The use of CIE (Electronic Identity Card) to access the online services of the Public Administration could soon close the gap with the SPID. And this is also and above all thanks to the fact that more and more Identity Providers (among the latest Poste and InfoCert) have decided to make the SPID a fee, while the CIE will become mandatory for expatriation starting from 3 August 2026. If you have already had the electronic identity card for a while, but have not used it for some time to log in to the online services in question (precisely because you were using the SPID) you may have forgotten your CIE credentials. If this is the case we will explain to you how to recover lost CIE credentialswhether you have lost your password or your PIN or PUK code. The codes, among other things, are made up of two parts: one received when requesting the document and the other sent directly by post. Let’s see what procedures to follow.
What are CIE credentials for and where are they found?
Before seeing how to proceed with recovering lost credentials, let’s first see what they are. Basically you may find yourself having to recover three different credentials: passwordcode PIN and code PUK.
As for the passwordthis is used to access with level 1 and level 2 authentication and which, to work, requires the use of a CIE number, tax code or email combined with a password.
About PIN And PUKthe first serves to enable access to the online digital services of the Public Administration; the second, however, unlocks the PIN code when it is automatically blocked following three incorrect attempts to enter the PIN itself.
Regarding PIN and PUK the Ministry of the Interior on a specific information page, explains:
The first half of the PIN and PUK codes are contained in the paper receipt provided by the operator at the end of the CIE issuance request. The second half, necessary to complete them, is instead provided to the citizen with the accompanying letter present in the envelope with which he receives the CIE. The citizen must join the two halves and carefully preserve the two codes thus obtained.
How to recover your CIE password
For recover the CIE passwordclick on this link and then follow the steps we are about to describe to you.
- Fill in the fields Tax ID code, Serial number (shown in the top right corner of the CIE) e Security code (the one under the CAPTCHA image).
- Click on Verify.
- Provide the temporary code received via SMS and click on He confirms.
- Change your login credential by typing the New Password in the appropriate text fields and click on again Continues.
Where is the 8-digit PIN of your identity card and how to retrieve it
As for the recovery of the CIE PINyou need to set a new PIN using the PUK code from your smartphone via the CieID app or from your PC using the CIE software. Below we will describe the steps from smartphone, so download the CieID app on your Android or iPhone if you haven’t already done so.
- After opening theCieID apptouch the symbol ≡ top left.
- Follow the path Card Management > Unblock Card.
- Enter the entire PUK code.
- Go to the insertion phase new PIN.
- Enter the once again new PIN and confirm the operation.
Keep in mind that if at this stage you enter the PUK incorrectly 10 times, the card will be blocked irremediably and can be used as a simple identification document, but not as an online authentication tool.
How to recover the CIE PUK
What if the PUK has been lost? Also in this case the possibility is foreseen PUK recovery via the CieID app. Here are the steps to follow.
- Open theCieID app and tap on the symbol ≡ top left.
- Touch the voice PUK recovery.
- Press up Continue.
- Bring it closer CIE to the smartphone equipped with NFC chip and keep it resting on the upper rear part of the device until the reading is completed.
- Provide the serial number of the CIE in the appropriate field.
- Touch Continue and follow the instructions on the screen to complete the procedure.
