The recognition solution to obtain the SPID most used in Italy is no longer free: to obtain electronic identity at one of the more than 12 thousand Poste Italiane counters you now have to pay
If there is a measure aimed at the digitalization of the country that has been successful and has really helped to change the way Italians relate with the Public Administration, this is certainly the SPID. That is, the “Sistema Pubblico di Identità Digitale” (Public Digital Identity System) which, even before the Electronic Identity Card (CIE), is the most used means by citizens to access public services online.
If there is an “identity provider” that has contributed more than anyone else to this change, this is certainly Poste Italiane. The company controlled by the Ministry of Economy and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, in fact, alone manages more than 80% of Italian SPIDs, that is, more than 17 million online identities of citizens of all ages. The reason for this near-monopoly of Poste Italiane is simple: for years it has offered everyone, free of charge, the recognition service at the counter, necessary to obtain the SPID. Now, however, things change: the recognition at one of the 12,700 counters of Poste Italiane becomes a fee.
PosteID recognition: how much does it cost
Like all forms of SPID, PosteID (this is the name of the SPID of Poste Italiane) can be requested in various ways and with different forms of recognition. Only the recognition at the counter becomes a fee, while the other forms of online recognition (via webcam) remain free.
Recognition at the physical counters of Poste Italiane now costs 12 euros. This is a price similar to the one charged by other identity providers authorized to provide the SPID.
How to do PosteID for free
The change will affect especially the elderly and those less accustomed to the use of PC and smartphone: it is precisely this type of user that, in recent years, has gone more to the post office counters to get the SPID.
If these people do not want to pay for the SPID of Poste Italiane, then they will have to fall back on other methods that are still free of charge, but all with remote recognition through the Electronic Identity Card, National Services Card, Electronic Passport, digital signature.
There are also other methods of recognition to make the SPID with Poste Italiane that remain free, but are closely related to the products and services of the company, such as recognition through an SMS sent to a cell phone associated with the Bancoposta and Postepay apps.