Certification process

To obtain recognition of your civil invalidity, disability, handicap, civil blindness or deafness status, you must file a first application according to the following procedure, but only if you meet the following requirements:

You must be permanently and habitually resident in Italy. This requirement applies to:

Italian citizens
EU citizens legally registered with the civil registry office (anagrafe) of the municipality in which they live (comune di residenza)
Non-EU citizens with a residence permit valid for at least one year (permesso di soggiorno)

You must be affected by a congenital or acquired physical, mental or sensory impairment, whether permanent, temporary or progressive, resulting in:

(if you are of working age) a permanent reduction in working capacity of 34% or more
(in the case of minors or over-65-year-olds) persistent difficulty in carrying out tasks and functions specific to their age

The disability rating (expressed as a percentage between 0% and 100%) is assessed on the basis of an official rating table (Ministerial Decree of 5 February 1992), which assigns a percentage to each condition.

Step by step procedure

Requesting a preliminary medical certificate

The first step in the application process is to ask your family doctor (the certificatore or certifying physician) for a preliminary medical certificate. If the doctor is accredited by INPS (National Social Security Institute or Istituto Nazionale della Previdenza Sociale), they can complete and send the certificate online. The certificate will specify:
●   your personal details
●   a description of your disabling conditions
●   any oncological diseases or conditions that exclude the need for a review
●   the need for a home visit, if you are unable to travel.

Once the certificate has been sent, the system will issue a receipt with an ID number, which the doctor will then give you. If you decide to file the request through an INPS-affiliated healthcare facility, you can contact any of the authorised doctors working there.

Submitting the application

After obtaining the preliminary medical certificate, you have 90 days to apply to INPS. You can do this in one of two ways:
● either online, through INPS website, simply by logging in with your credentials (SPID, CIE or CNS)
● through a patronato or other authorised organisation (e.g. ANMIC, ENS, UICI, ANFFAS).

If the applicant is a minor or person under legal guardianship, the application must be filed by a parent or guardian. When you complete the form, the certificate ID number will be automatically linked to your application.

You can request multiple status assessments with a single application for the following:
●   civil invalidity
●   civil blindness
●   civil deafness
●   handicap (Law 104/1992)
●   disability (Law 68/1999)

After you send the form, the system will send you a receipt with an ID number and date of filing.

Medical examination

After your application has been received, you will need to have a medical examination by a joint ASL-INPS medical board within 30 days. You may be accompanied at this examination by a family member or a doctor of your choice.
Cancer patients undergoing active treatment or with advanced-stage disease may be assessed on the basis of the medical documentation alone, without an in-person examination (Art. 29-ter, Law 120/2020).

If the medical board so requests, the examination will be scheduled within 15 days of the application and you will receive a letter containing the following information:
●   the date, time and place of the examination;
●   the required documents (valid ID and up-to-date medical documentation);
●   instructions in case of inability to attend.

If you are unable to attend, you must notify the board no later than three days before the appointment.
If you fail to attend without justification, a second appointment will be arranged. Any further absence without justification will result in your application being dismissed.
If you have serious health conditions that prevent you from travelling, you can request a home visit. In this case, the certifying doctor must submit a request at least five days before the scheduled outpatient examination date.

Outcome and report

After the examination, the medical board will prepare a provisional report and send it to INPS.
INPS may then:
●   confirm the report within 60 days
●   call you for a direct examination for further assessment, again within 60 days
●   tacitly confirm after 60 days without communication (tacit acceptance).
Once they’ve checked the report, you will receive either:
●   a full copy of the report, containing all your health data, or
●   a summary copy for admin purposes.

The report may also contain a review date, if the recognised conditions are subject to change. If so, you won’t need to do anything. INPS will contact you directly when the time comes for the review.

Please note that from 30 September 2025 to 31 December 2026, INPS will be implementing the second trial phase of the Disability Reform Law (Legislative Decree No. 62/2024), which will also involve the province of Lecce.
From 30 September 2025, residents of the province of Lecce must initiate the procedure for assessing disability status exclusively by transmitting the new “introductory medical certificate” (certificate medico introduttivo) online to INPS via certifying doctors.
INPS will then handle the entire process, from the paperwork to the final assessment.
To find out more and see any updates, click on the following link

From 1 January 2027 onwards, INPS alone will be responsible for all assessments, taking over from the local health authorities.

Review process

If a review is needed to check if you still meet the health requirements, you will keep all your rights (financial benefits, services and work adjustments) even after the report expires, until a new assessment is carried out.
About three months before the review date, INPS will send you a letter asking you to upload any updated documents regarding your health to the portal. The medical board may decide to write a new report based on the documents received, or they may ask you to come in for a medical evaluation.

You must therefore show recent documents from public or approved private health facilities that clearly say if your medical condition has stayed the same or changed.

If your condition worsens

You are entitled to file a new application if your health gets much worse, to reflect your changed health circumstances.

This involves:
1. obtaining a new introductory medical certificate, clearly saying that your condition has worsened.
2. Submitting a new application to INPS, according to the same procedure as the first time.

The board will then evaluate your worsened condition and whether this requires changing the previous decision (for example, if your disability rating is now higher or you are eligible for new support measures).

Types of assessment

Assessment	Description	Regulatory references
Civil invalidity	Reduced working capacity or difficulty in performing daily activities caused by physical, mental or sensory impairments, especially in the case of minors or elderly people	Law no 118 of 30 march 1971
Disability	Long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments, which may hinder daily activity performance and social integration in the presence of various barriers	Law no 18 of 3 march 2009 Levislative decree no 62 of 3 may 2024 Law no 68 of 12 march 1999
Handicap	A condition of social disadvantage caused by a physical, mental or sensory impairment that limits social, educational or occupational integration	Law no 104 of 5 february 1992
Blindness	Congenital or acquired blindness, with residual vision not exceeding one tenth in both eyes with possible correction, or a residual binocular visual field of less than 30%	Law no 138 of 3 april 2001
Deafness	Congenital or acquired deafness, during childhood (up to the age of 12), which prevented the normal learning of spoken language	Law no 381 of 26 may 1970