Government extends validity of paper carte d'identità beyond looming August deadline as registry offices buckle under demand.The Italian government has moved to defuse a looming administrative crisis over the renewal of identity cards, approving a decree that extends the validity of paper carta d'identità documents beyond a deadline that had threatened to overwhelm local registry offices.  Under EU rules requiring member states to phase out identity documents that do not meet modern security standards, Italy had set 3 August 2026 as the cut-off after which paper identity cards would no longer be legally valid, even if their printed expiry date had not yet passed.   The interior ministry had urged citizens to book renewal appointments well in advance, warning of "organisational bottlenecks" as the deadline approached, particularly over the summer holiday period. What the new decree changes The measure, approved by the council of ministers on Tuesday evening, provides that paper identity cards which have not yet expired will retain their validity until their natural expiry date, even after 3 August 2026, for certain purposes and in dealings with public administration bodies and providers of public services.   The change is intended to relieve pressure on municipal registry offices (anagrafi) that had been swamped with renewal requests ahead of the deadline.   The decree also addresses citizens who need a document urgently but whose municipality cannot immediately issue the electronic identity card (CIE): in such cases, councils will be able to issue a temporary substitute document while the CIE is processed. Background The carta d'identità is used predominantly to verify the holder’s identity during bureaucratic procedures at public administration offices or on other occasions when they need to show their ID.   The electronic card, which can be requested by appointment at a citizen's local registry office or, for those resident abroad, at an Italian consulate, costs €22.21, though fees can vary slightly by municipality.   Applicants need a recent passport photograph, their tax code and their existing paper card, or another valid document if it has been lost or stolen.   The CIE is valid for three years for children under three, five years for those aged three to eighteen, and ten years for adults; under separate rules approved late last year, citizens over 70 who receive a card issued after 30 July 2026 will get a version with no expiry date at all.   The electronic card also doubles as a digital identity tool, allowing access to online public services, and is expected to gradually replace SPID, Italy's existing digital identity system.   Paper identity cards had already lost one practical use last year, when they were dropped as valid travel documents for flights within Italy and the Schengen area, with passengers now required to present a boarding pass instead.