Driving Licence

I have been wondering about this for some time now but after a conversation today with my Chiropractor, British, lived in Italy for many years, It seems I must 'hand in' my Uk licence here and get an Italian one (its there law after having lived here a year apparently)... Hefty fines will come my way if I don't along with having my licence taken off me.... Does anyone have any experience of this and where I should go to get this all done? I would much rather keep my UK one though and I always thought/hoped it would be OK and it has the Euro sign on it? Any advice appreciated...!

If you have a pink licence then you can get it 'omologato' where they assign an Italian driving licence number to you and give you a sticker to put on your UK licence photocard. It costs around €50 and most driving schools or ACI offices can do it for you.

He is correct in that you need to do this but the requirement to get an Italian licence  doesn't exist any more as we all have EU driving licences. However, when your photocard expires you should then get an Italian one as to get a UK one you sign to say you are resident in the UK.

If you have a photo UK licence (depending, I think, on exactly when it was issued) then it EXPIRES after ten years from the date of issue. Continuing to drive on it isn't legal, and it is much more awkward to exchange an out of date UK licence for an Italian one than it is to do the exchange when the UK one is still current.

So be sure to renew the UK one before it expires, (whether or not you want to exchange it for an Italian one).

Good point LAX and remember your Italian driving licence number will need to be renewed on a different date to your UK one.

The driving licence thing here is crazy, pink stickers on your UK one, or change it to a Italian one.
Funny story: Wife has a Italian licence, for many years. Stopped by the Carabinieri a few months ago, on a roadside check. Decided to see what would happen, as she also has a full German licence, with no expiry date. Asked when it expired, she said "when I am dead". Ok, no problem, was the answer.
I still have my old Saudi Arabian photo licence. It expired in 1405, so wonder how they would work that out, if I tried it   

I had a delightful little exchange with some polstrad, who suggested maybe I should do something about my (tattered green unexpired) UK licence, since I was resident in Italy.

"Yes indeed, you are absolutely correct, but the trouble is that I spend a lot of time in England, and the police there are so horrid and stupid that if I showed them an Italian licence they would not understand. They are not nice like you at all!"

Happy smiles, Buona Sera Signora. Flattery gets you everywhere  

Don't worry India, if you have an EU driving license you are perfectly legal to drive in Italy, and although the 'advise' you should get it changed there is no EU law that says you must. The only problem as others have said is when it expires or you loose it, then getting a replacement may be difficult. Remember that with an Italian License  you have to provide a Medical Certificate (that says you are fit to drive) and if you are over 50 it is only valid for 5 years until you are 70.

Your UK licence is valid throughout the EU until its expiry date - the Italian requirement to change it after one year no longer applies. When the licence is due to expire, you need to change to an Italian licence if that is where you are resident. Changing to an Italian licence is a rather slow procedure but straightforward. Since January, all Italian licences have to be replaced at renewal time, not just renewed. If your Italian licence is lost or stolen, when you report this to the police, if your licence is considered 'duplicabile', the loss report will trigger an automatic replacement - unless the licence is close to renewal date in which case you need to go to an agency or the motorizzazione to apply for a replacement.

Thanks to you all for your information. I actually went this morning to the 'motoring association' who deal with taxing cars, re hewing licences, change of ownerships etc etc to see what they suggested.
I have actually just got a new UK licence as my old one expired as it was 10 years old. New one is valid until 2024.... 
They said it is fine and I don't need to do anything and the sticker thing no longer exists for countries within the EU. 
In fact while I was in there a guy from the caribineri came in and she just said I will just confirm with him and she asked him and he said no its absolutely fine as it is and no need to get an italian drivers number or an italain licence as mine is recognised throughout the EU... Phew.... One less thing to deal with.

I have been looking into this as I believe that as a resident for nearly 5 years I have to get an Italian licence after 5 years of residency. Details below:-
In accordance with EU regulations on the recognition of licences, Italian licence regulations will apply to the driver’s EU/EEA licence regarding:

•the period of validity of the licence
•required medical checks
•minimum driver’s age
•penalties and restrictions, including suspension, withdrawal and cancellation of the licence

Validity periods of an Italian licence are as follows
•ten years for people under the age of 50
•five years for those between 50 and 70 years of age
•three years thereafter

As Italian licence regulations apply to anyone obtaining residence in Italy, for residents under 50 years of age who hold a driving licence from another EU/EEA country, their licence will expire 10 years after residency is obtained, regardless of the validity period of the EU/EEA licence they hold. For those between 50 and 70 years of age, their EU/EEA licence will expire 5 years after the first day residency is obtained. At this time, the foreign licence must be surrendered and exchanged for an Italian licence.

Exchange an EU/EEA licence for an Italian licence
To convert a foreign licence the holder should go to the nearest Provincial Office of Motor Vehicles (Ufficio Provinciale della Motorizzazione Civile) and be prepared to provide the following:

•application form TT 2112 (obtained at the Office of Motor Vehicles)
•the licence and at least one clear photocopy of front and back
•valid ID and at least one photocopy of the photo/details page
•residence permit and at least one photocopy of the front and back
•two recent passport photographs (white background, head uncovered)
•medical certificate issued within the previous six months certifying that the driver is physically and mentally fit
•receipt of payment of the fee (for the current fee amount, inquire at the Office of Motor Vehicles)
The original licence will be retained or stamped as exchanged. Expect the process to take up to four months after which an Italian licence will be issued.

I have been told that the process takes 2-3 weeks rather than months. The medical is not by your own GP but by a nominated one.

I half suspect this information is out of date and that the EU  is now the correct authority on the matter.However I don't think anyone here would want to be in the position to have to argue that with the local force here in Italy... 

As Steve says, who wants to argue with the carabinieri?? However, looking into it a bit further, certainly renewal has to be for an Italian licence. See below:-

A valid driving licence issued by a European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) member state is automatically accepted in all other member states. People with an EU/EEA-issued driver's licence who take up residence in Italy are not required to exchange it for an Italian licence, but the holder may optionally exchange it at any time. An EU/EEA licence can only be renewed in the holder's country of residence.  If the holder of a licence from another EU/EEA country becomes resident in Italy before their licence expires, its next renewal will take place in Italy.  It will therefore be converted to an Italian licence, and Italian licence regulations will apply to it.
If a traffic violation occurs and points must be taken from the licence, residents of Italy who are holders of an non-Italian EU licence will be required to exchange it for an Italian licence. If the holder of a driving licence issued by another EU/EEA country wants to exchange it for an Italian licence, no theoretical or practical tests will be necessary.
Though holders of a driver's licence issued by an EU/EEA country are not required to exchange their licence for an Italian licence, they are encouraged to register to have their licence recognised by their local Comune and/or provincial Office of Motor Vehicles (Motorizzazione Civile) within 90 days of obtaining residency in order to facilitate renewals and replacement in case of loss or theft. If the driving licence is stolen or destroyed and it was not registered, it will be necessary to go through the original issuing authority for the issuance of a new one.

Yes I must admit to being a bit lazy about this...  I did look for it and found it, but did not post... This LINK on how things changed 2013. Reading it I don't really think there is such a thing as an Italian licence (or UK for that matter), but you do come under their jurisdiction if resident here in Italy, so after age 50 you have to renew your licence every 5 years etc. at whatever cost it is at the moment.