Everything changes and after many years also the "postal certain date" will soon no longer exist.
But what is this "certain date"?
It is an Italian only issue, so typical that foreigners open their eyes wide when they hear these words for the first time.
Until now it was enough to fold any document in two, leaving the top inside free, writing one’s own address, sticking a stamp, then going to a post office, requesting a postal date punch (for shipping as hand mail).
Simple and inexpensive.
Since April 1st, 2016 (and is not an April Fool!) this service of the Italian Post Office went into retirement.
From now on if you have a contract, an agreement, a statement or whatever similar and you need to give evidence that it was signed in a precise date - or at least not after a certain date, so that no one can dispute it, it must be notarized, with customary additional costs for fees. Alternatively you can request registration at the Revenue Agency, once accomplished payment of registration fee (normally 3% of the value).
However there are some alternatives, for example using the certified mail (PEC), which gives the “certain date” to its content or sticking the so-called time stamp on electronic documents, which can be used jointly with the digital signature.
But for all those people who do not know how to use a computer yet, and there are so many, it was certainly much more comfortable, easy and slightly romantic, the old “postal certain date”, unfortunately recently departed.
(April 22, 2016 - Avv. Roberto Nicolini)