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DRIVING

Italy confirms UK driving licences remain valid in 2022

British residents of Italy who haven't converted their licence to an Italian one can continue using their UK licences until the end of 2022, Italy’s government has confirmed.

Published: 17 January 2022 13:01 CET
British residents of Italy can use their driving licences until the end of this year, the government has confirmed.
Photo by PACO SERINELLI / AFP

The extension was formalised in a decree issued by the Italian government on December 30th.

It entitles “holders of driving licences issued by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland resident in Italy at the date of entry into force of this decree” to drive on Italian national territory “until December 31, 2022”.

After Britain left the EU at the end of 2020, UK licence holders living in the country were granted a 12-month grace period in which they could continue to use their British licence in Italy, which, before the extension, had been due to end on December 31st, 2021.

The British embassy in Rome first announced the news of the extension via its social media accounts on Christmas Eve, but at the time no official statement was released by either country.

READ ALSO: BREXIT: Italy extends UK driving licence use to end of 2022

On Friday the British government updated its guidance on its ‘Living in Italy’ webpage to reflect the changes.

“If you were resident in Italy before 1 January 2022 you can use your valid UK licence until 31 December 2022,” the guidance reads; however, “you must exchange your licence for an Italian one by 31 December 2022. You will need to take a driving test (in Italian).”

For those who became resident in Italy on or after 1 January 2022, “You can use your valid UK licence for 1 year from the date you became a resident. You will need to take a driving test (in Italian) to exchange your UK licence for an Italian one,” the webpage says.

While the news comes as a relief for UK licence holders who had feared their licences would become invalid in Italy on December 31st, the extension merely postpones the deadline by which British drivers must obtain an Italian licence.

After December 31st, 2022, if no long-term reciprocal agreement is reached, residents in Italy will still have to take a test to exchange their UK licence for an Italian patente di guida (driving licence), and UK authorities are now urging people to consider starting this process.

The British Embassy posted an update on its Facebook page which reads: “The UK is determined on reaching a long-term agreement with Italy so that residents can exchange their UK driving licences without taking a test.”

“In the meantime UK license holders will need to take a test to exchange their UK licence for a local one. It is important that you consider all your options, which may include looking into booking a driving test now.”

Most other EU countries have already announced reciprocal agreements with the UK, allowing driving licences to be exchanged without the need for a test, but there’s still no arrangement confirmed with Italy.

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.

The rules apply to UK nationals who are resident in Italy. People visiting Italy for short periods can continue to drive on a UK licence.

 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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DRIVING

Why Italian drivers are swapping their plates for Polish ones

If you’ve noticed more vehicles in Italy with a Polish licence plate, it may not be down to road trippers from eastern Europe.

Published: 3 May 2024 15:39 CEST
Why Italian drivers are swapping their plates for Polish ones

Foreign licence plates aren’t exactly a rare sight in Italy, but should you happen to see one or more cars with Polish licence plates in the country it may not be down to a wave of road trippers from eastern Europe. 

According to a recent report from public broadcaster Rai’s news programme Far West, a growing number of motorists in Italy are swapping their Italian plates with Polish ones, with the trend being particularly widespread in Naples, where some 35,000 vehicles have a foreign targa (that’s over 65 percent of the total number of foreign-plate vehicles in Italy).

But as Italian media have already dubbed Campania’s capital “Warsaw’s outskirts”, exactly what is behind the trend?

The surge in Polish-registered vehicles is reportedly down to an emerging insurance evasion tactic which sees motorists dodge Italy’s steep insurance costs by having their car or motorcycle registered in another EU country, with Poland being the most popular choice. 

According to data from Italy’s insurance supervisory authority IVASS, insurance costs in Italy have risen by some 7.6 percent over the past year, with Italian motorists currently paying 27 percent more than the average EU resident to insure their vehicle. 

And while a large number of Italians are not paying for insurance at all  – an estimated 2.6 million vehicles are currently circulating in the country without the mandatory RC (Responsabilita’ Civile) coverage – many have seemingly opted to outsource insurance to lower their yearly bill.

READ ALSO: How to pay Italian traffic fines from abroad

According to a report from Il Corriere della Sera, an increasing number of motorists are removing their cars from Italy’s Public Register of Motor Vehicles (PRA) and selling them to Poland-based rental companies only to then have them leased back to them as part of standard car lease agreements. 

This can lead to significant savings. For instance, while overall insurance costs for a scooter may exceed 1,500 euros a year in some parts of Italy, insurance on a scooter leased from Poland generally costs between 600 and 800 euros for the first year and from 300 to 350 euros a year for the following years.

But, while the tactic may be legal – as of March 2022 Italian residents can legally drive vehicles registered elsewhere in the EU as long as they’re not the owners and meet a number of conditions – it may potentially result in serious consequences further down the line, especially in the event of accidents.

READ ALSO: How can you lose your driving licence in Italy?

Insurance broker Salvatore Vitagliano told TV programme Far West that “it may take months if not years” for someone driving a vehicle with foreign insurance to receive compensation following an accident.

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