune di Milano · comune.roma.it
- Comune di Milano – Centro supporto · servizicrm.comune.milano.it
- Prefettura di Bologna; Comune di Piove di Sacco; Gazzetta Ufficiale · comune.piovedisacco.pd.it
- AgID – SPID · spid.gov.it
- AgID – SPID Help Desk · helpdesk.spid.gov.it
- Centro Assistenza app IO (PagoPA S.p.A.) · assistenza.ioapp.it
- ioapp.it (PagoPA S.p.A.) – press releases · ioapp.it
- PagoPA S.p.A. · pagopa.gov.it
- Normattiva (Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato) · normattiva.it
- Ministero dell'Interno – ANPR · anagrafenazionale.interno.it
- Ministero dell'Interno – ANPR · anagrafenazionale.interno.it
- Ministero dell'Interno · interno.gov.it
- Roma Capitale · comune.roma.it
- Comune di Milano – Centro supporto · servizicrm.comune.milano.it
Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.