The use of the 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 how to recover your lost CIE credentials, whether 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: password, PIN code and PUK code.
As regards the password, this 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.
Regarding PIN and PUK, the 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
To recover your CIE password, click on this link and then follow the steps we are about to describe.
- Fill in the fields Tax Code, Serial Number (shown in the top right corner of the CIE) and Security Code (the one under the CAPTCHA image).
- Click on Verify.
- Provide the temporary code received via SMS and click Confirm.
- Change the access credential by typing the new password in the appropriate text fields and click Continue again.
Where is the 8-digit PIN of your identity card and how to retrieve it
As regards recovering the CIE PIN, you 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 your smartphone, so download the CieID app on your Android or iPhone if you haven’t already done so.
- After opening the CieID app, tap the ≡ symbol at the top left.
- Follow the path Card Management > Unblock Card.
- Enter the entire PUK code.
- Proceed to the phase of entering the new PIN.
- Enter the new PIN once again 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 there is the possibility of recovering the PUK via the CieID app. Here are the steps to follow.
- Open the CieID app and tap on the ≡ symbol at the top left.
- Tap on PUK Recovery.
- Press on Continue.
- Bring the CIE close to the smartphone equipped with an NFC chip and keep it placed on the upper rear part of the device until the reading is completed.
- Provide your CIE serial number in the appropriate field.
- Tap Continue and follow the onscreen directions to complete the procedure.
