How the theory test works
Thirty true or false questions in 20 minutes with a maximum of 3 mistakes: format, topics, documents and retakes.
Italian driving licence guides
These 23 guides cover the route from application to foglio rosa. The theory test is a sheet of 30 true or false questions in 20 minutes, with a maximum of 3 mistakes. Each guide names the rule or ministerial source it rests on and flags where a figure must be checked at the counter.
Which guides to the Italian driving licence are available?
The guides follow the order in which candidates meet each step: first how the test works, then booking, then test day, then the foglio rosa. Two guides cut across the sequence: the list of exam topics and how to read provincial pass rates.
How to book the driving test
Applying to the Motorizzazione Civile through a driving school or independently: documents, payments and timings.
Waiting times for the test
What sets the wait, which deadlines keep running meanwhile and why there is no official waiting time.
What happens on test day
Arrival, identification, the terminal and the result, stage by stage.
Why pass rates differ
Candidate mix, driving school share and small numbers: how to read gaps between provinces.
The exam topics
The 25 topics in the ministerial catalogue and what each one covers, in a table.
Foglio rosa explained
Twelve months of validity, three practical attempts, rules on the accompanying driver and the P plate.
How much the licence B costs
Official fee schedule (42.40 euro theory, 16.00 euro practical), eight mandatory driving hours and what to ask in a driving-school quote.
Documents and deadlines
Enrolment documents, foglio rosa, medical certificate, renewals every 10 / 5 / 3 / 2 years.
Medical visit for the licence
Where to go, ASL cost, what to bring, what the doctor and the Local Medical Commission check.
Neopatentato: first 3 years
Car power limits, zero alcohol, motorway speed, doubled points. Codice della Strada article 117.
Points-based licence
20 starting points, how the 12 main violations dock them, how to recover, how to check the balance.
Accompanied driving at 17
How to enrol, who can accompany, which cars are allowed, where it is forbidden, sanctions.
Converting a foreign licence
Who converts without an exam, 35 reciprocity countries, documents and timing for newcomers to Italy.
Traffic fine and appeal
How to read a verbale, 30% early discount, Prefetto and Giudice di Pace appeals, instalments.
RCA and merit class
18 bonus-malus classes, Legge Bersani to inherit a family class, insurer switching and attestato di rischio.
Bollo auto (car tax)
kW-based regional tariff, when to pay, who is exempt (classics, Legge 104, EVs), late-payment ravvedimento.
Licence renewal
Age-band deadlines (10 / 5 / 3 / 2 years), medical procedure, cost breakdown, expired-licence sanctions.
Revisione auto (MOT)
Biennial after year 4, fixed €79.02 tariff, what the tester checks, sanctions for non-compliance.
Car ownership transfer
60 days to update PRA, variable provincial IPT, Sportello Telematico or notary, timings and sanctions.
Driving with a foreign licence in Italy
EU / non-EU tourist, EU / non-EU resident, when translation or IDP is needed, 12-month conversion window.
Mandatory driving lessons 2026
The 6 hours of the 2012 decree and the 8 hours in four modules of DM 294/2025: when each applies and to which learner permits.
Trick questions in the licence quiz
Why always, never and only do not decide the answer, with original examples tied to articles of the Codice della Strada.
Which guide should be read first?
The guide on how the theory test works, because it fixes the three numbers that govern everything else: 30 questions, 20 minutes, 3 mistakes. The next step is the list of exam topics, useful for organising study. Simulations are on the practice test page.
Where are the pass rate figures?
On the pass rates page, which collects the Ministry open data with detail by province. The guide on why pass rates differ explains which comparisons hold up and which do not.
Do these guides replace official information?
No. The rules cited here, such as the twelve month validity of the foglio rosa or the two theory attempts, come from the Italian Highway Code. Fees, required documents and session calendars change over time and between offices, so they must be checked at source.
Educational content. For the official rules, see the Codice della Strada and legal notes.
Data as of 2026-09-07. Source: Italian Highway Code and Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei Trasporti (MIT).