How to Get a Codice Fiscale & Italian SIM Card

Italian Identity (Fiscal Code + SIM)

- Codice Fiscale: Obtained free of charge from the Consulate before departure or from the Agenzia delle Entrate.
- Local SIM: Prepaid card from low-cost operators for Italian phone number (+39).

Codice Fiscale (Tax Code)

It is a free and mandatory alphanumeric code. The procedure differs depending on your nationality:

- For EU students:
- Before departure (Recommended): Go to the website of the Italian Consulate in your country. Send the completed form and a copy of your ID/passport by email. You will receive it in PDF format within a few days.
- In Italy: Go to any Agenzia delle Entrate office with your ID. You will receive it on the spot.
- For Non-EU students:
- Through the Embassy: Most of the time, the Italian Embassy issues you a new Codice Fiscale together with the application for the student visa (it is attached to the visa sheet).
- In Italy: If you did not receive it with the visa, you must go to the Agenzia delle Entrate with: Valid passport, Study visa and copy of the acceptance letter from the university (Lettera de Assonanza/Nulla Osta).

Internet & Local SIM Card (Number with +39)

A. Internet

Airalo's eSIM data plan for Italy is officially called Mamma Mia and is one of the most flexible in Europe, making it the ideal solution for international students arriving in the peninsula.
Network and Connectivity in Italy
- Local Operators: Airalo has an excellent triple-network partnership, automatically connecting to Wind Tre, Vodafone and Iliad (or TIM depending on the agreements).
- Speeds and Coverage: You have full access to 4G LTE and 5G networks (especially on Wind Tre and Vodafone profiles). Coverage is impeccable in major university centers (Milan, Rome, Bologna, Padua, Turin) and in island regions (Sicily, Sardinia).
- Data Sharing: Mobile Hotspot (tethering) is allowed without restrictions.
- Plan Type: The plan is exclusively for mobile data. It does not include a local phone number (+39).

B. Local SIM Card (Number with +39)

You need an immediate Italian number to be contacted by apartment owners, university or couriers.

- For EU students:
- You can buy a SIM card in any store or vending machine (e.g. Simbox Iliad) with just your ID card and your new Codice Fiscale.
- For Non-EU students:
- Some large companies require a mandatory Passport (ID card from the country of origin is not accepted).
- Attention: In the first days you do not yet have a residence permit (Permesso di Soggiorno), so specify at the store that you are a newly arrived student and present your passport with the visa.
- Common recommendation: Choose low-cost operators (Iliad, Very Mobile, ho. Mobile). They offer large internet packages (100-200 GB) for €7-10 per month, without 2-year locked-in contracts.

A. Internet

Airalo's eSIM data plan for Italy

Is officially called Mamma Mia and is one of the most flexible in Europe, making it the ideal solution for international students arriving in the peninsula.
Network and Connectivity in Italy
- Local Operators: Airalo has an excellent triple-network partnership, automatically connecting to Wind Tre, Vodafone and Iliad (or TIM depending on the agreements).
- Speeds and Coverage: You have full access to 4G LTE and 5G networks (especially on Wind Tre and Vodafone profiles). Coverage is impeccable in major university centers (Milan, Rome, Bologna, Padua, Turin) and in island regions (Sicily, Sardinia).
- Data Sharing: Mobile Hotspot (tethering) is allowed without restrictions.
- Plan Type: The plan is exclusively for mobile data. It does not include a local phone number (+39).

Buy now eSIM Airalo Italy

B. Local SIM Card (Number with +39)

Iliad

Is currently the absolute king for international students in Italy. This operator has revolutionized the Italian market by completely eliminating the 2-year locked-in contracts, hidden fees and bureaucratic red tape typical of traditional operators.

Why is Iliad the ideal choice for students?

- No binding contracts: The student can close the card whenever they want, without any penalty, perfect for those who only stay for a semester or a year (e.g. Erasmus).
- Locked price for life: Unlike other operators that increase rates after a few months, Iliad guarantees the price remains unchanged forever.
- Generous roaming in the EU: It offers between 9GB and 15GB of free internet that the student can use when traveling at home or in other European countries.
- Supports eSIM: If the student's phone is compatible, they can activate a digital card on the spot, without having to wait for a plastic card.

How and where to buy? (Practical Guide)
This is the biggest logistical advantage. The student does not have to go and argue with an agent in a store.

1. At Simbox machines: There are thousands of red digital jukeboxes called Simbox located in main train stations, malls, large supermarkets or in official Iliad stores.
2. The process at the machine (takes 5 minutes):
- The student selects the offer on the screen.
- Scans the ID.
- Manually enters the data from the Codice Fiscale.
- The machine asks him to record a short 5-second video in which he says "I am [Name] and I choose Iliad" (it is a legal obligation in Italy for anti-terrorism identity verification).
- Pays with a card (bank or Revolut).
- The machine issues the physical SIM card on the spot, and activation takes between 2 and 24 hours.

Mandatory Documents for Purchase (EU / Non-EU Separation)

- For EU students: They only need their Bulletin/Passport and the Codice Fiscale number. Payment can be made with any European card.
- For Non-EU students: They must use the Passport with the Study Visa. Simbox machines have a special option for international passports. Very important: You do not need a residence permit (Permesso di Soggiorno) to buy a prepaid card at Iliad.

Very Mobile

Is the main alternative to Iliad and is a massive player in the low-cost phone market in Italy. The brand belongs to the giant WindTre, which means that students receive virtual operator prices, but benefit from one of the most extensive national infrastructure networks in Italy.
What it offers:
- Impeccable coverage: Operating directly on the WindTre network, the signal is extremely stable even in smaller university towns or in old buildings with thick walls.
- 5G navigation included: All their current plans offer access to 5G Full Speed speeds at no additional cost.
- No hidden costs: Their communication line is based on total transparency: the price is locked "per sempre" (for life), with no termination fees or hidden activated options.
- Full eSIM support: The student can buy and activate their number online in a few minutes, directly from their phone, before having a physical card.

How to purchase and activate?
Unlike Iliad, which uses physical jukeboxes in train stations, Very Mobile is heavily relying on digitalization and delivery:

1. Online (Home delivery or eSIM): The student enters the official website, chooses the offer, fills in the data and selects eSIM (on-site activation) or physical SIM (delivered free of charge to the mailbox in 2-3 days).
2. Video identification (Video identificazione): After downloading the official Very Mobile application, the student must show his face and ID in front of the phone camera to validate the card.
3. In physical stores: There are authorized points of sale (often in electronics stores or newsstands called Tabaccheria).

Crucial rules for students (EU vs. Non-EU)

- For EU students: Online or in-store registration is extremely simple with the Bulletin/Passport and the Codice Fiscale number.
- For Non-EU students: The automated online system can sometimes refuse non-EU passports or temporary visas if they are not entered in a specific format. Site tip: It is recommended that Non-EU students physically go to an authorized Very Mobile store or WindTre store so that a human operator can validate their foreign passport against the database. A residence permit (Permesso di Soggiorno) is not required in this case either.

ho.Mobile

Detailed Guide:

For Students from the European Union
If you come from an EU member country, the process is extremely simple and digitalized.

- Minimal bureaucracy: You can use your home ID. You only need an officially issued Codice Fiscale (which you can request at the Agenzia delle Entrate or directly online from the consulate before leaving).
- 100% Online Activation: You can buy an eSIM directly from the official ho. Mobile website. You quickly identify yourself with a video selfie in the app, and the profile is activated in a few hours.
- Roaming Advantage: Your national offer works according to European rules. While you are on vacation at home or in another EU country, you have unlimited minutes and SMS to Italy, and ho. Mobile automatically allocates a generous roaming internet package (between 9.8 GB and 16.4 GB, depending on the monthly cost of your plan).

Detailed Guide:

For Non-EU (International) Students
If you come from outside the European area (e.g. Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Albania, USA, Asia, etc.), Italian security regulations (Pisanu Law) are very strict.

- Strict identification: The only accepted document is your international passport. You cannot use your local ID card from your country. You do not have to wait for the physical issuance of the residence permit; it is enough to present the receipt (receipt) from the yellow kit deposited at the Post Office.
- Avoid online activation: The facial recognition and optical scanning algorithms in the ho. Mobile app frequently reject non-EU passports or consular visas, leading to the blocking of money and account. Go physically to a ho. Corner store/kiosk. An employee will scan your passport, manually enter your data and hand you a ready-to-activate card.
- The ho. Plan. Ciaho: Request this special offer for foreign residents. It usually costs around €8.99 - €9.99 per month and includes, in addition to unlimited minutes in Italy and dozens of GB, a package of 300 international minutes to landline and mobile networks in over 30 countries.
- Beware of Roaming when you go home: When you return to your home country (non-EU), the ho. Mobile card no longer has free internet. Standard consumption rates are extremely high (they can reach several euros per megabyte). In your home country you will have to deactivate the cellular data of your Italian SIM and use a local card or Wi-Fi networks.

Immediate steps upon arrival in Italy

1. Obtain the Codice Fiscale: Go to the Agenzia delle Entrate with your passport/visa. (Some universities offer direct assistance in the first few days or the code is already written on the consular visa).
2. Apply for a Permesso di Soggiorno (Non-EU only): Go to a Post Office (Poste Italiane) with a "Sportello Amico", fill out the kit and keep the receipt.
3. Purchase the SIM: EU students can do this online; Non-EU students should look for the nearest ho. Mobile physical sales point on the map of their university city.