Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato

Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, commonly abbreviated IPZS, is Italy’s state-owned polygraphic institute and mint. Established in 1928 as the State Polygraphic Institute and later expanded through the incorporation of the mint section, it performs public-security and public-information functions that are closely connected to the Italian state. Its work includes the production of circulating and commemorative coins, postage stamps, official seals and marks, passports, electronic identity cards, residence permits, vehicle registration plates, tax stamps, pharmaceutical security labels, and protected designations-of-origin seals. It also prints and distributes official state publications, including the Gazzetta Ufficiale, and publishes books and other works through the Libreria dello Stato imprint. The institution is headquartered in Rome, where its principal mint, the Officina Carte Valori and traditional-production facilities, and multimedia-production operations are located. It also has production facilities in Verrès in the Aosta Valley and Foggia in Apulia. Although IPZS is primarily an Italian public-service institution, it has also supplied coins, stamps, identity-related products, or other official materials for the microstates of Vatican City and San Marino and for the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Italian banknotes are produced by the Bank of Italy rather than by IPZS. IPZS combines manufacturing, security technology, software, and information-management capabilities. Its identity-document activities extend beyond physical card and booklet production: the institute designs and operates parts of the infrastructure used for issuing, managing, and verifying electronic identity cards, electronic passports, and electronic residence permits. The Italian Electronic Identity Card, or CIE, supports both physical identification and digital authentication for public and private online services. IPZS developed the CIE ID application, enabling users to authenticate through the “Entra con CIE” system, and participated in the expansion of CIE issuance across Italian municipalities and, later, at selected diplomatic locations abroad. The institute also operates in anti-counterfeiting and traceability. Its products use specialized papers, inks, markings, data systems, and other security features to establish authenticity and traceability across sectors such as tobacco, pharmaceuticals, wine, and protected-origin goods. The National Coin Analysis Centre, established within the mint in 2001, examines suspected counterfeit or circulation-unfit coins and supports authentication procedures in Italy, San Marino, and Vatican City in the framework of European rules. In 2002, IPZS was converted into a società per azioni, or joint-stock company, while remaining wholly owned by the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance. This corporate structure gives the institution an operating framework distinct from a conventional government department, but its core activities remain tied to sovereign functions and public procurement. Alongside physical production, IPZS manages or supports digital legal-information services, including Normattiva, a publicly accessible database of Italian legislation, and the digital and print distribution of the Gazzetta Ufficiale. The brand’s positioning is therefore institutional rather than consumer-oriented. Its value proposition rests on state authority, security, authenticity, continuity, technical precision, and the ability to integrate physical documents with digital systems. Recent initiatives have also emphasized circular-economy design, renewable energy, sustainable procurement, worker safety, and technology-based protection of Italian products.

The institutional roots of IPZS lie in Italy’s modern minting system. King Victor Emmanuel III officially inaugurated the Italian mint on 27 December 1911 at premises on Rome’s Esquiline Hill in Via Principe Umberto. A related educational institution, the Scuola dell’Arte della Medaglia, had been founded by the king in 1907 at the former mint site. The school was designed to train artists and technicians in medal and coin design, engraving, and modelling. It remains a distinctive part of the Italian mint tradition because artistic and technical education takes place within a minting environment. In 1928, Italy created the Istituto Poligrafico dello Stato, or State Polygraphic Institute. Its remit covered official printing and the production of state materials, including publications, stamps, forms, seals, and other documents requiring government control. The institute subsequently developed a broad role in the material infrastructure of public administration. In 1978, it acquired the mint section and adopted the name Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, bringing official printing and coin production under one institution. The combined organization expanded its technical capabilities during the late twentieth century. In 1982, it became the first mint reported to manufacture bimetallic coins using a patented process. This reflected the institute’s dual identity: it was not only a producer of traditional state objects, but also a center for applied materials, engraving, printing, security engineering, and production research. IPZS’s responsibilities later broadened from physical objects to integrated identity and information systems. It became involved in designing and producing secure identity documents, including electronic identity cards, passports, and residence permits, as well as in operating software and administrative infrastructure associated with their issuance and verification. The Electronic Identity Card program developed into both a physical credential and a digital-access mechanism. Completion of municipal issuance-workstation deployment in 2018, the CIE ID application in 2019, and experimental issuance abroad marked successive stages in that development. The institute also established specialized anti-counterfeiting and authentication functions. The National Coin Analysis Centre was created within the mint in 2001 to examine suspected counterfeit coins and coins unsuitable for circulation. Its duties were subsequently aligned with European coin-authentication requirements, including testing, annual controls, and training for personnel involved in the process. The centre works with Italian authorities and relevant bodies serving San Marino and Vatican City and participates in European cooperation involving national coin-analysis centres, Europol, the European Central Bank, and OLAF-related technical structures. In 2002, IPZS became a società per azioni, an Italian joint-stock company, with the Ministry of Economy and Finance as its sole shareholder. The change introduced a corporate legal form while preserving complete state ownership and the institution’s public-service orientation. Its Rome operations include the mint, the Officina Carte Valori and traditional-production plant, and multimedia facilities. Additional factories operate in Verrès and Foggia. Alongside minting and secure printing, IPZS became an operator and publisher of public legal information. It supports the production and distribution of the Gazzetta Ufficiale in print and digital formats, manages the Normattiva service providing free access to consolidated Italian legislation, and publishes books and official works under the Libreria dello Stato imprint. Its output also includes materials for electoral administration and other public bodies. In the twenty-first century, IPZS has continued to combine sovereign manufacturing with digital technology and supply-chain traceability. Security labels for pharmaceuticals, tobacco products, wine, and protected-origin goods use specialized printing and authentication systems. Its sustainability agenda includes life-cycle assessment, circular-economy product design, sustainable procurement, renewable-energy generation, carbon-reduction measures, and behavior-based workplace safety. In 2024, its Made In Italy Innovation Challenge sought new combinations of digital and physical security. In 2025, the institute was announced as producer of medals for the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, extending its minting role into a major international sporting event.

• 2025

  Selected to produce 2026 Winter Games medals

  [1]Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Statoen.wikipedia.org

  IPZS was announced as the producer of medals for the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

• 2024

  Made In Italy Innovation Challenge held

  [1]Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Statoen.wikipedia.org

  IPZS and Codemotion organized a hackathon focused on authenticity and traceability technologies.

• 2019

  CIE ID application developed

  [1]Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Statoen.wikipedia.org

  IPZS developed the CIE ID application to support smartphone-based authentication with the Electronic Identity Card.

• 2018

  Electronic identity-card issuance infrastructure completed nationwide

  [1]Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Statoen.wikipedia.org

  Deployment of CIE issuance workstations to Italian municipalities was completed.

• 2002

  Converted into a wholly state-owned joint-stock company

  [1]Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Statoen.wikipedia.org

  IPZS adopted the società per azioni legal form, with the Ministry of Economy and Finance as sole shareholder.

• 2001

  National Coin Analysis Centre established

  [1]Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Statoen.wikipedia.org

  The mint created the CNAC to analyze suspected counterfeit and circulation-unfit coins.

• 1982

  Bimetallic coin production introduced

  [1]Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Statoen.wikipedia.org

  IPZS became the first mint reported to manufacture bimetallic coins through a patented process.

• 1978

  Mint section incorporated

  [1]Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Statoen.wikipedia.org

  The institute acquired the mint section and became the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato.

• 1928

  State Polygraphic Institute established

  [1]Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Statoen.wikipedia.org

  Italy established the Istituto Poligrafico dello Stato to manage official state printing and related production.

• 1911

  Italian mint officially inaugurated

  [1]Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Statoen.wikipedia.org

  The Italian mint was formally inaugurated in Rome on 27 December.

• 1907

  Scuola dell’Arte della Medaglia founded

  [1]Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Statoen.wikipedia.org

  Victor Emmanuel III founded the School of Medal Art to train artists in the engraving, modelling, and design skills used in coin and medal production.

A sovereign-security and public-information institution combining minting, secure printing, identity-document infrastructure, anti-counterfeiting technology, and official legal publishing.

• Minting

  Coins and medals

  IPZS manufactures Italian circulating and commemorative coins and produces medals. Its minting activities combine artistic design, engraving, metallurgy, quality control, and anti-counterfeiting features. The organization has also supplied official coinage and related products for selected microstates and other institutional customers. Its reported selection to produce medals for the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games reflects the continuing international profile of its minting capabilities.

• Identity documents

  Electronic Identity Card (CIE)

  The Carta d’Identità Elettronica is Italy’s electronic identity card, designed to establish a citizen’s physical identity and support secure digital authentication. IPZS participates in the design, production, issuance infrastructure, software, and verification ecosystem surrounding the document. Through the CIE ID application and the “Entra con CIE” service, holders can use the card to access participating public-administration and private online services, including services available within the European Union.

• Identity documents

  Passports and residence permits

  IPZS designs and manufactures secure identity documents such as electronic passports and electronic residence permits. Its role includes security printing, document personalization, anti-counterfeiting elements, and supporting software infrastructure used in issuance and verification. These documents are intended to protect the reliability of credentials for travel, residence, and access to public services.

• Secure printing

  Postage stamps and official marks

  The institute produces Italian postage stamps, state seals, official marks, and other controlled printed materials. These products combine graphic design with security and authentication requirements and serve as visible instruments of state authority and postal administration.

• Anti-counterfeiting

  Security labels and traceability systems

  IPZS produces pharmaceutical security seals, tobacco tax stamps, and seals used in wine and other protected-origin supply chains. Specialized printing processes and authentication features help establish product origin and support traceability throughout the product life cycle. These systems address public-health, tax-compliance, and consumer-protection objectives.

• Government publishing

  Gazzetta Ufficiale and official publications

  IPZS supports the computerized production, editing, printing, and distribution of the Gazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana in print and online formats. It also produces forms and publications for public administration, including materials used in electoral services, and publishes books and cultural works under the Libreria dello Stato imprint.

• Legal information services

  Normattiva

  Normattiva is a public online legal-information service managed with IPZS involvement. It provides free access to Italian legislation, including consolidated and multi-version texts dating from the establishment of the Italian state. The database is updated to reflect legislative amendments and is intended to improve public access to official legal information.

• Secure identification products

  Vehicle registration plates

  IPZS manufactures vehicle registration plates and related controlled identification products for Italy. Their production requires standardized formats, durable materials, serial control, and features designed to reduce counterfeiting and unauthorized substitution.

• 2024Made In Italy Innovation Challenge

  Italy

  IPZS partnered with Codemotion on a hackathon seeking technical approaches to protect the authenticity and traceability of Made in Italy products. Proposals were encouraged to combine digital technologies with physical security features.

  Outcome. The winning Checkmate project proposed a combination of blockchain, artificial intelligence, and physical security measures for product authentication and traceability.

  Source

• 2024

  Use of emerging technologies for product authenticityStrategy

  Background

  Counterfeit prevention and supply-chain traceability were identified as areas where physical security features could be strengthened by digital technologies.

  Action taken

  IPZS promoted the Made In Italy Innovation Challenge with Codemotion to solicit new technical solutions.

  Aftermath

  The Checkmate concept was selected as the winning project, combining blockchain, artificial intelligence, and physical security measures.

  Source

• 2018

  Expansion of integrated digital identity servicesStrategy

  Background

  Italy was expanding the Electronic Identity Card from a physical identity document into a credential usable for digital public services.

  Action taken

  IPZS completed the deployment of municipal issuance workstations and subsequently developed supporting digital authentication infrastructure.

  Aftermath

  The CIE became increasingly integrated with online authentication, including smartphone access through the CIE ID application.

  Source

• 2002

  Adoption of the società per azioni structureStrategy

  Background

  The state polygraphic and mint institution was reorganized under an Italian joint-stock-company structure.

  Action taken

  IPZS became a società per azioni while the Ministry of Economy and Finance retained 100 percent ownership.

  Aftermath

  The organization continued performing sovereign and public-service functions while operating under a corporate legal form.

  Source

1. 1Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Statoen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato official websiteipzs.it