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BREXIT

LATEST: UK confirms Italian driving licence exchanges start on Thursday

The British Embassy in Rome has announced that UK licence holders living in Italy can begin the process of swapping their licences without taking a test from Thursday, March 30th.

Published: 27 March 2023 14:14 CEST
LATEST: UK confirms Italian driving licence exchanges start on Thursday
The UK is now one of a small number of countries which has a driving licence exchange deal with Italy. Photo: Damien MEYER / AFP

The British Embassy in Rome gave a long-awaited update on Monday about a deal allowing British nationals resident in Italy who hold UK-issued driving licences to swap for an Italian licence without retaking their test.

“We are very pleased to announce that the UK-IT Agreement on the exchange of driving licences for British citizens and UK licence holders living in Italy will enter into force on 30 March 2023,” the Embassy wrote in Facebook and Twitter posts.

“Once this happens, you will be able to start booking an appointment to exchange your licence with your local Motorizzazione Office.”

A long-negotiated UK-Italian deal reached at the end of December 2022 will allow holders of UK driving licences to obtain an Italian licence without retaking their test – as many feared would be the case following Brexit.

Details of the exchange process and the date from which it would be possible to apply were not immediately available after the agreement was signed in December.

READ ALSO: Who needs to exchange their driving licence for an Italian one?

On Monday, the Embassy said: “In order to exchange your licence, you will need to bring the right documentation” to an exchange appointment at the motorizzazione office.

The Embassy shared the list of documents on the Italian Transport Ministry’s website, which you can find here.

“Please also check directly with your local Motorizzazione Office for further enquiries relating to your exchange,” the Embassy said.

A list of contact details for Italy’s regional motorizzazione offices can be found here.

Only a handful of countries have agreements with Italy that allow a straight swap of driving licences. 

Most countries, including the US, Canada and Australia, do not have such deals in place meaning holders of licences from those countries must retake their driving test in Italian in order to get an Italian licence – a requirement after one year of Italian residency.

For more details on how the UK-Italy agreement will apply to your right to drive in Italy, see the British Government’s Living in Italy website here.

Find The Local’s latest Brexit-related news updates for UK nationals in Italy here.

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BREXIT

Will Brits in Italy face travel problems under new EES passport system?

The EU's new Entry & Exit System (EES) of enhanced passport controls is due to come into force later this year, but will this create more headaches for non-EU nationals who need to prove their Italian residency rights?

Published: 30 April 2024 16:36 CEST
Will Brits in Italy face travel problems under new EES passport system?

Currently scheduled to start in autumn 2024 (unless it’s delayed again, which is possible) the EU’s new Entry & Exit System is an enhanced passport check at external EU borders.

You can find a full explanation of the new system and what it means for travellers HERE.

Those crossing an external EU or Schengen border for the first time will be required to complete EES ‘pre-registration’ formalities, including facial scan and fingerprinting.

Several groups are exempt from EES, and one of them is non-EU nationals who have a residency permit or long-stay visa for an EU country.

A European Commission spokesman told The Local: “Non-EU citizens residing in the EU are not in the scope of the EES and will not be subject to pre-enrollment of data in the EES via self-service systems. The use of automation remains under the responsibility of the Member States and its availability in border crossing points is not mandatory.

“When crossing the borders, holders of EU residence permits should be able to present to the border authorities their valid travel documents and residence permits.”

READ ALSO: What will EES passport system mean for foreigners living in Europe?

But there have understandably been questions about how this exemption will work in practice.

Most airports, ports or terminals have two passport queues – EU and non-EU. It remains unclear whether the non-EU queue will now have a separate section for those who are exempt from EES.

It appears that exempt groups will not be able to use the automated passport scanners – since those cannot scan additional documents like residency permits – but should instead use manned passport booths.

What does this mean for travel between Italy and the UK?

It seems that nothing will therefore change for those who already have to show their Italian residency documents along with their passport when travelling to and from the UK (or another non-EU country) in order to avoid having their passport incorrectly stamped.

UK citizens who were legally resident in Italy before the end of the Brexit transition period are in a somewhat unusual position, as Italy is one of a handful of “declaratory” countries in the EU where getting a post-Brexit residency card (Italy’s is known as the ‘carta di soggiorno‘) was optional, rather than compulsory.

The British government has long recommended that British nationals who were resident in Italy before Brexit should obtain the card as it’s the easiest way to prove residency rights and avoid delays at the border.

In practice, many of Italy’s British residents have since found that the post-Brexit residency card is also necessary in order to complete various bureaucratic procedures within Italy.

READ ALSO: EES: Could the launch of Europe’s new border system be delayed again?

But will the EES system mean that the card now becomes a de facto requirement when travelling between Italy and the UK?

The British government has not issued any updated guidance on the matter in light of the introduction of EES, and the British Embassy in Rome did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Local.

Although EES does not change any rules relating to residency or travel, it seems likely that it will be more hassle to travel without a ‘carta di soggiorno’ than it is now.

As always, our advice is that getting the card, if you haven’t already, will probably save you a considerable amount of time and trouble, both within Italy and when travelling.

You can find our full Q&A on EES HERE.

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