What is SPID

What is SPID, what is it for, and where and how can you get it?

SPID is the Public Digital Identity System (Sistema Pubblico di Identità Digitale, SPID): a digital identity made up of a pair of strictly personal credentials (username and password) that give you access to the online services of public administrations and of participating private providers, for example to:
access the services of INPS (National Social Security Institute) and INAIL (National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work);
access the tax services of the Agenzia delle Entrate (Italian Revenue Agency) and Agenzia delle Entrate-Riscossione (its collection agency), including the cassetto fiscale (your online tax records);
access the Portale Servizi Lavoro (employment services portal);
access the services of local and regional public administrations, and more.
What do you need SPID for?

• To access your personal area on the Fisconline tax portal;
• To register a rental contract online;
• To apply for various subsidies and welfare benefits (reddito di cittadinanza, bonus bebè and all the others);
• To check the progress of an application for regularisation;
• To take part in competitions for public-sector jobs (concorsi pubblici);
• To apply for Italian citizenship;
• To apply to bring in workers from abroad under the Decreto Flussi;
• To request civil status certificates and identity cards, or to change your registered address;
• To download self-declaration forms (autocertificazioni) to submit to various public bodies, etc.;
  A personal SPID is valid for two years, after which it is renewed automatically every year.
  SPID is cancelled automatically if it is not used for one year.

Who can get SPID? All citizens aged 18 or over, Italian citizens living abroad who are registered with the Registry of Italians Resident Abroad (AIRE), and foreign nationals living in Italy who hold a valid Italian identity document can apply for SPID.
You get SPID from the digital identity providers accredited by the Agency for Digital Italy (Agenzia per l’Italia Digitale).
If you find it difficult to set up SPID on your own, go to one of the public administrations (for example the post office, Poste Italiane), which will carry out the procedure for you free of charge.
You can apply for SPID in several ways: in person at the offices of the digital identity providers (identity providers) or online. There are both paid and free activation methods, which are worth knowing about before you choose a provider.
How do you activate SPID?
Step 1: Have valid Italian documents:

• a carta di identità (identity card), driving licence (patente) or passport (passaporto);
• the tessera sanitaria (health card) or the tesserino codice fiscale (the card that shows your tax code, codice fiscale);
• an e-mail address and a mobile phone number.
  Step 2: Choose a digital identity provider.
  To continue the activation, choose one of the authorised identity providers and register on the website of the provider you have chosen, following these instructions:

1. Enter your personal details.
2. Create your SPID credentials.
3. Identify yourself by choosing one of the free or paid methods offered by the identity providers, which you should know about before activation. The identification methods are:

• in person (di persona): if you choose this method, you must go in person to one of the authorised identity providers;
• by webcam (via webcam): this method lets you get SPID online;
• audio-video with a bank transfer (audio-video con bonifico);
• with a CIE, CNS or digital signature (CIE, CNS o firma digitale).
  Step 3: The three security levels of access.
  SPID level 1: The first level of SPID lets the user access online services with a username and password.
  SPID level 2: To access online services with a level-two SPID, in addition to the username and password you need a temporary access code called an OTP (One Time Password). The code is sent by SMS to the account holder’s number or generated by a dedicated app provided by the identity provider. As the name says, it is a “one-time” code: it is valid for a limited time and can be used only once.
  SPID level 3: This is the SPID with the highest level of security. In addition to the SPID credentials, level 3 requires additional computer authentication systems based on encrypted digital certificates, such as a digital signature. To get a level-3 SPID, you must already have activated SPID at one of the lower levels at least.
  Website where you can find information on getting SPID.