Foreign driving licences are valid for driving throughout Italy.
If you are resident in Italy, you must convert your driving licence (European or non-European) within one year of becoming resident, after this period, in the event of an investigation, you will be subject to administrative penalties, so it is preferable to respect the time limits set by law to convert your driving licence.
Driving licence conversions are possible thanks to agreements that are established between the various countries. For countries belonging to the European Community the regulations are the
same. For non-EU countries there may be changes and it’s always advisable to check each time.
EUROPE - EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA
Licences issued by the following countries can be converted into Italian driving licences with ease:
- AUSTRIA
- BELGIUM
- BULGARIA
- CYPRUS
- CROATIA
- DENMARK
- ESTONIA
- FINLAND
- FRANCE
- GERMANY
- GREECE
- IRELAND
- ICELAND
- LATVIA
- LIECHTENSTEIN
- LITHUANIA
- LUXEMBOURG
- MALTA
- NORWAY
- NETHERLANDS
- POLAND
- PORTUGAL
- CZECH REPUBLIC
- SLOVAK REPUBLIC
- ROMANIA
- SLOVENIA
- SPAIN
- SWEDEN
- HUNGARY
NON-EU STATES
- ALBANIA (valid until 12/07/2026)
- ALGERIA
- ARGENTINA
- BRAZIL (valid until 13/01/2023)
- EL SALVADOR (valid until 13/08/2021)
- PHILIPPINES
- JAPAN
- LEBANON
- MACEDONIA
- MOROCCO
- MOLDOVA
- PRINCIPALITY OF MONACO
- REPUBLIC OF KOREA
- SRI LANKA (valid until 04/03/2022)
- SWITZERLAND (valid until 12/06/2026)
- TAIWAN
- TUNISIA
- TURKEY
In these states, licences may only be converted for certain categories of citizens:
- CANADA: diplomatic and consular staff
- CHILE: diplomats and their family members
- UNITED STATES: diplomatic and consular staff and their families
- ZAMBIA: nationals on government missions and members of their families
Necessary documents
The international driving licence can only be applied for in the home country, to obtain it it’s necessary to present a valid national driving licence to the apposite facility, it will then be
converted into an international driving licence.
The documents required to apply for the licence conversion are:
● Driving licence
● Identity document
● Tax code
● 3 ID card/passport photos
The original driving licence must be handed in at a car practice centre in order to obtain the new one, in the meantime, a provisional one is issued that allows driving. The time needed to obtain a new licence is approximately 2 months.
How to apply for an international driving license in Italy
If the licence cannot be converted, you must take the theoretical and practical examination again. The cost in Italy is approximately €500 plus the cost of driving lessons, which is approximately 30 € per lesson, the duration of each lesson is usually one hour.
The driving lessons focus on learning how to drive the car, they are specifically built to pass the practical test. During the practical test in addition to having good control and confidence while driving, you need to have other important skills in order to pass the exam, these range from knowing how to keep your hands on the steering wheel to handling driving in traffic, where you must act safely and quickly within the rules of the road.
Below you can find out how to get a driving license in Italy.
The international driving licence allows you to drive on Italian territory for a limited time period.
Each country has its own regulations, the validity of an international driving licence in Italy can vary from one year to three years. Once the period of validity of the international driving licence has expired, you are no longer allowed to drive in Italy until the licence has either been converte (if bilateral agreements between the countries allow it) or an Italian driving licence has been obtained.
