Digitisation

Pa, not only driving licences and health cards: within a year all documents in the It-wallet

An important step, considering that today Italians can only have three (there is also the European disability card). The response has been positive, because 8.5 million driving licences, 8.5 million health cards and about 200,000 documents have been uploaded to give disabled people access to free or subsidised goods and services

by Lorenzo Pace

6 March 2026

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

By February 2027
Today 8.5 million driving licences and 8.5 million health cards
The Roles of the State Mint and PagoPa
Digital documents
Possible costs

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Within a year, the digital wallet of Italians will be revolutionised. Not only the driving licence and the health card, which will already be in place by the end of 2024. But also all others from the public administration, including the new digital voter card.

The It-Wallet system sets the stages for full implementation. It does so by means of a Dpcm, carried out by the Department of Digital Innovation of the Presidency of the Council together with the Ministries of the Economy and Public Administration, which was signed on 18 February. The objective is highlighted at the beginning: 'To implement the provisions of Article 64-quater, paragraph 5, of the CAD', i.e. the Digital Administration Code.

By February 2027

The text gives a precise deadline to the offices of the public administration: within one year, all will have to comply. Translated: documents will also have to be made available in virtual format for citizens. Within this timeframe, private entities will also be able to adhere.

Today 8.5 million driving licences and 8.5 million health cards

An important step, considering that today Italians can only have three (there is also the European disability card). The response has been positive, because 8.5 million driving licences, 8.5 million health cards and about 200,000 documents have been uploaded to give disabled people access to free or subsidised goods and services.

The Roles of the State Mint and PagoPa

At the moment, however, the It-Wallet is a 'guest' of the IO platform. The Dpcm aims to transform the digital wallet project into a state infrastructure. And it does so by clarifying the roles. The first is that of the Istituto Poligrafico della Zecca dello Stato (Ipzs): 'It provides for the design, realisation, implementation and management of the organisational and technological infrastructure necessary for the implementation' of the system.

The Institute therefore issues electronic Personal Identification Data Certificates only after the user authenticates with a High Guarantee Level. To create the certificate, as required by the Cad, the data are taken from the National Register of Resident Population. The second actor involved is PagoPa, which 'provides for the creation of the technological infrastructure' of It-Wallet, 'as well as its management and implementation, ensuring its continuous compliance with the national and European regulatory framework on digital identity'.

Digital documents will suffice

Together, they will have to accommodate the new documents by February 2027, when the digital wallet will become really rich and allow citizens to be completely autonomous even with just a smartphone. There is no doubt about this: Article 6, on the 'exemption of controls', confirms that those digital documents will not only suffice whenever one is checked, but can also be used for online applications, as if one were using Spid.

Possible costs

There are still some aspects to be defined. Article 7(6) refers to a forthcoming decree in which the Basic Services and Remunerable Services will be defined. The latter are the 'additional services provided through the IT-Wallet System' that 'may be subject to remuneration, in order to incentivise the participation of public and private actors' and 'reduce dependence on public funding through the generation of revenues proportional to the added value provided'.

A discourse that does not concern the citizens. Because they are responsible for basic services. It will be up to the system, in fact, to ensure "the continuity of services and respect for the principle of free of charge for citizens for essential functions".