Driving licence in Italy – converting a foreign licence, registering your car, tolls and ZTL
Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →
Your foreign driving licence works in Italy for a while, but how long depends on where it was issued, and some cannot be converted at all. Here is what to do about your licence and your car, and what tolls, city driving zones and public transport cost.
Your driving licence in Italy is governed by the national Codice della strada (Highway Code), applied by the Motorizzazione Civile, the transport ministry's licensing offices. City driving is different: access zones and low-emission rules are set by each comune (municipality), so Milan and Rome work differently.
Check dates carefully. The transport ministry's list of convertible licences, updated on 24 August 2026, shows the Swiss agreement extended to 12 June 2031 and the Albanian one ended on 12 July 2026, with no renewal shown. Since 1 October 2025, Milan's Area B has banned Euro 3 petrol cars, and since 1 November 2025 Rome's low-emission zone has applied Monday to Saturday, 24 hours a day.
Can you drive in Italy on a foreign driving licence?
An EU or EEA licence counts as equivalent to an Italian one, though once resident you follow Italian rules on validity and medical checks. A non-EU licence works for one year after you take up residenza anagrafica (registered residence), if it is valid and you carry an International Driving Permit or an official Italian translation. Then you must convert it – possible only if your country has a reciprocity agreement with Italy – or take the Italian test.
| Your licence | You can drive on it | Then |
|---|---|---|
| EU/EEA, expiry date within EU limits | Until it expires | Convert at the Motorizzazione Civile (earlier is allowed) |
| EU/EEA, no expiry or over-long validity | For two years of residence | Convert |
| Non-EU, agreement country | For one year of residence, with a permit or translation | Convert without tests, within the window below |
| Non-EU, no agreement, such as the US and Canada | For one year of residence, with a permit or translation | Take the Italian test |
Source: the Highway Code and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT), read 23 September 2026.
The Highway Code currently sets a fine of €408 to €1,634 for driving on a non-EU licence without the permit or translation; amounts are updated periodically. Drive on it after your first year of residence and you are fined, and the licence is withdrawn for conversion – or returned to the issuing country if it cannot be converted.
Which countries' licences can be converted in Italy?
According to MIT, licences from these non-EU countries can be converted: Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, El Salvador, the Philippines, Japan, Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, North Macedonia, Morocco, Moldova, Monaco, the United Kingdom (including Gibraltar, Guernsey, the Isle of Man and Jersey), South Korea, San Marino, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine and Uruguay. The dates shown for El Salvador and Uruguay have passed. US and Canadian licences convert only for diplomatic staff. Your licence must be valid and obtained before you became resident.
| Country | Agreement (MIT, 24 August 2026) | Apply within |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Until 30 March 2028, extendable | 6 years of residence |
| Switzerland | Extended to 12 June 2031 | 4 years |
| Ukraine | Until 24 January 2027 | 4 years |
| Argentina | Listed | 4 years |
| Albania | Ended 12 July 2026, no renewal shown | Check with the Motorizzazione |
| Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Israel, Kosovo, Moldova, Morocco, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey | End dates between 2028 and 2030 | 6 years |
| Other agreement countries | Listed | After 6 years, conversion plus a re-examination (revisione) |
Source: MIT, read 23 September 2026.
Miss the 4- or 6-year window for the named countries and your application is rejected outright. A licence obtained by converting a non-convertible one cannot be converted.
Anna, an illustrative example, moves to Turin with a Brazilian licence. She can drive on it with an International Driving Permit for her first year of residence; to keep driving, she must then convert it, applying within six years of becoming resident.
How do you convert your licence?
Apply at a Motorizzazione Civile office, or start online on the Portale dell'Automobilista, the ministry's motoring portal.
| What you need | Details |
|---|---|
| Form | TT2112, at the office or online |
| Fees | €10.20 plus €32 stamp duty by PagoPA (tariff N003); other tariffs apply in Sicily, Valle d'Aosta, Trentino-Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia |
| Documents | Original licence, ID and codice fiscale (tax code) |
| Medical | EU licences: a certificate if expiring, expired, or with no or over-long validity. Non-EU: a fitness-test receipt under 3 months old (single doctor) or 6 months (medical board) |
| Translation | Official translation for some countries' licences |
Source: MIT, read 23 September 2026.
The Portale dell'Automobilista call centre answers on 800 23 23 23, free from landlines, or 06 45 77 59 27 from mobiles, Monday to Friday 8:00–21:00 and Saturday 8:00–14:00.
For three years after obtaining an A2, A, B1 or B licence, you may not exceed 100 km/h on motorways or 90 km/h on main extra-urban roads, and B holders may not drive cars above 75 kW/t unaccompanied by an instructor; ask the Motorizzazione whether this applies after conversion. The blood-alcohol limit is 0.5 g/l – zero for drivers under 21, new drivers and professionals.
Bringing your car to Italy
A car, motorbike or trailer registered abroad and owned by a new resident may be driven only if re-registered in Italy (immatricolazione) within three months of acquiring residence. Driving a car registered abroad that someone else owns? Carry the owner's signed, dated statement of how long you may use it; use beyond 30 days a year must be recorded in the public vehicle register's list of foreign vehicles (RVFE).
From outside the EU, your car can come in free of customs duty and VAT as removal goods if you lived outside the EU for at least 12 consecutive months, owned and used it there for at least six months and declare it within 12 months of establishing residence. For cars bought elsewhere in the EU, the ministry's Directorate-General for Motorisation set new registration instructions in Decree 581 of 17 December 2025.
Tolls, ZTL zones and public transport
Motorway tolls are charged by distance: the tariff per kilometre times the distance, plus 22 per cent VAT, rounded to 10 cents. According to Autostrade per l'Italia, a car (class A) pays €0.07869 per km on plain sections and €0.09315 on mountain sections of its network from 1 January 2026, VAT included. On most motorways you take a ticket at entry and pay at exit; open systems such as the A8 Milan–Lakes charge a fixed toll.
| City zone | When | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| Milan Area C (centre, camera gates) | Monday–Friday 7:30–19:30 | €7.50 a day; €3.00 for residents' vehicles from the 51st entry a year; €22.50 if paid late, up to the 7th day |
| Milan Area B (most of the city) | Monday–Friday 7:30–19:30, except holidays | Free for allowed vehicles; petrol cars up to Euro 3 and diesel up to Euro 5 banned; petrol Euro 4 and diesel Euro 6 A-B-C from 1 October 2028 |
| Rome Fascia Verde (low-emission zone) | Monday–Saturday, 24 hours, except weekday holidays | No entry or parking for petrol, LPG and methane cars up to Euro 2 or diesel up to Euro 3, residents included |
Source: the Comune di Milano and Roma Servizi per la Mobilità (Roma Capitale), read 23 September 2026.
In Rome, residents' ZTL and parking permits can be requested only online or by appointment since 2 February 2026 (Numero Unico 06 57003). Public transport is run locally, so fares differ by city. These are ATAC's 2026 fares in Rome.
| Rome ticket or pass | Price | Valid |
|---|---|---|
| BIT single ticket | €1.50 | 100 minutes |
| Roma 24h, 48h or 72h | €8.50, €15.00 or €22.00 | 24, 48 or 72 hours |
| Monthly personal pass | €35.00 | One month |
| Annual pass | €250.00 | 365 days |
| Annual pass, Rome residents aged 11–19 | €50 | 365 days from issue |
Source: ATAC (Roma Capitale transport company), read 23 September 2026.
What to do now
| Step | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Find your row in the licence table above | Before you register your residence |
| 2 | Carry an International Driving Permit or translation with a non-EU licence | Every time you drive |
| 3 | Apply to convert your licence at the Motorizzazione Civile | Within your first year of residence |
| 4 | Re-register a foreign-registered car you own | Within three months of taking up residence |
| 5 | Check ZTL and low-emission rules for your city and car | Before you drive into the centre |
Source: MIT, the Highway Code, the Comune di Milano and Roma Servizi per la Mobilità, read 23 September 2026.
Official sources
The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.
- Normattiva – Codice della strada (D.Lgs. 285/1992) art. 136-bis; MIT – Conversione patente estera · normattiva.it
- MIT – Conversione patente estera ( · mit.gov.it
- Normattiva – CdS art. 135 (text in force from 15-1-2021); MIT · normattiva.it
- MIT – Permesso internazionale di guida · mit.gov.it
- Normattiva – CdS art. 117 (text in force from 14-12-2024) · normattiva.it
- Normattiva – CdS art. 93-bis c. 1 · normattiva.it
- Portale dell'Automobilista (MIT) – news · ilportaledellautomobilista.it
- Portale dell'Automobilista (MIT) · ilportaledellautomobilista.it
- Comune di Milano – Area C; Area C tariffs PDF · comune.milano.it
- Comune di Milano – Area B; Area B calendario dei divieti ( · comune.milano.it
- Roma Servizi per la Mobilità (Roma Capitale agency) – ZTL Fascia Verde ( · romamobilita.it
- Roma Servizi per la Mobilità – ZTL · romamobilita.it
- ATAC (Roma Capitale transport company) – Biglietti e abbonamenti · atac.roma.it
- ATAC – Under 19 · atac.roma.it
Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.