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Anyone organizing a trip abroad certainly has no intention of violating the laws, regulations and principles of the country they are visiting. Moreover, anyone who is not careful with the rules of driving in Italy may incur in hefty fines and loss of driving privileges, these surely are not nice souvenirs to take home.
The goal of our translation agency is to guarantee that your trip, temporary stay or move to Italy is exactly what it should be, pleasant and without any ugly surprises. We have already written an article on the translation of vaccination certificates necessary for flights abroad and on the translation of diplomas and degrees and the recognition of academic qualification in another country; in this article we will cover the translation of driving licences.
First, we will look at the possibilities for driving in Italy, the rules and requirements for sitting in the driver’s seat with no worries and driving on Italian roads.
Rules
Citizens of non-EU countries with a driving licence issued by other countries can freely drive in Italy if they have a sworn translation of their driving licence in Italian.
On the other hand, if you only have an Italian licence and want to drive in a country that is not part of the European Union, you must obtain a sworn translation of your driving licence in the language of the country you will be visiting (for more information visit the website of the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport).
Furthermore, if the holder of a driving licence issued by a non-EU country obtains residence, they can drive a vehicle in Italy for a year, starting from the day they obtained residence. After a year from the time residence is obtained, the non-EU citizen can continue to drive a vehicle in Italy only if they replace their driving licence with an Italian driving licence and if the old driving licence is surrendered (additional information is available here in Italian and English).
Practically, this means that if a foreign citizen does not officially register as a resident with the city offices the one-year limit is not applied.
If your driving licence was issued by an EU member country, you can drive without any problems with a sworn translation, and substituting the driving licence is not required even if you remain in Italy for longer than a year. The driving licence will need to be replaced after two years.
Fines
For driving with a foreign driving licence without a sworn translation, according to Italian road traffic regulations, a fine will be issued in an amount ranging from Euro 400 to 1600.
For driving with a foreign driving licence, a year after obtaining residence, fines are issued just like for people driving with an expired driving licence, i.e. the licence is withdrawn and a fine is issued in an amount ranging from Euro 168 and 674.
Although the English language is by now global, unfortunately even driving licences issued in countries with English as their official language must be accompanied by the mandatory Italian translation: without a translation the risk is a fine for driving without a licence.
Questions and answers
Who handles the translation of the driving licence?
Our translation agency handles the official translation of the documents in Italy. To obtain a sworn translation of the driving licence, it is not necessary for you to send us your original driving licence, by post for example. To carry out the official translation of the driving licence, sending a scanned image of each side or page of your document is all that is required (more information on the page “How It Works”). Additionally, we will take care of paying any necessary taxes and fees in your name.
How much time is required?
Regarding turn-around times, these depend on the court, since an appoint is required due to restrictions (we are in Ravenna, in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna). If the order is confirmed by you, we contact the court and ask for an appointment for sworn documents, once sworn the documents are completely and definitively ready and are immediately sent to you by express mail. Delivery times for Italy are 1-2 business days and for abroad, 1-3 weeks.
Is it necessary to bring the translation to a Consular Office or Notary?
The translations carried out by our agency are official documents ready for use and are to be submitted together with the original. No additional action for certification, registration or swearing at a notary, consular office or driver and vehicle licensing agency is necessary.
What is the cost?
The cost will be defined in a personalised quote for every document.
Get a Free Quote Now
Take a picture or scan your document and send it via WhatsApp to +39 324 842 3554, on Telegram or via e-mail to info@olexica.com. We shall examine it and send you our no obligation quote.
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Regarding an Italian Driver’s Licence: We are being told that, regardless of having a Massachusetts, USA Driver’s Licence for over 40 years, our Italian Licence will be a Junior Driver’s Licence limiting the car we can drive to 50 horse power, which would be a mini car. Please say that isn’t so!!
Dear Carman, with our translation of your driver’s license, you will be able to drive the same classes of vehicles as you do in the United States. Feel free to contact us, and our translation agency will gladly take care of that for you!