Italy suspends recognition of driving licenses from North Macedonia

Citizens of North Macedonia traveling to Italy are no longer allowed to rent vehicles using their driving license, despite the existence of a bilateral agreement for the mutual recognition and conversion of these documents.

Also, Macedonian nationals with permanent residency in Italy are unable to convert their license into an Italian driving license and are now forced to take the driving test from scratch, according to SDK sources.

A vacationer from North Macedonia expressed his dissatisfaction: “At border points they constantly check and photograph us, and now it turns out that our licenses are no longer valid, even though they contain the same biometric elements.”

Italian authorities are insisting on concluding a new agreement for the recognition and exchange of driving licenses, which has resulted in restarting the entire bureaucratic process.

This new process means re-harmonizing acts and regulations between the relevant bodies of both countries. Once this phase is completed, all driving schools and car rental agencies will receive official notification.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade has confirmed that they are in the final stage of harmonizing the Agreement on the recognition of driving licenses between the two states, steps that need to be finalized by the Italian side.

“The Macedonian side has completed all the proper formalities and is now awaiting final approval from the relevant Italian institutions. Then the procedure for signing the agreement will follow. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, in cooperation with the competent authorities, is actively engaged in carrying this process through to the end,” reads the statement from the MFA.