Lost Your Italian Tax Code or Health Card in Rome? Here's What to Do

In a nutshell

Lost your wallet along with your Tessera Sanitaria (Italian health-insurance card)? You don't have to start from scratch. Your Codice Fiscale (Italian tax ID — your personal 16-character code, used for almost everything) never changes — what you've lost is just the plastic card. A duplicate is free, can be requested online in a few minutes, and requires no police report and no marca da bollo (revenue stamp you stick on official forms).

At a glance

Cost	Free. No stamps, no fees.
Timeline	Provisional paper certificate: immediate. Plastic card by post: 30–45 days.
Where in Rome	Online (with SPID/CIE), IO app, phone, Agenzia delle Entrate office, or ASL.
Police report required?	No. Only recommended if you suspect fraudulent use.

First: find your Codice Fiscale number without going anywhere

Your Codice Fiscale is written on many documents you probably already have at home or on your phone:

• IO app (Wallet section → Documents on IO): it's there in digital form, official and free
• Digital Tessera Sanitaria on your smartphone via IT Wallet (Italy's digital wallet)
• Payslips or your Certificazione Unica (CU — annual income certificate from your employer)
• Modello 730 (Italy's simplified annual tax return for employees) or other tax returns
• Permesso di soggiorno (residence permit for non-EU citizens): the Codice Fiscale is printed on it
• CIE (Carta d'identità elettronica — Italian electronic ID card): the Codice Fiscale appears on the back
• Cassetto Fiscale: log in with SPID (Italy's digital identity for accessing online public services) or CIE and your certificate is right there

If you've found the number and only need it for a contract or a doctor visit, you can use it directly. The paper certificate or plastic card is only required in certain formal contexts.

How to request a duplicate Tessera Sanitaria

You have several options — pick whichever is easiest.

Online — the fastest method. Log in to the Agenzia delle Entrate (Italy's tax-revenue agency) personal area with SPID, CIE, or CNS. Go to Services → "Tessera sanitaria — duplicato", state the reason (loss, theft, damage, never received), and confirm. You immediately get a printable provisional paper certificate. The plastic card arrives by post at your registered address in 30–45 days. There is also a direct link to the Tessera Sanitaria duplicate request.

IO app — if you have a smartphone. Open the IO app, go to Wallet → Documents on IO, and authenticate with SPID or CIE. Your digital Tessera Sanitaria is already there and has the same legal value as the physical card. It also works via IT Wallet. If you can't see the card, check that your personal data in the system is up to date and that "Documents on IO" is enabled in your settings.

By phone. Call the freephone 800 030 070 (free, Tessera Sanitaria support) or 800 90 96 96 (Agenzia delle Entrate). They will ask for your personal data and some information from your previous year's tax return for security purposes.

Agenzia delle Entrate office. Visit any of the 7 Rome territorial offices, by appointment only. Bring a valid ID. For addresses and hours, use the office locator.

Your local ASL (Azienda Sanitaria Locale — your local public-health authority). Useful if you don't have SPID or CIE and want to avoid the Agenzia delle Entrate queue. The ASL can issue or duplicate the Tessera Sanitaria.

By PEC. Send the signed AA4/8 form (Italy's official Codice Fiscale application form) with a copy of your ID to the PEC (certified email — legally valid in Italy) address of your local tax directorate. The full list of offices is on the official site.

Theft: do you need to file a police report?

No — a police report is not required to get a duplicate. A self-declaration of loss is enough.

It is worth filing one if:

• Other documents were stolen at the same time (CIE, passport, bank card)
• You suspect someone might use your Codice Fiscale to register a SIM, open a bank account, or register a Partita IVA (Italian VAT number — required to invoice as a self-employed worker)
• You want documented legal protection against future misuse

In Rome you can file a report at a Stazioni dei Carabinieri (find your nearest station), at a Commissariati della Polizia di Stato (Rome list), or online via the web report form for minor incidents.

Expired card (not lost)

The Tessera Sanitaria is valid for 6 years (for foreign nationals, the validity matches the duration of the residence permit). If you are enrolled in the SSN (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale — Italy's national health service) and your personal data is up to date, the new card arrives automatically at home before the old one expires — you don't need to do anything. If it hasn't arrived within a month of the expiry date, request it as a duplicate using any of the methods above. If you're a foreign national and have renewed your residence permit, visit your ASL to update the expiry date on your card.

Mistakes to avoid

1. Never pay anyone for a duplicate. Some websites offer a "fast duplicate for €19". The service is free on the official Agenzia delle Entrate site. There is no reason to pay.
2. Don't share your Codice Fiscale + date of birth + address with strangers. That combination of data can be used for fraud (SIM registration, bank accounts, credit applications). Agenzia delle Entrate never calls asking for personal data — if you get such a call, hang up.
3. Update your registered address before requesting the duplicate. The plastic card is mailed to the address on file with the Anagrafe Tributaria (tax registry). If you've moved, update your residency at the Comune (city hall / municipality) first, then request the duplicate.

Special cases

Lost only the Codice Fiscale number (not the physical card)? Recover it in 5 minutes from the IO app, the Cassetto Fiscale, or a document you already have. No formal procedure needed.

Already have CIE or SPID? Both give you access to the Cassetto Fiscale to download your certificate of attribution without visiting any office.

Foreign national with a permit in renewal? Your Codice Fiscale stays the same throughout the renewal process. The Tessera Sanitaria is renewed by your ASL when you update the permit's expiry date.

Official sources

• Agenzia delle Entrate — Theft/loss of Tessera Sanitaria
• Tessera Sanitaria duplicate request
• Codice Fiscale card duplicate request
• Agenzia delle Entrate personal area
• IO app
• Online police report — Polizia di Stato

Legal references: DL 269/2003 art. 50, DPR 605/1973, D.Lgs 82/2005 (CAD).