Getting an Italian Driver's License (British Expat Version)

...I've said it once and I'll say it over and over again, Americans need not apply.  If you think an European Union citizen had problems -- you can kiss your dream of being behind the wheel of a fast-moving Ferrari goodbye! [unless of course, you're renting].  I loved this post so much, EnglishmaninItaly gave me permission to re-post it.

What’s small, pink and takes 8 months to arrive?

After 8 months of waiting, my Italian driving licence has finally arrived.  It was a very simple process only taking:

1   Medical examination

10 Visits to Mr Cretino at the Italian office 

(who is now the proud owner of 10 photocopies of my passport, licence etc) 

5   Emails to the Italian office 

6   Phone calls to DVLA 

4   Nice emails to DVLA 

2   Snotty emails to DVLA 

1   Letter to the Chief Exec of DVLA

      and of course 120 Euros

This woeful tale playing out in four parts has now turned into a book - talk about making lemonade outta lemons!  

How to swap a UK driving license to an Italian one in 340 difficult steps

Part One - The process begins with being stopped by the Carabinieri and having to explain that 'UK' stood for United Kingdom, part of the EU and not Ukraine.

Part Two - He's really stepping in it -- combining his name with his wife's so none of the documents match.  He will never get out alive.  I'm surprised he didn't have to first adjust his marriage certificates for this one...

  

You can find more posts on the Tips for Travelers page of my blog above, but here's a quick & dirty roster on related posts about name changes - driver licenses - and other documents.

- On trying to change passports posing the evil Dual Name dilemma

- On getting an Italian i.d. card - The Coveted Carta d'Identità

- On trying to get an Italian driver's license - if you're from the USA

To be perfectly honest, I can't comprehend why Italian immigrants were once (derisively) called WOPS - WithOut PaperS.  According to Beppe Servergnini in his terrific tome, Ciao America! he got his license in something like 30 minutes...The ease compared to Italy should have been a dream!  

Although these days...the USA is going down this path and Americans abroad are often the WOPS!