Changing UK Driving Licence

Not sure if you all are aware but according to our man at the ACI and also the local Carabinieri, there have recently been changes in Residents driving on a UK Euro licence and Italian Law concerning this. Apparently now if you are a Resident, within 1 year you must change your UK Driving Licence over to an Italian one and this is now being enforced more regularly, which I found out to my cost after a heated exchange with our beloved Carabiniere. 
The ACI confirm that you now (since April this year) have to apply for an Italian Licence  after being a Resident (Official) in Italy. To comply you pay a visit to your local ACI office and let them know you wish to convert to a IT licence, they will start the paperwork and book you an appointment with their Doctor where you undergo an eye test and asked some medical questions (do not say you have problems with Heart or anything else else you will be forwarded to your Area Central Office where you undergo a full Medical and then have to have repeats every year.... deny everything as this is costly). Then you ring up the DVLA and ask for a  Certificate of Entitlement a D737 form them ask them to Fax it either to you (or someone with a FAX number) or the ACI office concerned. Hopefully after a few weeks or months your new Licence will arrive in your Post Box. 
As the Brexit malarky is likely to put big spanners in the works anyone who intends to stay here in Italy is defo advised to do this as the ACI bloke says UK licences may have a problem in the future due to Euro exit, though not sure how true this may be.
 

Very helpful Flip.  Thank you.

As I understand it currently anyone with an EU licence doesn't need to take an Italian driving test to get an Italian driving licence.  However if you're from outside the UE, such as USA, South Africa etc, you do.

So presumably, after Brexit rolls out, eventually you'll have to take an Italian driving test to get a licence here if you have a UK licence.

So it makes perfect sense to me, if you're resident here, to follow Flip's excellent advice and get an Italian driving licence (denying all physical disabilities as recommended!) asap.

Thanks Flip - though itwould be completely illegal for Italy to insist on this, as a UK European licence is as valid as any other European licence - and even though all the carabinieri who stop me haven't quite understood that the UK was/is in Europe, they cant make rules for one European country and not another.   As the DVLA and the ACI are linked by a piece of string, it seems strange to me - though i have no doubt you are absolutely right...

I think Modi, it is probably more connected to a 'Valid Address' being shown on the Licence, as the 'Up Himself' Carabiniere told me that if you were resident in Italy, how could you have a valid UK address. He has a point I suppose, but when you're looking down the barrel of a submachine gun, one sometimes feels disinclined to argue the point, also I trust the guy in the ACI as he has been very helpful and shown us the alleged statute online (didn't understand a word though), but like most things in Italy it's all down to interpretation.

I can see the logic but not the law!

modicasa wrote:I can see the logic but not the law!

Since when has that bothered the Italians? - you only have to look at how, as an EU citizen, a UK resident is allowed to buy a car anywhere in the EU, but Italy cares to apply different rules - so you can't in Italy.



As youngsters these day say [when they aren't just grunting in response to anything an oldie says] - you just have to 'suck it up'

Yes but to be fair anybody who wants to buy a car in Italy must be resident, not just UK citizens - so at least its a blanket illegal policy.  THis new one seems to be directed only against the UK..

modicasa wrote:Yes but to be fair anybody who wants to buy a car in Italy must be resident, not just UK citizens - so at least its a blanket illegal policy.  THis new one seems to be directed only against the UK..

They probably think we've left already!

in my experience, they dont think we ever joined...

modicasa wrote:Yes but to be fair anybody who wants to buy a car in Italy must be resident, not just UK citizens - so at least its a blanket illegal policy.  THis new one seems to be directed only against the UK..

I can't honestly say whether it is directed at the UK or all non Italian EU Countries as I don't have any other licence and I didn't enquire if it did. Who knows, or cares for that matter.

Just do it I say (if you are resident here that is !), if not what are you thinking ? Next year, the year after, just get it done and get on with living here !

Interestingly, I have no idea how you would REVERT it all back to UK from IT.

If you DE resident and you have an Italian driving licence AND an Italian registered car what would the sequence of events in this scenario. Do you de resident first, then drive your Italian resident car away to say the UK and then change your IT licence to a UK one? Would you still be insured on your Italian insurance even though you would officially be non resident ?

Far too complex for my head !

Great weather for visitors at the moment though ! 

The new law says you can drive in Italy until the expiry date of your EU licence at which point you must convert it to an Italian one. However, as the UK licences don't have an expiry date (technically, although the photocards do), UK licences have to be converted two years after the date you moved here or by April 2015 (or 2016 - I forget) if you have lived here for more than 2 years already.

So, it's not a special rule for the UK but one for all EU licences - see here

I think the address argument is becuase if you're not resident in the UK then you're not supposed to renew your UK licence as you don't have a valid address.

If you had your licence convalidated years ago (as used to be the rule) then you don't need the form Flip mentions. Just take your licence with the pnk sticker to the local driving licence and they will send you a shiny new Italian one - for a fee of course.

I totally agree with Flip that if you live here get it done before Brexit!

Admin wrote:.................. I totally agree with Flip that if you live here get it done before Brexit!

Or you could wait until Italay exits as well  [Itaxit?] 

Shouldn't be that long after UK................  [if UK does do it at all - cos there is a General Election on or before May 2020, and I doubt if we'll be out by then]