FINAL MESSAGE FROM JILL MORRIS, HER MAJESTY’S AMBASSADOR AND IMPORTANT UPDATE ON DRIVING LICENCES

Jan 17, 2022 | FCO news, General, Information Portal, News

Issue No. 26

To my fellow UK nationals living in Italy,
 
I have had the honour and privilege of serving as British Ambassador for more than 5 years. During that time, I have had the pleasure of getting to know many of you across Italy.
I want to thank you for engaging with me and my Embassy team, including at our town hall events and receptions, online, in-person and in writing. I want to thank you for following our advice, whether it has been about your rights in Italy or about international travel. And I want to thank you for your support during the Covid-19 pandemic when we continued to reach out to you in as many different ways as we could.
I’d like now to leave you with some final important messages.
 
📌Evidencing your lifelong rights in Italy as a UK national
I know that more than 9,000 of you have already requested the new carta di soggiorno elettronica at your questura or immigration office. If you have not done so already, I urge you to make an appointment at the questura because this new card is the best evidence of your lifelong rights in Italy under the Withdrawal Agreement. If you obtain it, you will be less likely to experience bureaucratic hurdles in the future.
 
📌UK driving licences in Italy
Regarding UK driving licences and their recognition and exchange in Italy, I want to reassure all of you that this remains a priority for the Embassy and the UK Government, and we are working hard with Italy to finalise an agreement as soon as possible.
In the meantime, I want to share some good news with you: the Italian Government has now updated its guidance and the final circolare states that UK licence holders resident in Italy before 31 December 2021 can continue to use their valid UK licence until 31 December 2022. Those resident from 1 January 2022 can use their licences for 12 months from becoming a resident in Italy. Within these 12 months, those licence holders resident from 1 January 2022 will currently need to take a test to exchange a UK licence for a local one.
We will, of course, continue to keep you informed of developments and or current information about UK driving licence exchanges please refer to our Living in Italy guide on www.gov.uk/livinginitaly.
 
📌Covid-19 and travel between the UK and Italy
I am sure many of you have been travelling over the Christmas period to visit family and friends, including back in the UK. Travel requirements can change with very little notice so please check our Travel Advice pages on gov.uk for the latest rules.
And before returning to Italy, please read the available information online to ensure that you have done everything you need to do. You can check the Italian Embassy in London website for guidance as well as, again, our own Travel Advice page.
If you are a UK national resident in Italy, you should always carry evidence of your residency when entering Italy.
 
📌Where to find more information on your rights under the Withdrawal Agreement
As always, you can find the very latest information on our Living in Italy page on www.gov.uk/livinginitaly, which includes details on residency, healthcare and benefits, pensions, driving licences, and also how to get in touch with us. You can also read the Living in Europe page on www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-europe which is specifically for those of you covered by the Withdrawal Agreement.
 
Before Christmas, it has been a particular pleasure for me to get back on the road and meet many of you again in person at our recent town hall events, including in Rome, in Florence and in Naples, and we continue to hold virtual events on YouTube and Facebook.
I’d like to finish where I started, with a thank you. Whether it be at our public events or online, you’ve engaged with us, motivated and inspired us and I have greatly valued our conversation together and our close partnership, and I thank you for that. The Embassy will of course continue to represent the interests of UK nationals in Italy under my successor in the years to come.
I wish you and your families a very happy and healthy new year.
Thank you.
 
Jill Morris CMG
Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Italy 🇬🇧🇮🇹