Patente for foreigners in Italy: where to start

The Codice della strada says that the Italian patente is issued to those who are resident in Italy (art. 116). So the first question to ask yourself is: where am I resident?

By residence we mean registered residence (residenza anagrafica), that is, registration in the records of the municipality where you live. Almost the whole process depends on this piece of data: whether you can still use your foreign patente, whether you can convert it, or whether you have to take the exams in Italy.

In the next parts we look at the main cases, depending on the State that issued your patente.

There is an important simplification: patenti issued by the States of the European Union and the European Economic Area are treated as equivalent to the corresponding Italian patenti (Codice della strada, art. 136-bis). Equivalent means they count as Italian patenti of the same category.

If you take up residence in Italy, you can ask for recognition of your patente or for conversion into an Italian patente, without taking the exam. For the paperwork, contact the office of the Motorizzazione civile (the national authority that handles driving licences and vehicles) for your area.

Here the rule is stricter (Codice della strada, art. 135). With a valid patente from a State that is not part of the European Union or the European Economic Area, you can drive in Italy only if you have not been resident in Italy for more than a year.

But it is not enough to have the patente with you. Together with the patente you need:

• an international permit, that is, a document that accompanies the patente, or
• an official translation of the patente into Italian.

If you become resident in Italy, this possibility has a time limit: after a year of residence you can no longer drive with the foreign patente. The remaining options are conversion, if it is possible for your country, or the Italian exams.

If you have registered residence in Italy and a valid patente from a State outside the European Union and the European Economic Area, you can convert it into an Italian patente without an exam only on one condition: there must be a bilateral agreement between Italy and that State, on conditions of reciprocity (Codice della strada, art. 136). You must also meet the physical and mental fitness requirements.

Reciprocity means that recognition works in both directions: Italy recognises the patenti of that State and that State recognises Italian patenti.

Agreements do not exist with all countries and can change over time. To find out if your country has an agreement with Italy, ask the office of the Motorizzazione civile: there you find the up-to-date answer for your case.

If you cannot convert the patente, the way forward is to take the exams in Italy. For the theory there is a deadline to know (Codice della strada, art. 122): the theory exam must be passed within 6 months of the patente application, that is, the official request with which you start the process. In this period a maximum of 2 attempts are allowed.

So it is worth preparing well. Many people search online for theory quizzes for foreigners: what you really need is to practise with the Italian terminology of the road, because the exam takes place in Italian or, on request, in French or German. With the practice material from PatenteInTasca you find explanations in simple Italian and exam simulations.

For practical driving, the law requires lessons at a driving school: practice material does not replace them.

In the past, the theory exam for category A and B patenti could be taken in 7 foreign languages. With the circular of 21 December 2010 the Ministero (Ministry) removed this possibility: since 17 January 2011 you can ask for the exam in French or German throughout Italy, as well as in Italian.

If Italian is not your mother tongue, the advice is to study in Italian from the very beginning: this way you learn the words that appear often in the questions, such as right of way (precedenza), junction or carriageway (carreggiata). For your specific case and for how to apply, contact the office of the Motorizzazione civile.