As of May 15, 2024, this Consulate General receives applicants for the issuance of Italian Electronic Identity Cards (C.I.E.).
You must book your appointment through the web portal Prenot@mi.
BEFORE booking an appointment, read carefully the information provided below.
NOTE that Italian CIE is not issued by the Consulate. Consular staff will only capture biometric data of the applicant, review the application and receive the associated consular fee and send the request to the Italian “Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato” (IPZS). The latter will post the CIE directly from Italy, once issued, to the residential address indicated by the applicant in his/her application form.
1. What is an Electronic Identity Card (CIE)?
A CIE is an identity document. It replaces the pervious paper-based Italian Identity Card. A CIE contains biometric data of the holder (fingerprints, picture, signature). With you CIE, you will get a wider and easier access to many online services of the Italian Public Administration. CIE can be used to travel only within European Member States and selected Schengen States, as well as other Countries that have bilateral agreements in place. If you wish to travel from Canada to Italy and vice versa, you will need a passport. For more information on travel requirements for Italian citizens travelling abroad, kindly visit https://www.viaggiaresicuri.it.
2. Who can apply for a CIE at the Consulate General of Italy in Toronto?
You can apply at this Consulate only if:
- You are an Italian citizen and
- You are registered in AIRE (Registry of Italians Residing Abroad) in this consular jurisdiction (Manitoba, Northwest Territories and the Province of Ontario with the exception of Ottawa, the Outaouais region, Counties of Carleton, Dundas, Glengarry, Grenville, Prescott, Russel and Stormont, which befall in the jurisdiction of the Embassy of Italy in Ottawa)
If you are not registered in AIRE with this consular jurisdiction, please contact the Italian Embassy or Consulate in the Country of your residence.
If you are resident in this consular jurisdiction but you are not registered with the AIRE, click here to submit your AIRE application via FAST-IT.
Before the actual date of your appointment, this Consulate must check your status and, in particular, we must ascertain that your Birth Certificate has been registered by the relevant Municipality in Italy and that your Civil Registry is up to date. If we ascertain that your birth certificate has not been registered or that you still need to apply for the registration in Italy of vital records, a consular officer might suspend your appointment and you will receive further instructions.
If you need information on how to apply for the registration of Vital Records in Italy through this Consulate, click here.
3. How do I book an appointment to apply for a CIE?
Appointments must be booked through the web portal Prenot@mi. Please, choose the Electronic Identity Card Calendar (as soon as it will become available) and follow the instructions. For information on how to use Prenot@mi and to access the web portal, click here.
NOTE that the number of appointments is limited. In light of the time needed to check each applicant’ status before the day of appointment, as mentioned under point 2, we strongly recommend to allow at least 15 days between the day of booking and the actual appointment. As an example, if you log in to Prenot@mi on June 1, you should book an appointment no earlier than June 15.
4. What do I need on the day of the appointment?
- A recent passport-size photo (front-facing colored photo on a white background, 35X45mm, head size must be between 32 and 35 mm from the chin to the crown of the head)– Click here to see the specimen (the background of the picture should always be white and solid colour);
- Italian passport, even if expired;
- Previous Identity Card (electronic or paper-based), if applicable;
- ONLY if your CIE was stolen or lost, please bring the following declaration in case of lost/stolen CIE (please note that you must report the theft/loss of your CIE to local Police Authorities before applying at the Consulate. You must submit receipt or copy of the police report to the Consulate, at the time of your application);
- ONLY if you are applying on behalf of a minor, both parents and the minor should attend the Consulate on the day of the appointment. Alternatively, you may submit the consent form on behalf of the other parent, only in certain cases (see point 11);
- Consular fee to be paid either by Canadian debit card (no foreign cards, no digital payments, no credit cards), cash or money order/bank draft made out to the Consulate General of Italy in Toronto for the amount of:
– CA$ 34,00 if it is your very first application for a CIE or if your CIE is about to expire/expired;
– CA$ 42,00 if you apply for a duplicate in case of lost/stolen/deteriorated CIE.
Please, note that consular fees are subject to change each quarter. Kindly visit our Consular Fees page for the updated fees.
5. What to expect on the day of the appointment?
On the day of the appointment, you must attend the Consulate in person. Our staff will capture your fingerprints, save your photo and your signature, acquire the necessary consular fee, and will print out your application form. One copy of the application form will be given to you as a receipt.
In case of applications on behalf of minors, fingerprints are not collected for children under 12 years of age. Nonetheless, minors must attend in person with their parents.
6. How do I receive my Electronic Identity Card (CIE)?
Once your application is received and digitally transferred to Italy, on the day of your appointment, the Consulate is no longer responsible for it.
Your application will be electronically transferred to the Italian “Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato” (IPZS), based in Italy.
The IPZS will process your application and issue an Electronic Identity Card, which they will post as “posta raccomandata” from Italy directly to the address you will have indicated in your application form, on the day of the appointment at the Consulate. Please, note that on the application form given to you as a receipt (see point 5), you will find a tracking number that you must use to track the status of the shipment.
Delivery times vary depending on the final address indicated and, on average, can take at least five weeks.
In case of failed delivery, the envelope will return to Italy, to the IPZS.
Please, make sure to provide a correct and actual delivery address on the day of your appointment. Do not misplace the application form/receipt carrying the tracking number and monitor the shipment of your CIE.
NOTE that it is your responsibility to keep the application form/receipt carrying your tracking number in a safe place. The tracking number is your only way to monitor the shipment of your CIE. This Consulate has no information on it, since it takes no part in the shipping process.
7. What is the validity period of a CIE?
The validity of the Electronic Identity Card varies depending on the age of the holder, as follows:
– 3 years for minors between the ages of 0 and 3 years;
– 5 years for minors between the ages of 4 and 18 years;
– 10 years for adult applicants.
8. Do I have to apply for a new CIE if my address changes?
No. An Electronic Identity Card is an Identity Document, not a proof of address.
9. I am a married woman. Can I apply using my married last name or can I include my married last name on my CIE?
No. An Electronic Identity Card is an Identity Document and, according to Italian Laws, women are identified only by their maiden name.
10. Can I apply for a CIE in Italy?
For information, please, contact your AIRE Municipality.
11. What is a Consent Form?
Consent for the issue of an Electronic Identity Card for minors is always necessary, even in case of unmarried, separated or divorced parents.
If the other parent is an EU citizen, his/her presence at the consulate is not necessary. A completed and signed consent form together with a photocopy of the granting parent’s passport or identity card (for the comparison of signatures) will be sufficient.
If the parent granting consent is not an EU citizen – such as Canadian citizens – he or she must instead sign the declaration of consent in one of the following ways:
– At the Consulate General in Toronto on the day of the appointment, with proof of identity (passport);
– At any Canadian notary public. The notarised statement must then be apostilled prior to submitting it to the Consulate;
– If the parent who must provide the consent is in another consular district in Canada or in a third country, please contact the relevant Italian Embassy or Consulate.
In the event of the death of one of the parents, a copy of the death certificate must be submitted to the Consulate.
If it is not possible for the applicant to obtain the other parent’s consent, they may submit a request to the “Giudice Tutelare” (Judge Supervising Guardianship). Click here for further information.
12. When applying for the CIE, can I express consent or denial to organ and tissue donation, as is the case in Italy?
No, Italian nationals registered in AIRE do not have the possibility of expressing consent or denial to organ and tissue donation at their consular office of reference, in light of the fact that residents abroad are cancelled from the Italian National Health Service.
13. How do I activate the CIE to access public administration web portals?
The Electronic Identity Card, in addition to being an identity document, provides the holder with level 1, level 2 and level 3 digital credentials that can be used to access, for example, Public Administration web portals.
First of all, take care of the application form that the Consular Office will give you as a receipt, on which you will find the tracking number of the registered mail with which the CIE will be sent to your address. On that same form, a portion of PIN and PUK code linked to your CIE are indicated.
Level 1 and level 2 credentials associated with the CIE must be activated by the holder of the CIE. To do this, you must first have indicated a mobile telephone number when applying for the CIE, to which an OTP (temporary password) will be sent via SMS. In the event of technical problems with the telephone operator (failed delivery of the SMS containing the OTP), you can still use Level 3 credentials, for which no activation is required but it is necessary to link the CIE with the holder’s smartphone, via the CieID App.
Entra con CIE – Level 1 and 2 – The Electronic Identity Card (CIE) (interno.gov.it)
Entra con CIE – Level 3 – The Electronic Identity Card (CIE) (interno.gov.it)
If you experience any issues in receiving the SMS containing the OTP, you must reach out directly to the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato (IPZS):
Email: cie.cittadini@interno.it;
Telephone: +39 06 42985699
Consular offices cannot assist in any way with problems relating to the activation of CIE credentials.
If you need to retrieve the PUK code, please consult:
How to recover the PUK of the Electronic Identity Card (CIE) – The Electronic Identity Card (CIE) (interno.gov.it)