Italy Is Reducing Bureaucracy Across Key Services
by Adriana ruiz
Italy is introducing a new wave of administrative simplifications aimed at reducing bureaucracy and improving public services. Minister for Public Administration Paolo Zangrillo announced that over 260 simplification procedures have already been implemented, with more on the way as part of Italy’s commitments under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).
Key Updates and How They May Affect You
1. No More ID Renewal for Seniors (70+)
A major change under consideration is eliminating the requirement to renew the identity card (carta d’identità) for citizens over 70, following the model used in Spain. This would ease the renewal burden for elderly residents.
2. Choose Your Family Doctor at the Pharmacy
Healthcare services are also being streamlined. Now, people can select their general practitioner or pediatrician directly at pharmacies, as long as they are part of the national healthcare system (SSN). Pharmacies can also:
• Administer vaccines to people over 12 years old
• Offer more blood tests with just a capillary blood sample
3. Streamlining Building Permits and Public Services
Major steps have been taken to simplify paperwork for construction, small businesses, and artisan activities. Interoperability between public portals for building and business permits is being improved with an investment of €80 million.
4. “Once Only” School Enrollment
Families will now benefit from a simplified school enrollment process. Children will only need to be registered once for both primary and secondary school cycles, reducing repetitive paperwork and saving time.
5. Support for Youth Mobility
To help young people move more freely, efforts are underway to cut red tape for installing automatic ticket machines and improving local public transportation (TPL) systems.
6. AI to Cut Bureaucratic Costs
Artificial Intelligence will play a key role in automating routine public administration tasks. This will free up human resources for more strategic roles, while also reducing the economic burden of bureaucracy — currently estimated at €43 billion annually.
7. Digital Public Hiring & Training
The government’s hiring platform inPA has seen a dramatic increase in posted job openings, with over 22,000 public competitions (concorsi) advertised in 2024 alone. A new training platform, Syllabus, is also being used by nearly 400,000 public employees.
Why This Matters for Expats
These simplifications could make life in Italy significantly easier — especially when it comes to accessing healthcare, enrolling children in school, interacting with local bureaucracy, or navigating Italy’s complex public sector.
If you’re living in Italy long-term, keep an eye on how these updates are implemented in your local municipality, as changes will be rolled out gradually across different regions.
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