In a notice dated 22 July, the Italian Embassy in Pretoria alerted citizens abroad that the traditional paper-format carta d’identità will cease to be valid as a travel document from 3 August 2026, regardless of its printed expiry date. The change is mandated by Decree-Law 108/2026, part of a broader digital-identity reform designed to align Italian documents with ICAO Machine-Readable standards and EU Regulation 2019/1157 on security features for ID cards. After 3 August, only the electronic ID card (CIE) or a valid Italian passport will permit re-entry into the country or onward Schengen travel. For urgent cases, municipalities may issue a six-month provisional document, but acceptance outside the EU is not guaranteed; travellers must check host-country rules via the “Viaggiare Sicuri” portal. The Farnesina confirmed that AIRE-registered citizens can now apply for the CIE at any Italian municipality during visits home, simplifying renewals. Businesses should verify that travelling employees and their dependants—especially long-term assignees who often retain older IDs—upgrade to the electronic version. Failure to do so may result in denied boarding at airlines that no longer recognise paper IDs. Global mobility providers are advising clients to run document-audits and schedule CIE appointments well before the August deadline, as summer town-hall closures could constrain availability. The shift dovetails with Italy’s new “Open Wallet” scheme, which will allow CIE holders to store the document on smartphones for domestic identification and, eventually, e-gate use at selected airports. The Ministry of the Interior aims to pilot the digital CIE at Rome Fiumicino by December, reducing physical-document dependency altogether.
Source: Embassy of Italy in Pretoria
