| Italy: What To Do When Your Driving License Cannot Be Converted

18 Mar | Italy: What To Do When Your Driving License Cannot Be Converted

Italy has many reciprocal agreements with other countries where by you can convert your nationally issued driving license for an Italian one. However, many people that relocate to Italy come from countries that do not have this arrangement; therefore, in order to get an Italian driving license, they will need to take an Italian driving test. If this is your case, please read the following carefully.

1. You may drive on your national, non-convertible license for up to 1 year from the date in which you requested Italian residency. After which, it is highly advisable not to drive with this license if you wish to avoid legal issues.
2. The Italian driving test is only available in Italian – no interpreters are permitted, therefore in order to understand the questions, one would normally need an upper intermediate level of Italian. For this reason, if you plan to stay in Italy for a considerable amount of time, it would be extremely beneficial to take Italian lessons. An intensive course, especially at the beginning would be very useful.
3. It would also be a good idea to sign up with an Italian driving school as soon as possible in order to eliminate any bad habits that you may have picked up from driving for a long time since you took your original test. Some schools, especially in larger cities, may be able to provide tuition in English – however there is no guarantee that this is the case.
4. Once you feel comfortable enough to take the test in Italian, the driving school will coordinate this for you. Please note that driving schools are private businesses, so any lessons taken, or any assistance provided, will be billed.
5. If you would like any information on the Automobile Club of Italy, please visit www.aci.it