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Digital signature: what it really costs and when it's mandatory
A physical kit or a remote signature costs, on first purchase, between 39 and 79 euros plus VAT for three years, the standard duration offered by the main accredited providers. But the price is the second question. The first is whether you actually need one, because the confusion between SPID, a simple electronic signature and a qualified digital signature is the rule, not the exception.
What it is, and what it isn't
A digital signature is a qualified electronic signature: it carries the same legal value as a handwritten signature on paper (source: eIDAS Regulation, EU 910/2014, art. 25, and Italy's Digital Administration Code, Legislative Decree 82/2005, art. 21, checked on 6 August 2026). It shouldn't be confused with two other tools it often gets mixed up with in everyday language:
- SPID is a digital identity system, used to log into online services, not to sign a document. Several providers use it as a way to verify who you are when you request a digital signature, but it remains a step toward getting one, not its equivalent
- a simple electronic signature, a checkbox on a form, a password, a scanned attachment, carries weaker evidentiary value: in a dispute a judge assesses it freely case by case, while a digital signature carries full evidentiary weight
For a specific group of contracts, those listed under article 1350 of the Italian civil code (among others, deeds transferring ownership of real estate), article 21 of the Digital Administration Code requires precisely the qualified or digital form, on pain of nullity, if the document is drawn up digitally.
What it costs, provider by provider
Prices gathered directly from the official price lists of the main AgID-accredited certification authorities, checked on 6 August 2026:
| Provider | Product | First purchase | Renewal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poste Italiane | Remote Digital Signature | €45.75 VAT included | not listed separately |
| Aruba | CNS smart card, no reader | €39.90 + VAT | €39.90 + VAT |
| Aruba | Smart card kit with reader | €51.90 + VAT | €39.90 + VAT |
| Aruba | Remote OTP mobile signature | €45.90 + VAT | €45.90 + VAT |
| InfoCert | Smart card, reader excluded (€25 + VAT separately) | €39.00 + VAT | not listed separately |
| InfoCert | Remote signature | €49.00 + VAT, €79.00 + VAT with identity verification included | not listed separately |
| InfoCert | Business Key, USB stick | €69.00 + VAT | not listed separately |
| Namirial | Remote signature | €59.00 + VAT | not listed separately |
| Namirial | Pay-per-use signature | from €6.99 + VAT per single signature | not applicable |
Sources: aruba.it/listino-firma-digitale.aspx, infocert.it/firma-digitale and its subpages, namirial.it/shop, poste.it/firma-digitale-remota, all checked on 6 August 2026. Actalis, another accredited certification authority, doesn't publish a public price: its site directs you to a sales contact.
The trickiest gap isn't between different providers, but within the same one: InfoCert shows €49 plus VAT as the price of its remote signature on one page, and €79 plus VAT as "full activation" on another. The difference lies in identity verification, presented as included in one case and as a separate step in the other.
Identity verification is a step, not a footnote
To issue a qualified signature certificate, the certification authority first has to verify who you are: with SPID, with an electronic ID card, or with an operator-assisted video verification. Depending on the provider, this step is already included in the price of the kit or the remote signature, or added separately, as in InfoCert's case above. Before picking a provider based on the lowest price shown on the product page, it's worth checking what happens at the next step, not just the first number you see.
When it's legally required
- For contracts under article 1350 of the civil code (points 1-12, including deeds transferring ownership of real estate), if the document is drawn up digitally the qualified or digital form is required on pain of nullity (source: Digital Administration Code, art. 21, checked on 6 August 2026).
- For filing company financial statements, since 14 December 2021 the legal representative's digital signature has been mandatory on the financial statement documents; since 1 October 2024 a paper proxy is no longer accepted as an alternative, so whoever files personally needs their own signature (sources: Chamber of Commerce of Tuscany Nord-Ovest and Chamber of Commerce of Genoa, checked on 6 August 2026).
- For lawyers, filing civil procedural documents has been mandatorily digital and digitally signed since 30 June 2014 for proceedings before the tribunale; the rule is now set out in articles 196-quater and following of the implementing provisions of the civil procedure code, in force for proceedings started from 28 February 2023 (source: civil justice reform, Legislative Decree 149/2022, checked on 6 August 2026).
- For online filings with the Business Register, since 2022 Italy's Chambers of Commerce have gradually phased out the option of delegating a signature to an intermediary through a paper proxy: today, in most cases, whoever files a request has to sign it digitally in person, with some exceptions still allowed. The exact deadlines have shifted more than once depending on the type of filing and business, so it's worth checking the specific case with your local Chamber of Commerce rather than assuming a single cutoff date (sources: Chambers of Commerce of Genoa, Turin and Tuscany Nord-Ovest, checked on 6 August 2026).
Where to start
If your business doesn't fall into any of these cases, you probably don't need a digital signature right away. The moments when most SMEs buy one for the first time are exactly the ones above: setting up a company, filing a financial statement without going through an intermediary, or running into a Chamber of Commerce filing that no longer accepts a paper proxy.
If you want to work out what your business actually needs, not just on the digital signature but across your whole digital and administrative setup, it can be part of the digital check-up, alongside everything else. Otherwise write to me: a couple of lines on what kind of filings you deal with are enough to tell whether, and which type, you need.