The inhabitants of the first municipalities can request a passport at the post office, in a few minutes and without going to the police station.
The residents of San Pietro in Casale and Toscanella (fraction of Dozza), in the province of Bologna, are the first to be reached by the new service of the Polis project which will progressively reach 7 thousand municipalities with less than 15 thousand inhabitants.
About a quarter of the national population, 16 million people, lives in these countries.
The Polis project aims to transform post offices in small towns into homes for digital services.
It is financed with resources from the plan complementary to the Pnrr with 800 million euros and approximately 400 million from Poste Italiane.
The launch of the passport issuing service, which is starting on an experimental basis, was presented at the Post Office in Piazza San Silvestro in Rome.
The Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, presented the initiative as "an important innovation on the road to simplifying the channels of access to Public Administration services. A sign of attention towards the communities of those small inhabited centers that represent the backbone of our country". The president of Poste Italiane, Silvia Maria Rovere, described it as "the most important sustainable development project in Italy and perhaps in Europe". The CEO of Poste Italiane, Matteo Del Fante, said that the legislator will be able to decide to extend the initiative to larger cities too, "if it works and is to the satisfaction of local administrations". The experimentation is possible thanks to an agreement signed between the Italian Post Office, the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Business and made in Italy. Minister Adolfo Urso in a note spoke of "another important piece in the Polis project, which we consider absolutely central for the development of small urban centres, social inclusion and the competitiveness of the country".
To obtain a passport, simply give the post office operator in your municipality a valid identity document, your tax code, two photographs, pay the passport slip and a revenue stamp at the office and, in case of renewal, the old one. passport.
The new document can be received directly at the applicant's home.
The passport issuing service is added to the others already active in the Polis post offices, where it is possible to collect personal and civil status certificates, social security certificates and certificates for voluntary jurisdiction practices.
To date, over 5 thousand documents have been requested.
In the coming months it will be possible to request an electronic identity card and Revenue Agency services.
Furthermore, 1500 totems will function as tourism offices, answering visitors' questions about the area in all languages thanks to artificial intelligence.
“Poste Italiane's thanks go to the Minister of the Interior for the collaboration that has allowed us to achieve such an important objective within the framework of the project", declared the CEO Matteo Del Fante. "Polis - added Del Fante - proceeds punctually respecting the timetable and arouses great interest also in Europe for its inclusive value and for the ability to offer essential services to citizens who live in small municipalities, putting them on a par with those who live in big cities and have easy access to offices and services, thanks to the innovative idea of the post office which acts as a one-stop shop for the public administration".
“I underline the importance of the collaboration established over the years between Poste Italiane and the Ministry of the Interior which is producing results for the benefit of citizens in terms of services and security", commented the general director, Giuseppe Lasco. "The launch of the experimentation for passports - continued Lasco - is a new step forward in the Polis project in which Poste Italiane is investing resources and skills.
Poste Italiane therefore keeps its commitments, confirming its vision of a company that has always been close to people and territories to contribute to the social and economic development of the country".