Rules and laws in Italy (2026)
Last reviewed: 10 October 2026
Every topic we cover for Italy. Each rule links to its official source.
Driving
Car insurance and green cards
Foreign-registered cars must meet the insurance duty for their stay in Italy. Cars with EU plates are covered through bureau agreements, while cars from non-EU states need border insurance or a green card.
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Car speed limits
Cars may do 50 km/h in built-up areas, 90 km/h on secondary roads, 110 km/h on main roads outside towns and 130 km/h on motorways. Limits on motorways and main roads are lower in rain.
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Distinguishing sign on cars
A foreign-registered car must carry its state's distinguishing sign at the rear in Italy. The sign on the left of an EU plate is recognised under Regulation (EC) No 2411/98.
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Drink-driving limits
Italy punishes driving with more than 0.5 g/l (0.05%) of alcohol in the blood. Drivers under 21, those in their first three years with a category B licence and professional drivers have a zero limit. Police may carry out screening tests, and the highest band carries up to 12 months' arrest and up to two years of licence suspension.
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Driving after drugs
Since December 2024 driving after taking narcotic or psychotropic substances is an offence, without proof of impairment. Police can order saliva tests.
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E-bikes and speed pedelecs
A pedal-assisted bicycle (0.25 kW, assistance up to 25 km/h) is a velocipede with no helmet or licence duty and must use cycle paths where they exist. A 45 km/h vehicle is a ciclomotore: it needs a licence, helmet, certificate of circulation and plate.
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E-scooters
Private e-scooters are allowed from age 14 on urban roads with a speed limit of 50 km/h or less, at up to 20 km/h. Riders must wear a helmet, and owners need an identification sticker and liability insurance.
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Foreign driving licences
EU licences stay valid until expiry, or for two years from residence if they have no expiry date. Licences from outside the EU/EEA are valid until the holder has been resident for one year.
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Minimum age for a car driving licence
The minimum age for category B is 18. From 17, holders of an A1 licence can drive accompanied under an authorisation.
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Mopeds
A ciclomotore can be ridden from age 14 with an AM licence or the CIGC certificate. A helmet, liability insurance and a plate are required.
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Motorcycles: helmets and licences
Riders and passengers must wear an approved helmet, and motorcycles must use the dipped beam at all times, including by day. Minimum ages are 16 (A1), 18 (A2) and 24 for category A, or 20 after two years on A2.
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Road tolls and vignettes
Motorways run by concession companies charge tolls by distance travelled, and no vignette is required. A missed toll can be paid within 15 days at no extra cost.
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Seat belts and child seats
Seat belts must be used in vehicles that have them. Children under 1.50 m must be secured with an approved child restraint.
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Towing trailers and caravans
The Codice della strada limits a motor vehicle with a trailer to 80 km/h on autostrade. A category B licence covers a trailer up to 750 kg; heavier combinations have further conditions.
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Using a mobile phone while driving
Using a phone while driving in a way that takes the hands off the wheel is banned, as is using headphones. The fine for a first offence ranges from EUR 250 to EUR 1,000.
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Travel
Air passenger rights
Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 applies to flights departing from Italy, with compensation of EUR 250, 400 or 600 by distance. The national enforcement body is Ente Nazionale per l'Aviazione Civile (ENAC).
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Customs allowances for tobacco and alcohol
From other EU states, Italian customs gives indicative thresholds of 800 cigarettes, 10 litres of spirits over 22%, 90 litres of wine and 110 litres of beer. From outside the EU the allowances are 200 cigarettes, 1 litre of spirits over 22%, 4 litres of still wine and 16 litres of beer.
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Health cover for temporary visitors
The EHIC works with doctors and hospitals in the National Health Service or with an agreement with it. It does not cover private care, repatriation or planned treatment.
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Identity documents
The identity card is issued on request and is not compulsory in general. Foreigners must show their passport or identity document when ordered by public security officers.
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Meat and dairy imports
Meat and dairy can be carried between EU states. From third countries they are banned unless accompanied by a health certificate and checked at a border control post.
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Minors travelling: documents
A minor needs their own passport or ID card valid for travel abroad. Under 14, travelling with someone other than a parent needs a declaration of accompaniment issued by the questura.
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Rail passenger rights
Regulation (EU) 2021/782 applies, with compensation of 25 % of the ticket price from 60 minutes and 50 % from 120 minutes. The Autorità di Regolazione dei Trasporti is the national enforcement body.
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Short stays (90/180-day rule)
Visitors from the UK do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days within a 180-day period. Third-country nationals on short stays are recorded in the Entry/Exit System.
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Tax-free shopping for visitors
Buyers who live or are domiciled outside the EU can buy goods VAT-free when the total is more than EUR 70 and the goods leave the EU within the third month after the sale. Customs stamps the invoice; the seller or a tax-free company refunds.
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Travelling with personal medicines
A resident abroad treated with narcotic or psychotropic medicines must carry a certificate or prescription from the country of origin. The decree does not apply to a single package of each preparation or to the preparations in its Annex 2.
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Travelling with pets
Italy applies the EU rules for dogs, cats and ferrets: microchip, rabies vaccination and a pet passport or health certificate, with up to 5 animals per vehicle. National breed rules and special entry rules have not been verified yet.
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Living
Deposit return schemes and plastic bags
Italy bans lightweight plastic bags unless compostable and requires the price to be shown on the receipt. The law allows deposit-return systems for drink packaging.
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Dual nationality
Italian law lets a citizen who acquires a foreign citizenship keep Italian citizenship. Whether naturalisation requires giving up another nationality is still to verify.
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Home education
Education is compulsory from 6 to 16 and may be given by parents. They must notify the school head every year and the child sits an annual examination.
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Maximum working time
Average working time may not exceed 48 hours per seven days including overtime, calculated over up to 4 months (longer by collective agreement). The normal working week is 40 hours, with 11 hours of daily rest and 24 hours of weekly rest.
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Naturalisation by residence
Naturalisation by residence needs ten years of residence for most non-EU nationals and Italian at level B1 or above. The test and renunciation rules are not yet verified.
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Paid holiday
Employees have a right to at least four weeks of paid annual leave. It may not be replaced by a payment, except when the employment ends.
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Registering residence for longer stays
An EU citizen staying more than three months registers with the municipal residence register once three months have passed since entry. The municipality immediately issues an attestation of the request.
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Smoke alarms in homes
None of the national rules read asks for smoke alarms in dwellings. Homes let for tourist purposes or on short lets must instead have working gas and carbon monoxide detectors and portable extinguishers. The national fire-safety decree for residential buildings of 12 m or more asks for a manual alarm system above 54 m and a voice alarm system above 80 m. For ordinary homes no national instrument was found; regional and municipal rules were not checked.
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State pension age
The retirement age for the old-age pension is 67 years. An increase from 2027 was published by ministerial decree, but its exact schedule could not be confirmed.
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Statutory minimum wage
Italy has no national statutory minimum wage, according to Eurostat. Minimum pay is set in sector collective agreements.
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Restrictions
Cannabis
Acquiring or holding cannabis for personal use is an administrative offence, with sanctions such as suspension of a driving licence. Cultivation of cannabis plants is prohibited.
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Drinking age and alcohol sales
The minimum age to buy alcohol in Italy is 18. Sellers must check ID where the buyer is not clearly an adult, and serving under-18s or visibly drunk people is penalised. Being visibly drunk in public is fined.
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Drones
Italy applies the EU drone rules, overseen by ENAC. Operators register on the d-flight portal and show the QR code on the drone; most drones also need a pilot certificate and third-party liability insurance.
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Fireworks
Category F1 fireworks may not be sold to private buyers under 14. The rules for F2, and national sale periods and use bans, were not confirmed.
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Knives and pepper spray
Italy punishes carrying sharp or pointed blades over 8 cm, or locking or one-hand folding blades of 5 cm or more, without a justified reason. Pepper sprays must meet the technical limits of a 2011 decree.
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Tobacco and nicotine age limits
Tobacco and nicotine e-cigarettes may not be sold to under-18s. Smoking is banned in enclosed premises open to users or the public.
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General information, not legal advice. Rules change: check the official source before you fly or ride.