Passports: surge in applications at post offices – figure exceeds 256,000
As at 31 July 2026, the number of applications for new cards and renewals processed by Poste Italiane had reached 256,487, of which 198,429 were processed at Polis offices in municipalities with fewer than 15,000 inhabitants and 58,058 at the 431 service points set up in major cities
Key points
In Terranova di Pollino, in the province of Potenza, people used to have to travel as far as 150 kilometres to renew their passports. Since the service was introduced at the post offices involved in the Polis project, that distance has been reduced to zero for thousands of citizens across Italia.
Over 250,000
As at 31 July 2026, the number of applications for new cards and renewals processed by Poste Italiane had reached 256,487, of which 198,429 were processed at Polis offices in municipalities with fewer than 15,000 inhabitants and 58,058 at the 431 service points set up in major cities, including Rome, Milan, Naples, Florence and Bologna. Leading the way in terms of the number of applications were the provinces of Verona (17,123), Bergamo (15,637), Vicenza (15,412) and Monza (10,860).
Polis Project
The service, which was launched as part of the Polis project to bring public administration services to small towns, was subsequently extended to large cities thanks to an agreement with the Ministry of the Interior. The procedure requires an identity document, a tax code, a photograph and payment of €42.70 plus €73.50 for the electronic fee; in the case of renewal, the old passport must also be handed in. Biometric data is collected directly at the counter and transmitted to the relevant police force.
Home delivery
Among the available options is home delivery of passports: 80 per cent of those living in small towns choose this option, compared with 32 per cent of residents in large cities.
