Updated PH-Italy driver’s license pact to help 2K Filipinos in Italy

MANILA – The Philippines and Italy signed an updated agreement on Monday, allowing the conversion of Philippine driver’s licenses in Italy that is expected to benefit around 2,000 Filipino drivers.

Philippine Ambassador to Italy Neal Imperial, who signed on behalf of the Philippine government, said the protocol was signed in Rome together with Nicoletta Bombardiere, Director General for Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Oceania of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, on behalf of the government of Italy.

Imperial said the Protocol Amending the Memorandum of Understanding on the Automatic Exchange of Driver’s Licenses was successfully signed after eight years of negotiation, which started in 2018.

“This conversion protocol will benefit an estimated 2,000 Filipino drivers in Italy, especially those who depend on driving for livelihood and those who drive across EU borders,” he said.

The Philippine embassy in Italy said the protocol updated the annexes of the 2006 Memorandum of Understanding on the Automatic Exchange of Driver’s Licenses.

The updated annexes cover Philippine driver’s license models issued from 2017 to 2023.

Meanwhile, the embassy added that negotiations with Italy’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport will continue to further update the annexes to include Philippine driver’s license models issued from 2024 onward.

Under the agreement, Filipinos who have legally resided in Italy for less than six years may convert a valid Philippine driver’s license without taking theoretical or practical driving examinations.

Those who have lived in Italy for more than six years will have 180 days from the protocol’s entry into force to apply for the exchange of their valid Philippine license, but they will have to pass a driving test to verify that they remain technically fit to drive, in line with Italian law.

The original 2006 agreement remains valid, and the new protocol mainly updates its annexes and selected provisions to reflect changes in the driver’s license systems of the Philippines and Italy.

Once ratified, the protocol will take effect 60 days after the two governments notify each other that they have completed their respective internal procedures.

“The signing represents a significant achievement in facilitating the mobility and daily lives of Italian and Filipino citizens in their respective countries, and serves as confirmation of the strength of bilateral relations and the deep bonds of friendship between Italy and the Philippines,” Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said. (PNA)

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