Driving in Italy is often a necessity as many parts of the country, especially rural areas, lack adequate public transport services.
While EU nationals living in Italy can drive on their EU licence until it expires (after that, they have to convert it to an Italian one via a simple exchange procedure), non-EU nationals have one year from registering as a resident to obtain an Italian driving licence.
Italy has bilateral 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.
But if you’re originally from a non-EU country that doesn’t have a bilateral agreement with Italy (for instance, the US and Canada), you’ll need to take a driving test to get an Italian driving licence.
While the theory quiz is generally regarded as the most daunting part of Italy’s driving test – not least because it requires a significant amount of technical knowledge and cannot be taken in English – the road exam can also pose a series of challenges.
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Driving a manual car (macchina con cambio manuale), where you have to change gears yourself, after you’ve driven automatic transmission vehicles (macchine con cambio automatico) all your life can be one of them.
But can you only take Italy’s practical driving test if you drive a car with a manual gearbox?
According to Italian licensing laws, candidates are under no obligation to drive a manual vehicle to pass the road exam for Italy’s Patente B, which is the licence for cars and motorbikes up to 125cc.
Circular 28819-2019 states that the exam must be “carried out in a four-wheeled, B category vehicle capable of reaching a speed of at least 100 km/h” but this doesn’t “necessarily have to be equipped with a manual gearbox”.
That said, while it is possible to take the road exam in an automatic vehicle, this comes with a serious drawback.
Candidates that choose to drive automatic during the road test will have number ‘78’ written on the back of their Italian licence (this is in reference to the EU’s licence code 78).
This will prevent them from driving any manual vehicle, meaning they’ll only be able to drive an automatic car.
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By contrast, candidates that choose to take the exam in a manual car will be able to use their Italian licence to drive both manual and automatic vehicles.
Holders of a driving licence bearing code ‘78’ can remove the restriction by retaking the road exam in a manual car (meaning they won’t have to resit the theory quiz).
For more information on taking the Italian driving test, see the Automobile Club d’Italia (ACI) website or speak to your local Motorizzazione Civile office.
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