Reader question: I didn’t swap my UK driving licence before the Brexit transition period ended and haven’t yet sat my Italian driving test. As there are just a few weeks of 2021 left, is there an update on whether Italy and the UK will agree a deal on recognising driving licences?
Since Britain left the EU at the end of 2020, British residents who hadn’t converted their UK licence to an Italian one were granted a 12-month grace period in which they could continue to use their British licence in Italy.
As those 12 months are up on 31st December 2021, readers are contacting The Local to ask if there have been any updates about an agreement being reached in the last few weeks of the year – and what it means if no accord is made.
Q&A: What is the British government doing to help Brits in Italy overcome post-Brexit hurdles?
While most other EU countries have already announced reciprocal agreements with the UK, allowing driving licences to be exchanged without the need for a test, there’s still no arrangement confirmed with Italy.
It means the clock is ticking for those who haven’t yet sat their Italian driving licence, as there is no guarantee that UK licences will be accepted from 1st January 2022.
A spokesperson for the UK government told The Local on Friday that negotiations are ongoing.
“We continue to negotiate long-term arrangements for UK driving licence holders with the Italian government. We have asked the Italian government for an extension to the December 31st 2021 deadline,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
The Local has asked for further details on a possible extension.
The Minister for European Neighbourhood and the Americas, Wendy Morton MP, told The Local in September that reaching an agreement on driving licences before the end of this year was “our absolute priority”.
“We absolutely are continuing to negotiate with the Italian government on the right to exchange a UK licence for an Italian one without the need to retake a driving test,” she confirmed.
The current advice on the UK government’s Living in Italy guide is that you can use your UK driving licence until December 31st 2021.
Extra time for those obtaining residency in 2021
However, some British citizens have a little more leeway, depending on when they got residency in Italy.
“If you moved to Italy after January 1st 2021, you can use your valid UK licence for 12 months from the date you became resident,” state the official guidelines.
Therefore, those who moved to Italy in 2021 and officially became a legal resident this year have 12 months from the date of residency. In theory, that means some UK nationals will have until the end of 2022 before needing to get an Italian driving licence.
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These were the rules before Brexit – the only difference now being that you may need to sit an Italian driving test after 12 months, whereas before Britain left the EU, you could exchange your permit without the need to take the Italian driving theory and practical exams from scratch.
As obtaining the patente di guida (driving licence) is known to be lengthy due to the technicality of the language required, there isn’t much time for those who haven’t yet started the process of sitting their Italian driving test.
On the other hand, if a deal is reached before the end of the year, people with UK driving licences could end up escaping the theory and practical tests, which have to be taken entirely in Italian.
If no agreement is reached by the end of 2021
So where does that leave you if you hadn’t started the conversion of your licence by December 2020 and no agreement is reached?
It looks likely that you would need to retake both the theory and practical tests and, from January 1st 2022, you wouldn’t be allowed to drive on Italy’s roads until you do.
The British ambassador Jill Morris stated on the British Chamber’s latest update, “Until an agreement is in place, you will need to take a test to exchange your valid UK licence.”
Residents in Italy will end up only having an Italian driving licence, as you can’t hold two licences at the same time – so you’ll surrender your UK one when you get your Italian patente.
The requirement only applies to UK licence holders who have their full-time residence in Italy. Tourists and second-home owners can continue to use their UK licence when they visit and do not need an International Driving Permit.
While residents with licences from other EU countries – formerly including the UK – can swap their documents without retaking a test, Italy does not exchange licences from most non-EU countries, including the United States, Canada, India, Australia, New Zealand and currently, the UK.
READ ALSO: ‘Anyone can do it’: Why passing your Italian driving test isn’t as difficult as it sounds
Reciprocal driving licence agreements are in place between Italy and around 20 non-EU countries, including Switzerland, Brazil, the Philippines and Turkey (full list here), which allow holders of these licences to swap their permits without a test
We will continue to post updates on this issue as soon as we get them. Find our latest Brexit-related news updates for UK nationals in Italy here.
Find more information on the UK government website’s Living in Italy section.
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Im thinking that if I do end up having to take a driving test in Italy from scratch – what legal basis will they have to take my UK license? If they cannot recognise its existence, how will they even know if I have one. It will certainly be more convenient for me to retain it.
I suspect this is a legacy statement based on not being allowed two EU licenses at once – something enforceable through EU law and reciprocity of member states. I believe you have to be UK resident to renew a UK license but it’s hard to see how, outside the EU, they can stop you having both, at least temporarily. If we have to go through the rigmarole of taking an Italian test, it would be a further slap in the face to have the UK rescind your UK license but we live in odd times.
I understand that they ask the UK to cancel your licence then they issue the Italian one.
Your Italian licence also has the number of your UK licence on it. I think we paid about 100 euros each and of course, you have to have a brief medical, which we had at the GP’s surgery – but some of the autoscuole have their own “medicals for licences” sessions.
We have the Italian Highway code book and the translation of the same. Its an absolute minefield for the simple reason that they ask completely non sensical questions almost designed to trip you up. The local Italians say its crazy and dont understand how we can have driven as a visitor for 40 years and then as a resident for 1 year with no “P” on the car and then are required to take a test. Surely the way to resolve is just say all Italians living in the UK will need to sit a UK test ? what is unfair about saying that ? Having seen the driving here and the death rates per 100,000 the Italians should wake up and realise they are being unreasonable. OK so we know that they are Piano Piano and red tape is their game but in the meantime surely an extension is not unreasonable whilst they get their pencil sharpened, hole re-inforcers and tippex sorted. (shows my age) – but its bonkers.
I bought the books and abandoned them straight away as being next-to-useless and an horrendous (in my darker moments I’d say ‘Italian’) way to learn. The app ‘QuizPatente!’ on Andriod though is excellent. I haven’t checked the iOS apps but there’s probably an equivalent. It’s entirely focussed on the questions and the theory directly relevant to them. When I started I was little better than 50% (basically a rhesus monkey) simply because the structure and technical nature of the questions makes it so difficult to understand or translate (Google is close to useless as things like ‘sostare’, ‘fermare’ and ‘arrestare’ mean very different things in Italian but are often translated as the same thing ‘park’ or ‘wait’ in English without the same specifcity) and much of the vocabulary is not everyday Italian. I’m not saying it’s easy but I did go from feeling exactly as you do now, to being very confident that I can pass the theory test even without being particularly proficient in everyday Italian. They are, strangely, very different skills. None of which means I want to have to pass the theory test, just that I no longer fear it as I used to.
There is another awful implication of getting an Italian license which is that you’ll have a ‘neo-patente’ which limits the power/weight ratio of vehicles you can drive for 12 months so you might be forced to drive a little run-around for that time. You’re also limited for 3 years to 100kph on the motorways and dual-carriageways and have double-points for any infractions.
Katie – My husband is an Italian citizen but holds a UK license, we are now resident in Italy. Will he still have to take a driving test to get a new license?