The Italy Ministry of Interior has deployed a temporary identity service kiosk at the International Book Fair of Turin in May 2025, part of an urgent national push to convert millions of residents from obsolete paper identity cards to the mandatory electronic format before the August 3, 2026 deadline. The initiative targets the remaining cohort of cardholders who risk being left without valid identification when the cutoff takes effect in approximately 15 months.
Why This Matters
• Paper ID cards become worthless August 3, 2026: After this date, cardholders cannot use the old format for domestic travel, banking, or cross-border movement within the EU, regardless of expiry date printed on the card.
• Booking crisis in major cities: Appointment slots at registry offices in Milan, Rome, Naples, and Turin are effectively full through the summer, with some municipalities showing availability only in 2027.
• Over 53M residents already converted: Yet registry offices face unprecedented pressure from late adopters and those unaware of the imminent cutoff.
The pop-up Identity Point, set up in Pavilion 2 (stand L150) at Lingotto Fiere from May 14 through 18, operates from 10:00 to 19:00 daily. The installation, a joint effort between the State Printing Office and Mint (Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato), the Department for Digital Transformation, the Ministry of Interior, and the City of Turin, offers walk-in service on a first-come basis until capacity is reached.
What You Need to Bring
Applicants must present a recent passport-style photograph (neutral background, frontal pose, uncovered head unless for religious reasons), the expired or expiring paper card, a health card or tax code (Codice Fiscale/CNS), and, if applicable, a police report for a lost or stolen document. Those without a valid prior ID must bring two adult witnesses holding current identification.
Foreign residents need a valid residence permit or long-term residence card. For minors traveling abroad, a parent acting alone must submit a signed consent form from the absent parent. First-time applicants from abroad require a passport or home-country identification document.
The Italy Revenue Department does not charge additional fees for on-site issuance at the book fair; standard municipal charges apply, payable via POS or the PagoPA digital payment platform.
The August 2026 Crunch and Structural Bottlenecks
As of mid-May 2025, more than 53M Italians hold the electronic card, yet the approaching August 2026 deadline has triggered concern about future capacity. Appointment systems in Milan, Rome, Naples, Turin, Florence, Bologna, Genoa, Bari, and Cagliari show significant demand expected to accelerate as the deadline nears. Applicants should begin checking registry offices and attending special "open day" events organized by town halls to secure appointments well in advance.
The technical pipeline compounds potential delays: once an application is submitted, the State Printing Office requires approximately six working days to produce and mail the card. This lag means applicants planning to apply closer to the deadline should account for processing time.
Elderly residents and those living in rural hamlets present an additional concern. Advocacy groups emphasize the importance of awareness about the August 2026 cutoff, particularly among older cohorts, many of whom renewed paper cards in recent years and may assume the printed expiry date governs validity.
New Rules for Over-70 Cardholders and AIRE Registrants
Starting July 30, 2026, electronic identity cards issued to residents aged 70 or older will carry unlimited validity, marked symbolically as a 50-year lifespan. The card will remain valid for international travel, sparing elderly users the decennial renewal cycle that applies to younger adults.
From June 1, 2026, Italians registered in the overseas registry (AIRE) can request the electronic card at any municipal office in Italy, bypassing consulates. Applicants may collect the document in person or request postal delivery to their foreign address. This reform addresses long-standing complaints about consular backlogs, though questions persist about processing times and document validity gaps during the application window.
The European Context: eIDAS 2.0 and Digital Identity Wallets
Italy's transition toward the electronic card aligns with broader EU mandates. By December 2026, all member states must offer citizens a European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet) under the eIDAS 2.0 regulation (EU 2024/1183), which entered force in May 2024. The wallet will unify identity verification, document storage, and electronic signatures across borders.
Italy's IT Wallet initiative, integrating the existing SPID authentication system and the electronic identity card, positions the country among the EU's digital-identity pioneers. France has pre-enrolled millions in its "France Identité" precursor, while Germany and Italy were the first to notify cross-border digital identity tools under the previous eIDAS framework.
Yet adoption remains uneven: of 22 digital-identity wallet projects across the EU, only 11 are operational, and none yet meets the full eIDAS 2.0 certification standard. The European Commission projects that 80% of EU citizens will use digital identity solutions by 2030, a target that depends on seamless interoperability and user trust.
Impact on Residents and Practical Considerations
For anyone holding a paper identity card, the priority is securing an appointment before summer 2026 to ensure delivery by August 3, 2026. Those planning to apply should check registry offices in their home municipality or neighboring towns and attend evening and weekend open sessions announced on municipal websites.
Travelers planning trips within the EU approaching the August 2026 deadline should verify card validity; airlines and border authorities will not accept paper cards after the cutoff, even if the printed expiry falls in subsequent years.
Banking customers and those accessing public services online will find the electronic card doubles as a gateway to digital administration, effectively replacing SPID for many transactions. The embedded chip and NFC functionality allow contactless authentication, though uptake of these features lags behind issuance rates.
Employers managing staff documentation should begin confirmations that employees are aware of the deadline, as expired paper formats will no longer satisfy right-to-work verification after August 2026.
The Ministry of Interior has launched a nationwide awareness campaign titled "Se non è elettronica, non vale" (If it's not electronic, it doesn't count), aiming to reach residents and build awareness ahead of the August 2026 deadline.
The Book Fair Initiative and Beyond
The Lingotto kiosk represents one of several extraordinary measures municipalities and central agencies have deployed to ease the transition. Similar pop-up stations have appeared at shopping centers, transportation hubs, and community events across the country.
The choice of the International Book Fair of Turin, an annual gathering drawing tens of thousands of visitors, reflects an attempt to reach a broad demographic in a concentrated timeframe. Organizers expect foot traffic at the pavilion to accelerate issuing volumes and reduce pressure on permanent registry offices in the coming months and year ahead.
Whether these stopgap interventions prove sufficient will become clear as the August 2026 deadline approaches. For now, the message from authorities is clear: paper cards will become obsolete, and residents should begin planning their electronic card applications well in advance to avoid administrative pressure closer to the deadline.
