What Is a SPID and Why Do I Need One as an Expat in Italy?

Su Guillory
Aug 8
2 min read

If you’re living in Italy—-or planning your move—-you’ll quickly realize that bureaucracy is a national sport. From paying taxes to booking medical appointments, much of life here runs on official portals. And increasingly, those portals require one key to unlock them: a SPID.

If you’ve never heard of it, you’re not alone. Many expats don’t find out they need a SPID until they hit a digital brick wall. Let’s fix that.

What Exactly Is a SPID?

SPID stands for Sistema Pubblico di Identità Digitale, or Public System of Digital Identity.

It’s essentially your secure online login for Italian public services—-think of it as the Italian government’s universal username and password. Once you have a SPID, you can use it to access a long list of portals without juggling dozens of accounts.

What Can I Do with a SPID?

Here are just a few examples of what you can access once you’re set up:

INPS (social security and pension services)
Agenzia delle Entrate (tax agency)
Fascicolo Sanitario Elettronico (your electronic health record)
PagoPA (to pay fines, school fees, and other public charges)
Municipal services like residency registration, school enrollment, and waste tax payments
Booking certain public health services online

For an expat, it’s a game changer. Instead of physically going to an office—-sometimes multiple offices—-you can often handle tasks online in minutes.

Why Expats Shouldn’t Wait to Get One

While you may not need a SPID the first week you arrive, there’s a good chance you’ll need it sooner than you expect. Some common situations where expats benefit from having a SPID include:

Filing your taxes or accessing your CU (Certificazione Unica) from your employer
Registering with the public health system (SSN)
Paying local taxes without going to the post office
Checking the status of your residency application
Accessing pension contributions if you’ve worked in Italy

And because more Italian government services are moving online each year, having a SPID is becoming less optional and more essential.

How to Get a SPID

To get your SPID, you’ll need to go through an authorized provider (Identity Provider) such as Poste Italiane, Aruba, InfoCert, Sielte, or TIM.

The process generally involves:

Choosing a provider (some are free, some charge a small fee)
Providing identification documents (passport, permesso di soggiorno, codice fiscale)
Completing an identity verification—-either online via webcam or in person at a post office or provider’s office

Once approved, you’ll receive your credentials (username, password, and in many cases, a second factor like an app or SMS code).

Tips for Expats

Choose an English-friendly provider if your Italian isn’t strong yet; some have bilingual websites and support.
Use the same email address for your SPID as you do for other official services; it’ll save confusion later.
Download the provider’s app (if available) to make logging in faster and to manage two-factor authentication.

The SPID is your digital key to Italy’s public services. As an expat, it will save you countless trips to municipal offices, streamline your interactions with the government, and make it easier to manage your life in Italy from anywhere.

It’s worth taking the time to set it up early in your Italian journey—-you’ll thank yourself the first time you avoid a half-day of waiting in line.