Is it possible to do the Italian driver’s license exam in English?
As you may know, currently you can take the Italian driving license theory exam only in Italian, French or German. French and German are available because of the linguistic minorities protected in Italy, particularly in areas such as Trentino-Alto Adige and Valle d’Aosta.
However, there is now a proposal to add English as another language option.
Is this proposal real?
Yes. The proposal is real and is currently being discussed in the Italian Parliament.
The proposal was officially presented in the Senate on 18 June 2025. The discussion in the relevant Senate Commission started on 10 September 2025.
You can follow the history of the proposal here.
So I can read about it somewhere, right?
Yes. The proposal is an official parliamentary document.
It is called A.S. n. 1543, and you can read the official document here:
The official title is:
“Modifiche all’articolo 116 del codice della strada, di cui al decreto legislativo 30 aprile 1992, n. 285, per l’introduzione della lingua inglese come opzione per l’esame di idoneità della patente di guida.”
What happened on 10 February 2026?
On 10 February 2026, the Senate Commission resumed the discussion of the proposal.
At that meeting, the Commission decided to set 24 February 2026 as the deadline for presenting amendments and orders.
Then, on 24 February 2026, the Senate Budget Commission requested a technical report to assess the financial implications of the proposal.
The proposal itself provides that the costs of taking the exam in English would be entirely paid by the applicants, and it also contains a provision aimed at avoiding additional costs for public finances.
So, are we going to be able to take the exam in English this year?
Not yet.
The proposal is still being examined by the Senate Commission and has not yet become law. As of now, there is no official date for when the English version of the exam will become available.
It is therefore difficult to say exactly when the change will happen. It could happen next year, but we cannot know whether it will be at the beginning, in the middle or towards the end of the year.
How long will we have to wait after the law is approved?
The proposal provides that, after the law enters into force, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT) will have 90 days to issue a decree establishing the rules and procedures for taking the driving licence exam in English.
The decree would establish, among other things, how the application is submitted and how the exam in English is conducted.
So, even after Parliament approves the law, the English-language exam would not necessarily become available immediately. The implementing decree would still have to be issued first.
