Regarding driver licenses, Circular No. 107 of October 14, 1997, of the Italian Ministry of Transport (text available in Italian) stipulates that, for Italian citizens residing abroad who are duly AIRE registered, the procedure for confirming the validity of the license shall be carried out by the Italian diplomatic-consular authorities.
Pursuant to Article 126, paragraph 9, of the Italian Highway Code (Codice della Strada), this Embassy issues to holders of Italian driver licenses who reside or stay within the relevant jurisdiction for a period of at least six months a Certificate of Confirmation of the Validity of their license—provided it has expired for no more than five years. This certificate, for the duration of the applicant’s stay abroad, serves as proof that the requirements for physical and mental fitness have been verified and, therefore, allows the holder to legally drive in Italy as long as he or she remains a resident abroad.
This Driver’s License Renewal Certificate, like any others previously obtained, must be kept together with the original license and presented to the police authorities whenever requested. The renewal period shall be ten (10) years for applicants up to 50 years of age, five (5) years for applicants between 50 and 70 years of age, and three (3) years for applicants over 70 years of age.
Below is the procedure for renewing an Italian driver license at this Embassy.
- Schedule an appointment for the medical examination with an authorized doctor (on the form provided by the Consulate, by clicking here, or on a form from the physician of record). The applicant is responsible for the cost of the examination.
- Send to the Embassy of Italy in Washington, DC:
- Clear photocopy of the front and back of the license expired no more than five years ago (the original does not need to be sent);
- The medical certificate;
- Two recent passport-size photographs, taken within the last 6 months;
- Money order or cashier’s check made out to “Embassy of Italy in Washington DC” for the total amount as per the Stamp Duty (Imposta di Bollo) + Art. 66D (see current fees);
- A prefilled and prepaid envelope with the preferred service for returning the certificate (it is recommended to use a traceable method, such as USPS Priority, FedEx), addressed to:
EMBASSY OF ITALY
Consular Section – Attn: Passport Office
3000 Whitehaven Street NW
Washington, DC 20008
We remind holders of driver licenses that, upon reacquiring residency in Italy, they must complete the regular renewal procedure (as per paragraph 8 of the aforementioned Article 126 of the Highway Code) within six (6) months from the date of their final return, even if the certificate received from this Embassy is still valid. Therefore, it will be necessary to always keep the certificate along with the driver license and, in particular, to present it for the medical examination to confirm validity in Italy, in order to show the examining doctor that the renewal was completed abroad and to demonstrate the absence of any periods of not driving.
Note: In case of theft or loss of licenses, this Embassy does not issue duplicates or temporary driving documents. For these cases, please refer to the instructions provided by the competent Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, available (in Italian) at the following link: Smarrimento, furto, distruzione patente|mit