Poste Italiane, Spid now costs 6 euro a year: here's who has to pay and when and who is exempt

10 years after its launch, Poste Italiane will charge for the PosteID-enabled service SPID. The amount to be paid will be 6 euros per year, starting from the second year of service activation. The first year is instead free for new users.

The functionality of the service "is free of charge for the first year, without prejudice to the eventual cost associated with the chosen mode of identification" and "is renewed year by year with the payment of the relevant fee" of EUR 6 per year. Therefore, the Poste website explains, for those who have had Spid active for less than a year, payment will be required 'at the end of the first year of activation' of the digital identity, while for those who have had Spid active for more than a year, 'payment of the fee will be required at the end of the current year'.

Citizens aged 75 or over, residents abroad, minors and users with SPID for professional use are exempt from payment. The measure aims to guarantee quality, security and continuity to Poste Italiane's Poste ID service, which today has over 24 million active users.

At the end of the first year of activation, Poste will send an email warning that the service becomes chargeable and you will have 30 days to decide whether to pay the EUR 6. From the expiry date you will then have 30 days to pay or exercise withdrawal without charge. In any case, you can at any time independently go to the Poste site (at posteid.poste.it or the PosteID App) and check in your personal area what your annual expiry date is. From that date there will be 30 days to regularise yourself if you wish. In any case, an email will warn of the deadline. Now, for example, e-mails have started for those whose spid expires at the beginning of February.

The payment of the annual 6 euros can be made online with a card from the portal posteid.poste.it, or at post offices. In this case, you will need to provide your tax code or that of the identity holder for whom you are requesting renewal of access. You do not need to present any documents and, if you are requesting the renewal for another person, your presence is not required.