What happens after failing the practical test?
After failing the practical test the candidate keeps any unused attempts on the foglio rosa, which gives three within twelve months. The next test comes after at least one month, with a new N019 payment. Once all are used, the theory can be carried over once onto a new foglio rosa. Source: article 121 of the Codice della Strada.
What is left after the first fail?
Two attempts, if the failed test was the first. The foglio rosa gives three in total, under article 121, paragraph 11, and does not lapse because of a fail: it stays valid until its natural expiry, twelve months after issue. Practice with an accompanying driver remains allowed in the meantime, on the same terms as before.
| Tests already failed | Attempts left | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Before the foglio rosa expires, at least 1 month apart |
| 2 | 1 | Before the foglio rosa expires, at least 1 month apart |
| 3 | 0 | Theory carried over onto a new foglio rosa, once only |
When can the test be retaken?
No sooner than one month. Article 121, paragraph 10, of the Codice della Strada requires at least one month between a failed test and the next one, and the rule covers the practical as well. The date is then set by the Motorizzazione office, usually following a booking by the driving school made no later than the fifth day before the test (paragraph 11). Real waiting times depend on the local calendar and are not published in any official national dataset.
How much does a retake cost?
The payment to the state is the booking fee: the page of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport on obtaining the category B licence lists the N019 tariff, 16.00 euro in stamp duty, paid through PagoPA for the practical test. Specific tariffs apply in Sicily, Valle d'Aosta, Trentino Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia. Extra lessons and the driving school's exam day service are priced freely and there is no national tariff. The compulsory driving school lessons do not have to be repeated.
What happens after a third fail?
The foglio rosa gives no further attempts. With circular 5411 of 2 March 2016, updated by circular 24583 of 30 July 2019, the Ministry reintroduced the riporto of an already passed theory result onto a new foglio rosa: a new application is filed and only the practical test is sat. The riporto is requested once only, as a rule after the foglio rosa expires and within two months, though someone who has used all attempts can request it earlier. If the new foglio rosa also ends without a licence, the theory must be sat again. Payments for the new application should be checked at the counter.
What happens after several fails?
The sequence of dates matters as much as the number of tests. Two concrete cases.
A candidate in Ancona receives her foglio rosa in March, fails the first test in May and the second in July, and passes the third in September. From that day she holds a category B licence and is a new driver for three years. The two fails leave no mark on the licence and bring no limits beyond those of any new driver.
If a candidate in Rimini fails three tests by October, with his foglio rosa due to expire in January, he cannot book a fourth, because the practical can be repeated no more than twice within the validity period (article 121, paragraph 11, of the Codice della Strada). He has never used the riporto, so he requests it straight away with a new application and obtains a new foglio rosa without resitting the theory. If he waited more than two months after the January expiry, the riporto would no longer be possible and he would have to start again from the theory.
Does the driving school course have to be repeated?
Not within the same foglio rosa. The compulsory driving school lessons are already certified and the law does not ask for them to be repeated after a fail. Under decree no. 294 of 2025, if the foglio rosa expires without a licence, the certified hours remain valid for eighteen months for a second application, provided the passed theory test is still valid. Extra lessons are a choice, often useful for working on the errors that ended the test.
Does the place of the test matter?
Ministry data show wide differences between offices in the share of practical tests passed: in 2025 the range runs from 60.94 per cent in Sassari to 99.43 per cent in Enna, against a national figure of 83.82 per cent across 734,553 tests sat. The plausible causes are the mix of people sitting the test and the size of the numbers, not any demonstrated difference in strictness: the explanation is in the guide on why pass rates differ. Values by office are on the statistics page.
Legal source: Articoli 121 e 122 del Codice della Strada. The consolidated text of the Codice della Strada is on Normattiva.
Which other questions are related?
- How many times can the practical test be retaken?
- Which mistakes fail the category B practical test?
- How long is the foglio rosa valid?
The full list is on the driving test questions page.
For information only, not a substitute for the law: legal notes.