An interministerial decree released in the Gazzetta Ufficiale on July 23 has given Italy's approval to guidelines and an experimental framework governing its digital identity wallet. The measure, issued jointly by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers alongside the finance and public administration ministries, sets parameters for how the wallet will operate during testing, be managed and evolve. The ultimate objective remains bringing the system into line with EU-wide requirements.
During the experimental phase, the Department for Digital Transformation will develop and refine technical specifications for the IT Wallet through successive updates. These specifications will be issued by decree, made available through the official portal and distributed to AgID and the National Cybersecurity Agency. After the trial concludes, both the guidelines and technical specifications will be updated to incorporate developments at the national and European levels, particularly the revised eIDAS framework. AgID will also take on the task of establishing administrative procedures for organisations wishing to participate in the IT Wallet system.
Entities seeking to register must provide a technical report showing they meet standards for security, dependability, organisational capacity and alignment with European requirements, alongside proof of adequate insurance. As the system develops, these procedures will be refined accordingly.
The most important strategic takeaway is that Italy is building an ecosystem rather than a wallet
Ronny Khan, EU digital identity strategist
According to Khan, the decree creates legal clarity that permits the system to launch before all EU implementing acts are complete, while enabling testing against market-standard approaches and moving incrementally toward the final eIDAS 2.0 framework. Khan further assessed that "This is probably the strongest example within the EU of a Member State building a national wallet while explicitly preparing for eventual European interoperability."
Digital certificates and oversight
The decree identifies several key electronic credentials to be issued via the IT Wallet during the trial period.
- ISEE income indicators
- School and university qualifications
- Residence and electoral data
- Health insurance card
- Mobile driving licence
- European Disability Card
- Digital proxy certificates
Data for each credential will come from the official custodians of the relevant national databases. Digital versions of the health card, mobile licence and disability card will continue to be available through the existing electronic access point for a 12-month period.
AgID bears responsibility for confirming that all registered participants satisfy the requirements laid out in the IT Wallet regulation. The agency may request supporting materials, carry out technical assessments or conduct inspections. It holds authority to issue warnings, temporarily block or permanently remove entities that breach compliance standards. These supervisory powers remain active until the revised guidelines and regulations receive formal adoption.
