Certified e -mail or, more simply, PEC, is a tool born to give legal value to digital communications. Unlike a normal e-mail, which only guarantees the transmission of the message from one server to another without formal tests of delivery, the PEC produces electronic documents that certify with accuracy, time, integrity and certification of delivery. It means that by sending a message from one pec box to another, the same legal value as a registered letter with return receipt is obtained. This mechanism is based on a series of authorized managers, supervised by AGID (Agency for digital Italy), which have the task of certifying each step: from sending to delivery, to the production of the receipts opposable to third parties, or documents that can be used as proof in the event of a dispute. The PEC, therefore, is not only a “special e-mail”, but a tool that allows citizens, businesses, professionals and public administrations to communicate safely and legally validly. Currently in Italy there are over 16 million active boxes, a sign of an increasingly widespread diffusion of this service, also favored by the regulatory obligations that require PA, companies and professionals to equip themselves with a digital domicile.
For citizens, however, it remains an optional but still more useful tool, especially thanks to the possibility of registering it on the IND, the national digital home index, so as to receive official notifications directly online (for example in the app). To get a box, just contact an accredited PEC manager such as Aruba or Poste Italiane (on this page you will find the updated list), complete the registration and pay an annual fee: from that moment it is possible to use it as a normal e-mail, with the difference that each sending and delivery will be certified and will have full legal value.
How the pec works
When we talk about PEC, we are talking about a system that gives the simplicity of the sending of an electronic message to the officiability of a communication that has full legal value. The heart of the service lies in the receipts: when sending a PEC, your manager sends you a first confirmation of acceptance that demonstrates the forwarding. Then the recipient manager intervenes, who produces a second receipt, that of delivery or non -delivery. In both cases, the information contains given and now precise and also report the attachments, so that one can demonstrate exactly what content has been transmitted. It is important to note that delivery is considered valid even if the recipient does not open his box: the simple reception on the server is sufficient to make communication effective.
To understand who regulates this ecosystem, agid, theAgency for digital Italy. This public body not only establishes the technical rules to which the managers must comply, but maintains the list of authorized subjects and constantly supervises their business. Agid also collects data on the use of PEC in Italy, monitoring how many boxes are in operation and how many messages are exchanged, information published in open format to guarantee transparency.
How to get a pec address
If you are wondering how to get a pec box, the procedure is quite simple. A manager must be chosen from the qualified ones, register online or at a store, provide your personal data and pay the requested fee (in some cases offered for free for a limited trial period). After activation, you can access your box via webmail, dedicated applications or traditional mail clients, exactly as happens with common e-mails. The substantial difference, as mentioned, is that each sending will be certified and will have full legal value.
Who is obliged to have a PEC
Not everyone is obliged to equip themselves with a pec. Public administrations, public services managers, professionals registered in Albi and companies have the regulatory obligation to own one and communicate it to the official lists. In particular, companies must register their PEC address in the business register, while public bodies must associate at least one box with each protocol register. For citizens, however, the PEC is optional, but it becomes particularly comfortable if recorded on the inad portal: in this way a “digital domicile” elects, that is, an official delivery to which to receive communications from anyone, including notifications of the Public Administration.
The lists available, such as the Ini-pec for companies and professionals or the PA digital domicile index, serve to make the addresses easily available, simplifying certified communication.
The pec in numbers
Today in Italy about 16.2 million PEC boxes are active, a number updated in December 2024 which shows how much the tool has now entered the daily and professional life. The evolution of the system continues to be followed by Agid, which since 2007 collects the data on PEC traffic and since 2023 has been doing it on a quarterly basis. This monitoring allows you to evaluate the efficiency of the service and to accompany its growth in a context in which the digitization of administrative and professional processes becomes increasingly essential.
