CIE – Electronic Identity Card

The CIE is a multifunctional document in card format: it certifies the identity of the citizen, it is a travel document, contains the tax code and can be used to request an identity on the SPID system (Public Digital Identity System), which provides access to services provided by Italian public administrations. General information on the CIE is available on the Farnesina website. For further information, please write to manchester.cie@esteri.it.

Who can apply for a CIE

Only Italian citizens residing in this Consular district and regularly registered with AIRE (Registry Office) can apply for a CIE at the Consulate. Those who are not registered with AIRE must first register via the FAST IT portal and wait to be added to the register by the relevant Italian municipality before they can apply. The service is only available to those who do not have another valid Identity card, have an Identity card that is about to expire (starting from 6 months before expiry) or in the event of theft, loss or deterioration of the previous Identity card. In order to issue the CIE, it is also necessary to have a validated tax code. If the citizen does not have a tax code or if it has not been validated, the Consulate will request it from the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate).

HOW TO OBTAIN A CIE?

Applications for a CIE can be submitted to the Consulate in Manchester exclusively by appointment, which must be made via Prenot@Mi, filling in the mandatory fields (marked with *) and entering the details of the CIE holder, if different from the registered user. Appointments are individual and nominal for each applicant; it is not possible to make multiple bookings. Please ensure that you have selected the Consulate in Manchester as your Consulate of reference on the Prenot@mi portal.

• PLEASE NOTE: starting from 2nd March 2026, Prenot@mi will release new appointments every Monday and Wednesday at 8 p.m. The Prenot@mi calendar covers a period of 16 weeks; when booking, then, Prenot@mi will display slots available for the first available day 16 weeks ahead of the booking date.
• WAITING LIST: associated with the “CIE – Electronic Identity Card” service, there is a waiting list, which also has limited capacity and is managed automatically by the portal, updating the available slots at different time during the day. When booking, if there is no availability for a direct appointment but there is a spot on the waiting list, Prenot@mi will notify the citizen, allowing them to join the list. The portal then automatically sends updates to users on the waiting list, notifying them of the first available appointment.

PLEASE NOTE! We remind all that appointments for Identity Card issuance are free of charge. We urge everyone to be wary of agencies, intermediaries or individuals offering paid services to obtain an appointment. Contacting such agencies/individuals contributes to overloading the Prenot@mi portal and reduces the possibility of finding appointments.

NEWS: Starting from 1st June 2026, citizens registered with AIRE will be able to apply for an Electronic Identity Card at any Italian municipality. The identity card will be delivered in the same way as for applications submitted through the Consular office, with the option for the applicant to collect it in person from the municipality or request it to be sent abroad.

WHICH DOCUMENTS SHOULD YOU BRING TO THE APPOINTMENT?

On the day of your appointment, you must present:

1. a valid form of identification;
2. a photo taken no more than 6 months before the appointment, compliant with ICAO standards;
3. for minors, the consent form for the issuance of the CIE signed by both parents (see below);
4. for applicants with minors, a self-declaration stating that there are no impediments to the issuance of a passport (the appropriate form is available on the Forms page) ;
5. British debit card to complete the payment (Consular Fees);
6. any Identity card that is about to expire, has expired or is damaged;
7. in the event of loss or theft of the identity card provided, a specific report (see paragraph below).

DELIVERY OF THE CIE

On the day of the appointment, the Consular officer will take the applicant’s photograph, fingerprints and signature. The valid paper Identity card or CIE will be retained and revoked, even if the applicant does not have any other Identity document.

The CIE is not issued directly by the Consulate, but by the Ministry of the Interior and produced by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato. It is delivered by the latter, which sends it by registered post to the applicant’s declared address of residence (or delivery address).

CONSENT TO THE ISSUANCE OF A CIE FOR AN ITALIAN MINOR (UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE)

To protect minors, the issuance of a CIE is subject to the consent of both parents. This is also necessary in the case of unmarried, separated or divorced couples, and even if the minor children already hold an Identity card. This consent must be submitted using the appropriate Consent Form. It will be necessary to present an ID document of the parents with photo and signature on it (e.g. passport or identity card), which must match the one on the form.

If one of the parents is a non-EU citizen, they must sign the consent form in person when submitting their child’s application. If they are unable to attend in person, they must sign the consent form at:

1. an office of the Honorary consular network;
2. any British notary, whose authenticated declaration must then be legalised by sending it to the Legalisation Office of the British Foreign Office (FCDO);
3. a Public Official in Italy;
4. an official of any Italian Embassy or Consulate, if the non-EU parent is not in Italy or the United Kingdom.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF IT’S NOT POSSIBLE TO OBTAIN THE OTHER PARENT’S CONSENT? (“CONSULAR DECREE”)

If the other parent is deceased, the following is required:

• If the deceased parent was Italian or married to an Italian citizen: request a registration of the death certificateas indicated here before applying for a passport;
• In all other cases: attach the death certificate to the application (with a certified translation into Italian if issued in a language other than Italian or English).

If, on the other hand, the other parent is alive but it is not possible to obtain their consent, the applicant must obtain a decree from the “Giudice Tutelare”, who may authorise the issuance of a CIE on an exceptional basis.

The decree must be requested from the competent authority according to the minor’s place of residence. If the minor resides in the Consulate’s district, the guardianship judge is the Consul of Italy in Manchester and the application must be submitted with the following documentation attached:

1. Application form to the “Giudice Tutelare”, duly completed;
2. Documents supporting the application (as indicated in the form);

The Consulate reserves the right to request additional documentation to verify the statements received.

Applications received by email or other means cannot be accepted. The documentation must be sent exclusively by post to:

Consulate of Italy in Manchester
Consular Assistance Office
58 Spring Gardens
M2 1EW Manchester

During the processing of the application, the user will receive instructions at the email address provided in the form for making the necessary consular fees payment (article 31 + article 31B, see consular fees) via bank transfer. Without the payment of the consular fees, the application will not be processed.

ISSUANCE OF A CIE FOR PARENTS OF MINORS

If the CIE applicant is the parent of a minor children, the issuance of the document is subject to the absence of any impediments to the issuance of a valid document for travelling. This circumstance can be self-certified by the applicant using the appropriate form, which can be downloaded from our Forms section. If the applicant is subject to impediments, they may still apply for a CIE, but it will not be valid to travel abroad.

What to do if your CIE is stolen or lost?

If your Identity card is stolen or lost, you must report it immediately to the British police and file a report with the local authorities, then send us the following by post:

1. the appropriate form;
2. a copy of the report filed with the Police;
3. a copy of a valid Identity document;
4. proof of address dated no more than 3 months ago (Registry Office);
5. a copy of the lost or stolen document, if available.

All of this must then be sent to us by email at manchester.cie@esteri.it, taking care to fill in the subject field as follows: SURNAME, first name and date of birth of the applicant, followed by “LOST/STOLEN IDENTITY CARD”.

Not all British police forces accept reports relating to foreign documents. In this case, you can report theft or loss via the Report My Loss website and send the receipt issued by the website together with the correct form.