Do you need an International Driving Permit there?
Driving in Italy on a US license
IDP or official translation required
| US license counts | 1 year after you become a resident |
| IDP | An IDP from AAA or AATA is the simplest way to meet the rule; an official translation is the other. |
| Conventions | Party to both the 1949 Geneva and the 1968 Vienna conventions (1949: 1952) (1968: 1996) |
| Rule | National text Italian law lets a non-resident drive on a license from outside the EU only together with an international permit or an official Italian translation of the license, both valid; after one year of residence the US license no longer counts. |
Source: Codice della Strada, art. 135, text published by the Automobile Club d'Italia; State Department page updated August 11, 2025. Not legal advice; the country's own authorities decide.
Driving in Italy: the full rulesUS IDP Guide · independent site, not AAA, AATA or a government agency · no legal advice · nothing you type is sent
Country information is quoted from the U.S. Department of State (public domain, a work of the US government) and convention status from the United Nations Treaty Collection. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (GOV.UK). French rules from Service-Public.fr, DILA, under the Licence Ouverte 2.0. No government, AAA or AATA endorses this site. Summaries, tables and tools written by Radif Partners; they are not legal advice.