Driving license conversion, now possible
An agreement approved between the Council of Ministers of the REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA and the Government of the REPUBLIC OF ITALY has as its main purpose the mutual recognition for the purpose of conversion of permanent driving licenses issued by the competent authorities to the respective holder of the driving license who acquire residence in their territory.
Here are some of the key terms of this agreement:
- Temporary driving licenses cannot be converted as they are not recognized by the parties. So, the driving license document must be in final format.
- The driving license issued by the authorities of one of the parties is no longer valid for traffic purposes in the territory of the other party after 1 year from the date when the holder has acquired residence in the territory of the other party. This means that the foreigner can use his driving license without converting it, only for a period of 1 year from the date of obtaining the residence permit in Albania. Then, the permit conversion must be performed.
- The agreement is applicable only to driving licenses issued before acquiring residence in the territory of the other state.
Conditions and procedures for converting a driving license
- The holder of the driving license who establishes the residence in the territory of the other party can convert the driving license only after he has reached the minimum age for issuing the category for which he requests the conversion and without performing theoretical and practical tests. Exceptions to this rule are special situations involving drivers with special requirements that require vehicle adaptation.
- The holder of a driving license may request the conversion of the driving license, only if he is a resident in the territory of the party that will proceed with the conversion, for less than 4 years at the time of the submittion of the request for conversion.
- The authorities responsible for the conversion may require a medical certificate certifying the psychophysical condition required for the driving license category.
- During the conversion procedures, the permit to be converted is withdrawn by the competent institution after the new converted permit has been submitted. Meanwhile, the old permit is handed over to the respective state that issued it through diplomatic channels.
The authorities responsible for converting driving licenses are:
For Albania – Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy – General Directorate of Road Transport Services. https://www.dpshtrr.al\
For Italy – Ministry of Infrastructure and Mobility – Department of Transport, Navigation, General Affairs and Personnel.
Official Journal of March No.49.