There PEC is not yet mandatory for those who own a car or motorbike. This is the main concept that you should take home by reading this article. However, there is a big “but”, in that if the reform of the Highway Code contained in the current basic text were to pass, for the first time a large category of private citizens could be in all respects obliged to have a digital home to be able to carry out some practices related to your vehiclesuch as revision or change of ownership.
But let’s underline the matter further: the text in question is still in the public consultation phase. This means that sector associations can still submit observations to the Ministry of Transport (they can do so until 13 September 2026 for the record) and only then will the final version of the text be drawn up, which will then have to be approved by the Government. This last phase should take place by October 14, 2026. So rest assured: at least for the moment, no private citizen will be obliged to activate a PEC simply because they own a vehicle.
Certified e-mail for motorists and INAD registration: who would be obliged to do it
If the rule were to be confirmed, only then would it be necessary obtain a PEC and register the address with INADtheNational Index of Digital Domiciles. The Digital Administration Code on the other hand, it already provides for the obligation for professionals registered in registers and lists and for subjects who must be registered in the Business Register. If the reform passes in its current formulation, it will therefore be the first time that a similar obligation is extended, for a specific category of practices, to private citizens who are not professionals or businesses.
For those who will purchase a new carthe change would instead be immediate: without a PEC registered you could not get the license plate and registration document. Digital domicile would therefore become a necessary requirement at the very moment of registration. For those who already own a car, however, the obligation would be progressive. If the reform were to pass, it would not necessarily be necessary to immediately activate a PEC and register it to INADbut it would become indispensable when the need to carry out some administrative procedures arises.
What would change and the practices that should be carried out according to the new CdS
Among them practices in which certified e-mail would be required there are the periodic inspection of the vehicle, the updating of the registration certificate, the transfer of ownership, the nationalization and the re-registration.
Among all these, the case destined to involve the most motorists is probably the revisionwhich must be done for the first time four years after registration and then periodically every two years.
Particularly interesting would be the case of buying and selling a used car. To transfer ownership, two PECs would be needed: one from the seller and one from the buyer. Car processing agencies, which often carry out these procedures on behalf of citizens, should verify the presence of the digital domicile before starting the transition. A missing PEC could therefore block an already agreed sale.
The same principle would apply to the re-registration necessary after the theft or loss of license plates. Even in a situation independent of the owner’s will, the practice would require digital domicile. The obligation would also affect those who live in Italy and use a vehicle registered abroad. To register the vehicle to REVEThe Register of Foreign Vehiclesit would be necessary to have a PEC. The provision would therefore also concern some foreign citizens resident in Italy and cross-border workers.
How much could it cost us
We conclude by opening a small parenthesis relating to costs. If the reform were to be approved as written in the basic text, citizens who are forced to open a PEC could incur the payment of some costs not incurred so far. We are not referring to registration with INAD (which is free), but toopening of the PEC to be associated with your digital home. Unless you take advantage of some offer that allows you to have a certified email inbox for free, you would have to pay a annual feethe cost of which varies from provider to provider: approximately this can amount to a few tens of euros a year.
