Before you start

Residence registered with the comune, which starts the twelve-month clock
Your original licence plus a sworn translation, unless it is an EU one
Codice fiscale
Medical certificate from an authorised doctor

Step-by-step

1
Check the reciprocity list before assuming conversion is possible
Italy converts EU and EEA licences and those from a defined list including Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Argentina and Morocco. The US, UK, Australia, India and China are not on it, and for those the Italian exams are the only route.
OnlineWho: You
2
Treat the twelve-month grace period as a deadline
A foreign licence remains valid for one year from the date residence is registered, alongside an International Driving Permit or a sworn translation. After that it has no legal effect in Italy regardless of its own expiry date.
In personWho: You12 months from residence registration
3
Convert at the Motorizzazione or enrol at an autoscuola
Conversion is a booked appointment with licence, translation, medical certificate and fees. For the exam route an autoscuola handles the foglio rosa and the scheduling.
In personWho: You
4
Prepare for a theory exam in Italian
The quiz is offered in Italian, German and French only. Thirty literal true/false statements with a low error tolerance and technical vocabulary where a single word flips the answer.
In personWho: You
5
Identify which railway serves your route before buying anything
Trenitalia runs the national lines. Ferrotramviaria runs Bari Nord and the airport link. Ferrovie del Sud Est runs to the Valle d'Itria and the Salento. Ferrovie Appulo Lucane runs to Altamura and Matera. Tickets, apps and season passes are separate.
OnlineWho: You
6
Check the ZTL before driving into the centre
Bari operates limited-traffic and pedestrianised zones over the old town and parts of the Murat grid, camera-enforced, with a notice reaching a foreign address months later. Parking in the centre is metered and scarce.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Original driving licence
Sworn translation or International Driving Permit
Passport and permesso di soggiorno or receipt
Certificate of residence
Medical certificate from an authorised doctor
Codice fiscale and passport photographs

Things most newcomers don’t know

Four railway companies out of one station is a genuine trap, not a curiosity.

Bari Centrale is served by Trenitalia, Ferrotramviaria, Ferrovie del Sud Est and Ferrovie Appulo Lucane. They are separate undertakings with separate fares, separate apps, separate season tickets and, in places, separate parts of the station. A regional pass bought from one is not valid on another, and there is no unified journey planner that reliably covers all four. Work out which company runs your actual commute before buying anything, and expect to hold more than one card if you travel in different directions.

Source: community-reported

The theory exam is not offered in English, which rules out self-study for most Anglophone arrivals.

Britons, Americans, Australians and Indians cannot convert their licences, so all of them must sit the Italian exams — and English was withdrawn from the available languages. The questions are literal true/false statements phrased so that one word changes the correct answer. Bari's autoscuole handle this routinely and cheaply by northern standards.

Source: Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport

Motor insurance in the southern provinces is priced well above the national average.

Premiums are risk-priced by province and the southern provinces sit consistently above the northern ones in the supervisory authority's own comparisons — the gap can be several hundred euros a year for the same driver and the same car. Anyone moving from the north with a vehicle should get a quote against a Bari address before deciding to bring it.

Source: IVASS

Bari is flat, which changes the calculation more than people expect.

Unlike Genoa, Naples or Palermo, Bari sits on a coastal plain with almost no gradient, a compact centre and a coastal road that runs for kilometres. Cycling is genuinely practical here in a way it is not in most southern Italian cities, and the combination of a bike and the right regional railway covers most of what a car would do — including the coast down to Polignano and Monopoli.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Buying a season ticket from the wrong one of the four railway companies.
Preparing for the theory exam in English, which is no longer offered.
Bringing a car south without pricing the insurance against a Bari address first.
Driving into the old town or the pedestrianised Murat streets without checking the ZTL.
Letting the twelve-month post-registration licence period lapse.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.