PRESS RELEASE : Agreement reached between Italy and UK on exchange of driving licences without a test [December 2022]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 23 December 2022.
An agreement between Italy and the UK to allow the exchange of driving licences without the need to take a test has been signed today. Edward Llewellyn, the British Ambassador to Italy and Inigo Lambertini, the Italian Ambassador to the UK, met this morning to sign the agreement at the Italian Foreign Ministry in Rome.
The agreement will allow holders of driving licences issued in the United Kingdom, Crown Dependencies and Gibraltar, who live in Italy, to apply to exchange their driving licence for an Italian one*. The agreement also makes provision for exchange of expired licences [up to a period of 5 years/for up to 5 years after their date of expiry] as well as lost and stolen licences, subject to domestic procedures.
The British Ambassador to Italy, Ed Llewellyn, said today:
I am delighted to announce that, after intensive work between London and Rome over many months, an agreement has been reached with the Italian authorities which will enable a UK driving licence to be exchanged for an Italian one for UK licence holders living in Italy without having to take any exam, either written or practical. This is great news for British citizens and UK licence holders living in Italy.
This has been a complex negotiation. The agreement we have reached is the result of very close cooperation with our Italian colleagues, reflecting the close ties between our countries. I would like to thank the Italian Government, as well as my colleagues in London and at the British Embassy in Rome, for all they have done to deliver this agreement.
We are now working hard with the Italian Government to bring the agreement into effect as quickly as possible after ratification on both sides. In the meantime, we are making arrangements with the Italian authorities to ensure that UK licences will continue to be recognised beyond 31 December 2022 for a further 12 months.
