Disabled parking badges and ZTL: the CUDE platform and reporting your number plate

What the national CUDE platform is

The CUDE (contrassegno unificato disabili europeo) is the parking card issued by Italian councils, following the EU model in Recommendation 98/376/EC. The national platform that links it to number plates was set up by a ministerial decree of 5 July 2021 (Gazzetta Ufficiale, 2 August 2021), not in 2024. It sits in the Transport Ministry's national vehicle register and has been running since 23 May 2022, when a trial started in Verona and three other towns.

How it works: a connected city checks the plates its cameras record against the platform. If a plate is linked to a valid CUDE, no fine is issued and the holder has nothing to report. This only works between connected councils, and joining is still optional.

The official address is the Portale dell'Automobilista (ilportaledellautomobilista.it), which also maps the councils that have joined. The domain cude.it has nothing to do with the ministry: it is a parked page.

Who can register, and how many plates

Only holders of a CUDE issued by an Italian council can register. They apply, on the national form, to the council that issued the card, which enters the card number, its validity dates and the plates. The holder then receives an alphanumeric unique code.

• Two plates at most, only one active at a time; the second is a quick swap.
• The active plate is changed on the Portale dell'Automobilista, the IO app or the iPatente app, using an Italian digital identity (SPID, CIE or CNS).
• The car need not belong to the holder: the card is personal and not tied to a vehicle.

A card from another country: always report your plate

A card issued outside Italy cannot go on the platform: no Italian council can enter it, and managing it requires SPID, CIE or CNS. Your badge is still valid in Italy, but the city does not know your plate. You must report it to each city, including those connected to the platform. This is the main trap: a city being on the CUDE platform does nothing for a visitor from abroad.

A UK Blue Badge carries an extra risk: the UK government states that Italy accepts non-EU parking cards in some regions only. Ask the city before you rely on it. Always display the original card at the front of the vehicle, face up and clearly visible, and use it only when the holder is travelling in the car.

City by city: platform or local notice, and the deadline

Of the twenty cities on this site, only five are connected to the national platform: Parma since October 2023, Pisa since March 2024, Siena since August 2024, Bologna since September 2026, and Milan. The other fifteen, including Rome, Florence, Naples and Turin, require a local notice.

The most common deadline is 48 hours after you pass: eleven cities use it. The differences still matter. Pisa is the strictest, with 24 working hours on the freephone number 800 086 540, from 9 am to 6 pm. Rome and Reggio Emilia allow no time afterwards: the plate must be registered before you drive in. At the other end, Perugia gives 3 days, Treviso 5 days, Bergamo 120 hours and Palermo 15 days. Turin is the odd one out: you report after passing, within 10 days.

Do not rely on announcements: Turin appears on the platform's list without being connected, and Lecce announced it was joining in 2023, yet its April 2026 forms still require a notice within 48 hours. This site follows what each city actually applies.

Reporting your plate: the safe way

• Report before you drive in, even where a later deadline exists: a slip or a bank holiday weekend cannot always be put right.
• Keep a standard message ready: plate, copy of both sides of the card, the holder's ID. That is what Perugia asks for, and it is the basis elsewhere.
• A notice only covers the city that receives it: Florence, Pisa and Siena on the same day means three notices.
• Keep the acknowledgement or the email you sent: it is your proof if a fine arrives.
• Some cities register plates for longer stays: Florence up to two, free of charge (800 339891), Bergamo up to three.

Where the badge does not help

The law allows driving and parking in ZTL and pedestrian areas where at least one category of public-service vehicle is admitted. An area closed to everyone stays closed: in Como, pedestrian areas are off limits even to badge holders, and in Siena on Palio day badge holders may only enter until 10 am. Bus lanes are open only if taxis may use them too.

Parking in reserved bays

Bays marked with the wheelchair symbol are yours with the card on display. In time-limited zones, the time limit does not apply. Since 2022 the Highway Code has also allowed CUDE holders to park free in pay-and-display bays (blue lines); the rule refers to the Italian card and does not expressly cover foreign ones, so check the sign on the meter or ask the operator. In pay or attended car parks, at least one space in 50 is reserved free of charge. Using reserved bays without the right costs 168 to 672 euros.

What is about to change

On 13 October 2026 the Council of Ministers gave preliminary approval to a new Highway Code. According to the ministry, every council will have to join the platform, or lose the right to fine by camera for ZTL entry and reserved parking. The text is not in force and has no start date: until then, the rules above apply.