A new circular sent to head-teachers nationwide reminds families that all paper-format Italian identity cards will cease to be valid for travel from 3 August 2026, in line with EU Regulation 2019/1157 on secure document standards. The notice, published on 13 June by education portal Orizzonte Scuola, urges students booked on Erasmus+ exchanges or study tours to apply promptly for the biometric Carta d’Identità Elettronica (CIE) to avoid last-minute refusals at airports or land borders. Unlike passports, Italian ID cards serve as travel documents within the European Union and—in the case of minors—are commonly used for school trips. The Ministry of the Interior has confirmed that holders of the old paper card who fail to switch to a CIE will need either a valid passport or, where applicable, a national ID from another EU state in order to cross borders.
![Italian Schools Warn: Paper ID Cards Invalid for Overseas Trips After 3 August 2026]()
Should you need help navigating the application maze, VisaHQ’s dedicated Italy portal (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) offers straightforward booking tools for CIE appointments alongside passport and visa support—an efficient solution for parents arranging school trips and HR teams coordinating multiple assignees.
Processing times for CIE can run from two to six weeks depending on the municipality, and summer demand is expected to spike. For mobility professionals the change matters beyond the education sector. Many assignees’ dependants—especially non-working spouses—use ID cards rather than passports for low-cost intra-EU flights. HR teams should audit document validity during mid-year compliance checks and book municipal appointments early, as some city halls already report September slots fully booked. The CIE also facilitates Italy’s new digital-visa platform launched on 1 June; consular officials note that biometric data held on the card speeds up Schengen visa issuance for third-country family members. Companies may therefore wish to reimburse the €16.79 issuance fee as part of relocation packages. Key action: inform all staff and eligible family members that the paper card’s travel function ends on 3 August 2026—well before many autumn business conferences and school exchanges resume.
Should you need help navigating the application maze, VisaHQ’s dedicated Italy portal (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) offers straightforward booking tools for CIE appointments alongside passport and visa support—an efficient solution for parents arranging school trips and HR teams coordinating multiple assignees.
Processing times for CIE can run from two to six weeks depending on the municipality, and summer demand is expected to spike. For mobility professionals the change matters beyond the education sector. Many assignees’ dependants—especially non-working spouses—use ID cards rather than passports for low-cost intra-EU flights. HR teams should audit document validity during mid-year compliance checks and book municipal appointments early, as some city halls already report September slots fully booked. The CIE also facilitates Italy’s new digital-visa platform launched on 1 June; consular officials note that biometric data held on the card speeds up Schengen visa issuance for third-country family members. Companies may therefore wish to reimburse the €16.79 issuance fee as part of relocation packages. Key action: inform all staff and eligible family members that the paper card’s travel function ends on 3 August 2026—well before many autumn business conferences and school exchanges resume.
