Those born in 2007 with an ISEE of up to 35 thousand euros and students graduating with 100 or 100 cum laude can request them. All about requirements, allowed and prohibited expenses and how to apply online
Last call for thousands of young people. June 30, 2026 is the deadline to request the Youth Culture Charter and the Card of Meritthe two bonuses for eighteen year olds that can give up to thousand total euros to spend on books, concerts, cinemas, museums, training courses and other cultural activities. Those who meet the requirements and do not apply will no longer have time to receive the financial contribution. It’s the last year, then the Value Card will arrive.
Youth Culture Card and Merit Card: what they are and who can ask for them
There are two cards, each with a maximum value of 500 euroswhich in some cases can be cumulated, reach 1000 euros. There Youth Culture Charter it can be requested by young people born in 2007, resident in Italy and with a family ISEE not exceeding 35 thousand euros. The objective of the measure is to promote access to culture for families with medium-low incomes. There Card of Merit it is instead up to the students who graduated with 100 or 100 cum laude within the year of turning 19.
The two benefits are not alternatives but compatible. This means that a student graduating with 100 or 100 cum laude and belonging to a family with an ISEE of less than 35 thousand euros can benefit from the entire amount of one thousand euros.
The sums received do not contribute to the formation of taxable income and do not affect the calculation of the ISEE.
Youth Culture Card and Merit Card: how to apply by 30 June 2026
It’s all done online, in just a few steps. You need to log in to the official portal cartegiovani.cultura.gov.itusing your credentials SPID or the Electronic Identity Card (CIE). Once entered, the system automatically checks the requirements and for the Youth Culture Charter checks the ISEE data through the INPS databases. At that point a personal digital wallet is activated and the credit is immediately available. No waiting: the bonus is loaded immediately after registration and verification of the requirements. The IO App can also be used to manage the vouchers already created and spend them at participating merchants, but the initial activation must be carried out from the web portal.
What can you buy with the Culture Card and the Merit Card and how to do it
The two cards can only be used for cultural and educational expenses. They can be bought books and e-books; tickets for cinema, concerts, theater and shows; recorded music; entrance to museums, exhibitions and archaeological sites; visits to monuments and archaeological parks; music, theater and foreign language courses; musical instruments; subscriptions to newspapers, including digital ones; audiovisual publishing products; Music and cinema CDs and DVDs.
How do you use the money available? Coupons are generated on the portal to be used both in physical stores and online. After choosing the good or service to purchase, you need to create a voucher for the desired amount indicating whether the purchase will take place online or in a physical store. In stores, simply show the QR Code or the generated code at the checkout, while in online stores the code must be entered at the time of payment. The value of the voucher is deducted directly from the available credit. The vouchers can be used until 31 December 2026 at merchants participating in the initiative.
Prohibited purchases: what you cannot buy with the Culture Card and the Merit Card
However, video games cannot be purchased with the Culture Card and the Merit Card; subscriptions to audiovisual streaming platforms; video courses not provided for by law and products and services not attributable to the cultural purposes of the program. Before making a purchase it is therefore best to check that the merchant is accredited and that the goods are among the authorized ones.
The Value Card arrives in 2027: what changes
From next year, the Charter of Youth Culture and the Charter of Merit will be stopped. From 2027 comes the Value Cardwhich should unify the benefits system. The objective of the reform is to simplify procedures and broaden the range of beneficiaries, linking access to the achievement of the high school diploma. However, some central aspects remain to be defined, including the actual amount of the contribution and the resources available. It is not excluded that the value of the bonus may be revised compared to the current 500 euros for each card.
