CGS ITALIA

What CGS ITALIA does

CGS Italia S.R.L. is the Italian operating entity of an international group that specializes in the issuance of physical and digital identity cards for educational and corporate institutions. Headquartered in Bologna (Via Barberia 9) with a registered office in Milan, the company serves as the official Italian representative of ISIC (International Student Identity Card) and ITIC (International Teacher Identity Card) — both UNESCO-recognized brands operating in over 130 countries since 1953 — and is a key stakeholder in the European Student Card initiative alongside the European Union and Fondazione Endisu. The legal entity carries a €10,000 share capital, is led by Lilian Leclercq as legal representative, and operates as part of a tri-country group with affiliated entities GYSC in France and ISIC Spain.

The product portfolio centers on three flagship card programs — ISIC for students, ITIC for teachers, and European Student Cards — supplemented by customizable PVC physical cards in credit-card format (8.56 cm × 5.4 cm) and digital card variants distributed via iOS and Android applications. Technology integrations include RFID, barcode, and QR code functionality supporting access control, cafeteria, and library services. Card lifecycle management is handled through Isiportal, an online platform that lets institutional partners independently issue, renew, and monitor their card populations. Underlying infrastructure spans 30 industrial printers across the group and a combined production capacity of 500,000 cards annually across the three European locations.

CGS Italia operates a multi-stream revenue model: one-time fees for physical card issuance, recurring subscriptions for digital card services and the Isiportal platform, and licensing/royalty arrangements tied to ISIC, ITIC, and European Student Card distribution. Pricing is quote-based with multi-year contracts, and customer acquisition occurs primarily through direct enterprise sales to Italian educational institutions supplemented by the global ISIC/ITIC channel network. The company reports more than 400 institutional customers across Europe and provides access to a network of over 150,000 discounts and benefits for ISIC holders worldwide.

Name

CGS ITALIA

Legal name

CGS Italia S.R.L.

Website

https://cgs-italia.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CGS Italia S.R.L. is the official Italian representative of UNESCO-recognized ISIC and ITIC card brands, issuing customized physical PVC and digital ID cards for universities, schools, and corporate clients across Italy, France, and Spain.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Identity Card Services

akta.pro primary industry

Travel Documentation Support (Non-Visa: Passports, ISIC, Notarization) (EDAIANAM)

Keywords

• Student identity cards
• Teacher identity cards
• Digital card issuance
• Educational credential cards
• Card management platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Bologna

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Physical Card Issuance: CGS Italia designs, prints, and delivers physical PVC cards (credit card format 8.56cm x 5.4cm) with full customization including offset printing, color and black-and-white options, and lamination for protection. Cards can integrate RFID, barcodes, and QR codes for various services.
2. Digital Card Services: Digital version of physical cards with the same graphical characteristics, accessible via mobile application for iOS and Android platforms.
3. ISIC and ITIC Card Licensing: As official ISIC and ITIC representatives for Italy, the company issues internationally recognized student and teacher identity cards providing discounts and benefits in over 130 countries.
4. European Student Card: Integration of European Student Card elements facilitating international student mobility within EU member states, in collaboration with the European Union and Fondazione Endisu.
5. Isiportal Platform Subscription: Online portal services for card management, monitoring, and lifecycle administration provided to institutional partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CGS Italia designs, customizes, produces, and issues physical PVC and digital ID cards and badge systems primarily for educational and corporate institutions across Europe. As the official Italian representative of ISIC and ITIC brands recognized by UNESCO, and a stakeholder in the European Student Card initiative with the EU and Fondazione Endisu, the company issues internationally recognized student and teacher identity cards. It also operates Isiportal, an online platform for managing the full lifecycle of cards (issuance, renewal, monitoring), and supports integrations such as RFID, barcode, and QR code for access control, cafeteria, and library services.

Product overview

CGS ITALIA is a company specializing in the issuance of physical and digital cards for schools, universities, and companies. As official representative of ISIC and ITIC brands in Italy and stakeholder in the European Student Card initiative, the company offers a portfolio centered on identity cards (ISIC for students, ITIC for teachers, and the European Student Card), card management technology (Isiportal online platform), and customizable card solutions. Cards are available in physical PVC format with optional technology integrations (RFID, barcode, QR codes) or digital format compatible with Android and iOS. The company also offers card lifecycle management services through its online portal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ISIC: International Student Identity Card - the only internationally recognized student ID card endorsed by UNESCO since 1953, present in over 130 countries worldwide with over 5 million holders.
• ITIC
• European Student Card
• Isiportal

Products and services

• ISIC (International Student Identity Card)
• ITIC (International Teacher Identity Card)
• European Student Card
• Physical Cards (Carte fisiche)
• Digital Cards (Carte digitali)
• Isiportal
• Carta CEM (Apprentice Card)
• Custom Cards (Carte su misura)

Quantifiable outcome

• 5 million ISIC card holders worldwide
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers25 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• European UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCGS Italia is a key stakeholder in the European Student Card project in collaboration with the European Union, facilitating student mobility between educational institutions in EU member states.
• Fondazione EndisucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCGS Italia collaborates with Fondazione Endisu on the European Student Card project to promote international student mobility within the European Union.
• UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISIC and ITIC cards are recognized by UNESCO as the international standard for student and teacher identity verification.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Entrust: Provider of identity credential issuance software and hardware (Datacard card printers), commonly used by universities and enterprises. Comparable on the physical card issuance/printing technology side, although their focus is broader enterprise/government ID programs.
• HID Global: Global secure identity solutions provider producing physical and digital ID credentials (including student/education badges) at enterprise scale. Broader security/identity portfolio than CGS Italia but overlaps on card printing, RFID integration, and issuance platforms.
• ISIC Association (Global): The global, UNESCO-recognised ISIC organisation that licenses national ISIC issuers like CGS Italia across 130+ countries. Serves as the upstream licensor/incumbent authority on the international student identity standard.
• IDEMIA: Major global provider of secure identity documents and credential technologies, including education-sector ID programs. Overlaps with CGS Italia on physical PVC card manufacturing and RFID/secure credentialing capabilities.
• Transact Campus: US-focused provider of campus card systems (meal plans, debit, door access) for universities. Comparable in addressing university credentialing and payment needs, but broader payment focus and larger scale than CGS Italia's student-ID-only offering.
• CBORD: Long-established US campus card and ID systems provider for higher education institutions. Similar role supporting university credentialing, food service and access control, although focused on North American universities.

Direct peers

• ISIC Spain: Sister ISIC representative entity for Spain, part of the same group as CGS Italia. Same card issuance business, same ISIC/ITIC licensing model, and same European Student Card stakeholder role across Iberia.
• GYSC (France): Sister company in France operating the same ISIC/ITIC student and teacher card issuance model. Directly comparable business, same products (physical/digital ISIC, ITIC, European Student Card), same target segment, and joint brand mention on cgs-italia.it.

Others

• NXP Semiconductors: Major supplier of secure RFID/NFC chips and contact-less card technology embedded in student IDs. Enabling technology provider rather than direct competitor, but its platform decisions shape the standards CGS Italia must support in physical cards.
• Ellucian: Largest SIS (student information system) provider for higher education institutions globally. Adjacent rather than competitive: Ellucian integrates and could potentially displace CGS Italia's Isiportal by bundling student credential management into core SIS workflows.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cgs-italia

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CGS ITALIA