The applicant submitted a request to the Tribunal of Rome to order Poste Italiane S.p.a. to proceed immediately with the activation of Postepay for him, as he is an asylum seeker in possession of a receipt attesting to the formalisation of the application for international protection as a recognition document constituting a provisional residence permit.

In fact, the Municipality of Rome has been granted the right to receive the Covid — 19 financial bonuses in order to deal with the economic and food emergency in which many Italian and foreign citizens found themselves due to the consequences of the pandemic. In order to speed up the process and secure the accreditation of the contribution, Poste Italiane and Roma Capitale had arranged for receipt of the cards at the address of residence by beneficiaries of a Postepay Card Roma Capitale, which, subject to activation, could be used to receive the bonus.

The applicant received the pre-paid e-card (Postepay Card Roma Capitale), where the recognised contribution had been paid but had unsuccessfully travelled several times to the post office counters in order to apply for the card to be activated. He was refused activation of the card on the basis that, in the absence of an identity document — the passport or identity card — it was not possible to activate the pre-paid card, despite the fact that she held a residence permit for asylum purposes.

The Tribunal of Rome allowed the application and recognised the applicant’s right to the payment and, therefore, the receipt of the COVID-19 bonus, an emergency measure which was designed to guarantee precisely the basic needs of Italian and foreign citizens most affected by the health emergency.