Guide
How to read and decode a codice fiscale
By Codice Fiscale Pro Team · Published on
How do you read a codice fiscale character by character?
Read it in groups, always in the same order. Take BRWJHN85S03Z404I.
| Positions | Group | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | BRW | Letters from the surname |
| 4-6 | JHN | Letters from the first name |
| 7-8 | 85 | Birth year: 85 |
| 9 | S | Month: November |
| 10-11 | 03 | Day 3, male |
| 12-15 | Z404 | Place of birth: United States |
| 16 | I | Check letter |
How do you work out the date of birth and sex?
Use positions 7 to 11. The first two digits are the year, the letter is the month and the last two digits the day. If the day number is above 40 the person is a woman and the real day is the number minus 40. Example: 92D54 in SMTMLY92D54Z114B means 1992, April, day 54 minus 40 equals 14, female.
How do you find the place of birth?
Positions 12 to 15 hold the Belfiore code. A letter followed by three digits is an Italian municipality, for example F205 for Milan. A code starting with Z is a foreign country, for example Z404 for the United States or Z114 for the United Kingdom. Look it up with our decoder or read the guide on the Belfiore code.
What can you tell from the first six letters?
They are consonants and vowels picked by a fixed rule, so several surnames or first names give the same letters. RSS fits Rossi, Rosso and Ross. MRA fits Mario, Mauro and Maria. You can form guesses from the six letters, but you cannot recover the name or the surname.
How do you recognise an omocodia code?
In a code without omocodia, positions 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14 and 15 are digits. If one of them holds a letter from L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, the code is an omocodia variant. The original digit follows the mapping L = 0, M = 1, N = 2, P = 3, Q = 4, R = 5, S = 6, T = 7, U = 8, V = 9. See what is omocodia.
What can you not read from a codice fiscale?
You cannot read the full name, the century of birth, or whether the code was really assigned to a person. The first two come from the way the code is built; for the last one you need the official verification.
Sources
- Pmi.it (in Italian): structure of the 16 characters.
- Money.it (in Italian): reading the code and omocodia.
Frequently asked questions
How can I tell whether a codice fiscale belongs to a man or a woman?
Look at positions 10 and 11. A number from 01 to 31 means a man, a number from 41 to 71 means a woman, and the day of birth is the number minus 40.
Which letter stands for the month?
Position 9: A January, B February, C March, D April, E May, H June, L July, M August, P September, R October, S November, T December.
Why does my code have letters where I expect digits?
This points to omocodia. One or more of the seven digits after the first six letters are replaced by letters from L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, which stand for the digits 0 to 9.
Can I read the full year of birth?
The code only holds the last two digits. A code with 85 can belong to someone born in 1985 or in 1885, so you pick the plausible date.
Related guides
- How the Codice Fiscale Is Calculated | Codice Fiscale Pro: The rules for surname, first name, date, place and check letter, with worked examples.
- Reverse Codice Fiscale: What a Code Can Tell You | Codice Fiscale Pro: Which data a code reveals and why the name and surname cannot be recovered.
- What Is Omocodia in the Codice Fiscale? | Codice Fiscale Pro: Why two people can share a code and how its digits change into letters.
- Belfiore Code: What It Is and How to Find It | Codice Fiscale Pro: The place-of-birth code for municipalities and countries, with real examples.