Driving in Italy is often a necessity as, barring large urban areas, many parts of the country have stripped-to-the-bone public transport, with just the occasional bus passing by once every hour. 

Foreign nationals visiting Italy face no major restrictions when it comes to driving foreign-registered vehicles in the country. 

Motorists who are not Italian residents can drive their foreign-registered cars or motorbikes for a maximum of one year, though they may need to get an International Driving Permit (IDP) to do so depending on their home country. 

But things are quite different for international residents wishing to bring their own wheels to Italy from abroad.

Though the Italian Highway Code (Codice della Strada) allows foreign nationals living in Italy to import their vehicles, this is subject to specific rules.    

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Under current laws, motorists driving foreign-registered vehicles have three months from the date they obtained residency to register them with Italian authorities – namely, the Italian motor vehicles office (Ufficio Motorizzazione Civile) and the public vehicle registry (Pubblico Registro Automobilistico, or PRA) – and swap their foreign plates (or targhe) with Italian ones.

(The time limit was originally set at two months, but was increased to three months under amendments to the Highway Code passed in 2022.) 

Residents caught driving foreign-registered vehicles after the three-month time window has closed face heavy penalties, which include fines of up to €1,600 and the immediate seizure of your vehicle registration certificate. 

Motorists are then given 30 days to register their vehicle with Italian authorities and swap their plates with Italian ones. 

If, following the 30-day window, the vehicle hasn’t been registered with Italy’s Motorizzazione Civile, law enforcement officers have the right to impound it (confisca).

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Anyone caught driving their foreign-registered vehicle during that 30-day window faces additional sanctions, including being permanently stripped of their licence (revoca della patente) in the most serious cases. 

How about my foreign licence?

If you’re an EU national living in Italy, you can drive on your EU licence until it expires. After that, you’ll have to convert it to an Italian one (this will be a simple exchange).

If you’re a non-EU national living in Italy, you have one year from the date of registering as a resident to obtain an Italian driving licence.

Italy has driving licence agreements with a number of non-EU countries (find a full list here), meaning that their nationals can swap their licence for an Italian one without having to take an Italian driving test.  

If you’re originally from a non-EU country that doesn’t have a bilateral agreement with Italy (for instance, the US), you’ll need to take a driving test to get an Italian driving licence. 

Following a post-Brexit agreement, UK driving licence holders can swap their licences for an Italian one without having to resit their test in Italy.

For more information on importing and registering a foreign-registered vehicle in Italy, see the Automobile Club d’Italia (ACI) website or speak to your local Motorizzazione Civile office.