Italy confirms 7-month extension of expired driving licences
Italian driving licenses which expired under quarantine, or are due to expire soon, will remain valid in Italy and within the EU, the Italian government has confirmed.
Italy has officially adopted a European Union regulation which extends the expiry date of driving licenses as well as vehicle safety checks (revisione auto) and related documents for seven months, the Italian Interior Ministry confirmed in a circular.
In the case of driving licenses expiring between February 1st and August 31st 2020, validity is automatically extended by seven months from the expiry date, and the holder will be able to travel freely throughout the EU during that period.
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But be careful: if your driving license expired on or before January 31st, the European legislation doesn't apply, so it will only remain valid until August 31st - and only within Italy.
Under lockdown, it has been impossible to renew official documents such as driving licenses, with most offices closed for months. And even though some have now started to reopen, some offices are still working under reduced opening hours or with fewer staff, and officials are faced with a large backlog of paperwork.
Now, as free movement restarts between European member states and people begin to travel across borders again, the EU has brought in rules to standardise various countries' own extensions on expiring documents.
For people in Italy, the new EU rule effectively extends an already-existing grace period on expiring driving licenses (and other identity documents) until August 31st, which was brought in by the Italian government in March.
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Italy has officially adopted a European Union regulation which extends the expiry date of driving licenses as well as vehicle safety checks (revisione auto) and related documents for seven months, the Italian Interior Ministry confirmed in a circular.
In the case of driving licenses expiring between February 1st and August 31st 2020, validity is automatically extended by seven months from the expiry date, and the holder will be able to travel freely throughout the EU during that period.
READ ALSO:
But be careful: if your driving license expired on or before January 31st, the European legislation doesn't apply, so it will only remain valid until August 31st - and only within Italy.
Under lockdown, it has been impossible to renew official documents such as driving licenses, with most offices closed for months. And even though some have now started to reopen, some offices are still working under reduced opening hours or with fewer staff, and officials are faced with a large backlog of paperwork.
Now, as free movement restarts between European member states and people begin to travel across borders again, the EU has brought in rules to standardise various countries' own extensions on expiring documents.
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