EXPLAINED: How Italy just made it easier to access essential paperwork online
Italy’s government has launched a new national platform allowing residents to download official records, including residency and marriage certificates, for free online instead of queuing up at the comune. Here's how to use it.
The ANPR (Anagrafe Nazionale Popolazione Residente, or National Population Register) platform, launched on November 15th, for the first time aggregates information from comuni (town halls) across Italy and brings it together in one national database.
Residents can use any of their SPID (Sistema Pubblico di Identità Digitale or ‘Public Digital Identity System’), CIE (Carta d'Identità Elettronica or Electronic Identity Card), or CNS (National Services Card) details to log into the site and view and download pdf copies of their official certificates (and those of their family members) free of charge.
READ ALSO: How to use your Italian ID card to access official services online
The move is the latest in a series of steps taken by the Italian authorities to try to move administrative processes online to reduce bureaucratic hurdles.
Recent developments include the ability to access health records, register a change of address, and apply for Italian citizenship online.
The option of downloading official certificates was already available to some Italian residents via their own comune’s website; but whether you had access to this service depended entirely on your local authority, with many smaller comuni lacking the resources to provide such services online.
This means that many Italian residents have until now been required to visit their comune and fork out for a tax stamp every time they need a copy of their residency or marriage certificate.
READ ALSO: Beat the queues: 19 bits of Italian bureaucracy you can do online
As official copies of such documents expire after six months, and must usually be requested in person at the relevant comune (not necessarily the one covering the area you live in), getting hold of these documents can take up significant amounts of time and money.
The launch of the new nationwide website on Monday means that changes, as every resident can access and download their official records online through the ANPR portal for free.
Some 8,000 Italian municipalities have signed up to use the portal, which lists the 63 remaining towns yet to get on board.
Where do I go?
The site can be found at: www.anagrafenazionale.interno.it
Residents wanting to use the service should scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on 'accedi ai servizi' to be taken to the login page here.
Once logged in, to access a certificate you should click on the Certificati tab near the top of the page.
You will be given the option to request a certificate for yourself or for a family member; if you choose the latter, you'll be given a list of names of relatives you're allowed to request records for.
The home page of the ANPR web portal.
What do I need to log in to the site?
As mentioned above, you any of need your SPID, CIE, or CNS details to log in.
Bear in mind that with a Carta d'Identità Elettronica, you need not just your CIE number but must also to be logged into the CIE ID app.
READ ALSO: Italian bureaucracy: What is a SPID and how do you get one?
To first register with the app, you need the two four-digit PINs you received on applying for and on first receiving the card.
If you're not sure what those are, you'll need to go in person to your comune to request them; so if you haven't already, you may find it easier to sign up for a SPID.
What can I get?
The interior ministry states that you can use the platform to access all-important documents including birth, marriage, residency and citizenship certificates.
You can also use it to download the following:
- AIRE (Anagrafe Italiani Residenti all'Estero, or Register of Italians Resident Abroad) residency certificates
- Civil status certificates
- Family status certificates
- Cohabitation certificates and contracts
- 'Existence of life' certificate
- AIRE family status certificates
- Family status with relationships certificates
- Unmarried status certificates
- Civil union registry certificates
What does it cost?
As of November 2021, it costs nothing for a resident to download an official certificate from the ANPR website.
The site does say that all users are exempted from the requirement to pay for a tax stamp until December 31, 2021, so it’s possible that from the start of 2022, a fee may be applied.
There is a (currently redundant) option to tick a box saying that you fall into a category that exempts you from the requirement to pay for a tax stamp, again implying that such a requirement could be introduced further down the line.
Until at least the end of 2021, though, the service is free to all.
Can I use the platform for anything else?
You can't currently use the portal to make any changes to your current status; e.g., to change your address to update your residency information or to update your civil status, etc.
However, you can make a 'rectification request' by clicking on the Rettifica dati tab.
This is specifically to correct factual information that, for whatever reason, is recorded incorrectly on the platform. It includes things like the spelling of your name, your date of birth, and the details of your identity documents.
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The ANPR (Anagrafe Nazionale Popolazione Residente, or National Population Register) platform, launched on November 15th, for the first time aggregates information from comuni (town halls) across Italy and brings it together in one national database.
Residents can use any of their SPID (Sistema Pubblico di Identità Digitale or ‘Public Digital Identity System’), CIE (Carta d'Identità Elettronica or Electronic Identity Card), or CNS (National Services Card) details to log into the site and view and download pdf copies of their official certificates (and those of their family members) free of charge.
READ ALSO: How to use your Italian ID card to access official services online
The move is the latest in a series of steps taken by the Italian authorities to try to move administrative processes online to reduce bureaucratic hurdles.
Recent developments include the ability to access health records, register a change of address, and apply for Italian citizenship online.
The option of downloading official certificates was already available to some Italian residents via their own comune’s website; but whether you had access to this service depended entirely on your local authority, with many smaller comuni lacking the resources to provide such services online.
This means that many Italian residents have until now been required to visit their comune and fork out for a tax stamp every time they need a copy of their residency or marriage certificate.
READ ALSO: Beat the queues: 19 bits of Italian bureaucracy you can do online
As official copies of such documents expire after six months, and must usually be requested in person at the relevant comune (not necessarily the one covering the area you live in), getting hold of these documents can take up significant amounts of time and money.
The launch of the new nationwide website on Monday means that changes, as every resident can access and download their official records online through the ANPR portal for free.
Some 8,000 Italian municipalities have signed up to use the portal, which lists the 63 remaining towns yet to get on board.
Where do I go?
The site can be found at: www.anagrafenazionale.interno.it
Residents wanting to use the service should scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on 'accedi ai servizi' to be taken to the login page here.
Once logged in, to access a certificate you should click on the Certificati tab near the top of the page.
You will be given the option to request a certificate for yourself or for a family member; if you choose the latter, you'll be given a list of names of relatives you're allowed to request records for.
What do I need to log in to the site?
As mentioned above, you any of need your SPID, CIE, or CNS details to log in.
Bear in mind that with a Carta d'Identità Elettronica, you need not just your CIE number but must also to be logged into the CIE ID app.
READ ALSO: Italian bureaucracy: What is a SPID and how do you get one?
To first register with the app, you need the two four-digit PINs you received on applying for and on first receiving the card.
If you're not sure what those are, you'll need to go in person to your comune to request them; so if you haven't already, you may find it easier to sign up for a SPID.
What can I get?
The interior ministry states that you can use the platform to access all-important documents including birth, marriage, residency and citizenship certificates.
You can also use it to download the following:
- AIRE (Anagrafe Italiani Residenti all'Estero, or Register of Italians Resident Abroad) residency certificates
- Civil status certificates
- Family status certificates
- Cohabitation certificates and contracts
- 'Existence of life' certificate
- AIRE family status certificates
- Family status with relationships certificates
- Unmarried status certificates
- Civil union registry certificates
What does it cost?
As of November 2021, it costs nothing for a resident to download an official certificate from the ANPR website.
The site does say that all users are exempted from the requirement to pay for a tax stamp until December 31, 2021, so it’s possible that from the start of 2022, a fee may be applied.
There is a (currently redundant) option to tick a box saying that you fall into a category that exempts you from the requirement to pay for a tax stamp, again implying that such a requirement could be introduced further down the line.
Until at least the end of 2021, though, the service is free to all.
Can I use the platform for anything else?
You can't currently use the portal to make any changes to your current status; e.g., to change your address to update your residency information or to update your civil status, etc.
However, you can make a 'rectification request' by clicking on the Rettifica dati tab.
This is specifically to correct factual information that, for whatever reason, is recorded incorrectly on the platform. It includes things like the spelling of your name, your date of birth, and the details of your identity documents.
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