====== Advanced topics ======

This page is dedicated to advanced steps that you can optionally complete to integrate better into Italian society. 

===== Obtaining official Italian digital credentials =====
In Italy there are various official Italian credentials that you can obtain. The most important are the CIE, SPID, and the PEC. The CIE, Carta d'identità elettronica, is the Italian ID card that is available for both citizens and residents of Italy. The CIE is important because it has a chip which allows online verification of your identity through your phone NFC reader. The SPID is the official Italian online ID which can be used to login across a wide range of official and important websites in in Italy. It can make future bureaucracy easier. The PEC is an official mailbox that is required for some procedures.

==== CIE ====

To enter the Italian digital ecosystem, you should first get the CIE. A prerequisite is that your residency is fully processed, which takes some weeks from when you requested it. If you have not done that yet, see [[Healthcare and residency]]. Assuming you are a registered resident, it is easy to get. You can get the CIE in the following way:

  - Go to the following Padova Commune webpage: https://www.comune.padova.it/servizi/anagrafe-e-stato-civile/carta-didentita-elettronica-cie-30
  - Reserve an appointment
  - Get a photograph taken for the ID. This can be conveniently done the photo booth either at the town hall or the Padova main station (see https://dedem.it/trova-cabina/)
  - Collect the required documents. For an EU citizen, this includes your passport and perhaps your residency request certificate. Details on other cases can be found at the link above.
  - Go to your appointment at Piazza dei Signori
  - Wait for the card to be sent via certified mail to your home. If you are not available to sign for the letter when it arrives at your house, it will instead be redirected to the closest post office where you will have to pick it up.

Although the process is easy, it does cost a bit of money. The cost is currently €6 for the photo and €22 for the card itself. Note that the ID is only valid as a travel document for Italian citizens, so you cannot use it for EU travel even if you are a citizen of the EU. For use as an online login, you will need a pin, half of which you get directly at the appointment and the other half you get with the card. Therefore, make sure you don't lose the certificate they give you at the appointment.

The card tends to arrive quite quickly, as has been observed to arrive in as little as one week after the Commune appointment. You can activate the online login credentials by following the instructions in the letters. You can now use the CIE as online credentials across a wide range of Italian services.

==== SPID ====
It is easy, fast and free to obtain a SPID once you have the CIE. Like the CIE, the SPID functions as an official online authentication to log into Italian (and now European) official services, both public and private in nature. However, there are some services that you cannot use the CIE for but that only an SPID gives access to. In particular, this includes the digital signing service GoSign, which the university uses for e.g. signing contracts and official documents. The registration for SPID differs by provider, but there are some that allow for registration for free using the CIE as identification. 

You can find a list of providers here. Some may require payment for the setup and/or for an annual subscription:
https://www.spid.gov.it/cos-e-spid/come-scegliere-tra-gli-idp/

An example of a provider that offers both a free registration and no running costs is PosteID offered by PosteItaliane. The registration is only free if you use the CIE with the pin that you got when receiving the card. To set this up, download their app (https://play.google.com/store/search?q=posteid&c=apps) and follow the instructions in the app. You can have the SPID up and working in 10 minutes if you have the CIE + pin ready. The Poste Italia webpage says that you also need an Italian health card, but this turns out to not actually be required. You can register the SPID just fine without an Italian health care card, so do not heed that warning.


==== PEC ====
A PEC, Posta Elettronica Certificata, is an official mailbox that is required for some important interactions in Italy. Unlike the SPID, it usually requires an annual subscription. It is easy to set up once you have SPID or CIE, so choose whatever provider appears to offer the cheapest subscription. Some googling may be required.

You can find information about the PEC and a list of certified providers here:
https://www.agid.gov.it/it/piattaforme/posta-elettronica-certificata
===== Obtaining voting rights in Padova =====
As an EU citizen living in Italy you have the right to vote in both municipal and constituency elections and elections for the EU parliament.

Prerequisites:
  * Official residency in Padova
  * A valid Italian digital ID

To my knowledge, none of us have yet accomplished this procedure. However, instructions are available here:
https://www.anagrafenazionale.interno.it/servizi-ai-cittadini-europei-eng/