AFTER eight years of bilateral negotiations, the Philippines and Italy have officially signed an updated driver’s license conversion protocol that eases requirements for their nationals to operate vehicles in each other’s country.
According to the Philippine Embassy in Rome, the updated agreement applies to Philippine driver’s license models issued between 2017 and 2023.
Filipinos who have resided in Italy for less than six years may automatically convert their valid driver’s license to an Italian equivalent without taking theoretical or practical driving examinations.
Automatic conversion for Filipino immigrants or workers who have lived in the country for more than six years does not apply. They can convert their driver’s license only after passing a practical driving test to verify their technical fitness under Italian legislation. They will have six months from the date the agreement takes into effect to apply for the conversion.
‘After this 180-day window closes, the standard six-year rule applies with no exception,’ the embassy said in its advisory.
The Philippines’ ambassador to Rome Neal Imperial and the Italian Foreign Ministry and International Cooperation director general for Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, Asia and Oceania Nicoletta Bombardiere signed the new protocol.
The protocol amends the core framework originally established under the 2006 memorandum of understanding on the Automatic Exchange of Driver’s Licenses, which ‘remains valid and in force.’
However, the Italian side paused automatic conversion pending the signing and entry into force of the protocol, as there were drivers’ license models from both sides and certain provisions that ‘needed to be reflected and updated in the agreement.’
Once both nations complete internal procedures and ratifications, the protocol will officially enter into force 60 days after mutual notification through diplomatic notes.
‘This conversion protocol will benefit an estimated 2,000 Filipino drivers in Italy, especially those who depend on driving for their livelihood and those who drive across European Union borders,’ Imperial confirmed.
The Filipino community is one of Italy’s largest migrant communities. Technical discussions between the Philippine Embassy and Italy’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport remain ongoing to expand coverage to license models issued from 2024 onward, the ambassador added.