Driving abroad (Italy)?

redarrow

redarrow

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So, planning a trip to Italy next year, as part of which I'm thinking of hiring a car for a few days for some touring.. ;)
I have no idea how to go about it in regards to licensing.. Do I just need an international driving license? And how/where exactly does one apply for them?

Anyone with any experience doing this? I have literally never even been outside SA much less driven there..

Thanks. :)
 
They accept your SA driver's. If you were living abroad you'd need to have yours converted to a local license but for a trip there's no issue.

Was there plenty in the early 2000s and I flashed my SA driver's and other than a few frowns while they tried to figure out what it was, all was good...
 
agree with DJ... if you want you can go to the AA and ask them for an international drivers license (doesn't cost much), but even when I rented in Italy a couple of years ago they ask for my SA license and all was cool
 
you can also get an international drivers licence down here, quick exam. written exam on road signs.

but as others have said, your SA is good enough for rental. the exam that i mentioned will just prepare you for the European signs.

note...Italy is based on latin so if you are clever enough, you will pick up some of the lingo as it's "similar" to English.
 
Was there last year. Rented a Fiat 500. Showed them my SA drivers license and off we went. No issues what so ever.
 
redarrow said:
Hmm, really? So no hassles.. that's pretty awesome to hear. :D

Thanks. ;)
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In Schengen states you are permitted to drive for 3 months on your current SA license as our codes correspond with theirs. After that some require you to undergo driver training and testing for their permits. (In germany/norway this can go up to R40k).
 
Voicy said:
In Schengen states you are permitted to drive for 3 months on your current SA license as our codes correspond with theirs. After that some require you to undergo driver training and testing for their permits. (In germany/norway this can go up to R40k).
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In the UK I filled out a form, sent it off with my SA Driver's license, and got a British license ten days later by post...
 
DJ... said:
In the UK I filled out a form, sent it off with my SA Driver's license, and got a British license ten days later by post...
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Yeah that's nice and convenient ... I wonder if it's due to the fact that you still drive on the left.
 
I have driven all over Europe and the States, and all that I do is go to the AA and get an IDL before the trip.

Easy.

Driving on the right does take some getting used to, however, particularly traffic circles, pulling off from Stop streets and turning hard right, and my own personal nasty, getting on to a freeway - always feel as if I'm going against the off ramp! :p
 
redarrow said:
So, planning a trip to Italy next year, as part of which I'm thinking of hiring a car for a few days for some touring.. ;)
I have no idea how to go about it in regards to licensing.. Do I just need an international driving license? And how/where exactly does one apply for them?

Anyone with any experience doing this? I have literally never even been outside SA much less driven there..

Thanks. :)
Click to expand...
According to the ACI you need an international permit because you're driving on a non-EU license.
Unless your national driving licence was issued by an EU-member state, it must be accompanied either by an international driving permit, to be obtained prior to departure, or by a sworn translation into Italian.
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http://www.aci.it/fileadmin/documen...rmation_for_visiting_motorists/Compulsory.pdf
 
Arthur said:
As said many times above - no need for an IDL. SA licence fully accepted. I rented a car in Rome and drove to Paris. Europcar.
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Europcar recommends an international license
1) your normal driver's license, issued by your country of residence and held for a minimum period according to local legislation or conditions. It will be requested at every rental. In addition to your normal Driving Licence, your International Driving Licence is also mandatory if your driving licence is written in a language different to the one of the renting country and/or in characters that can not be read in the renting country. Note that your International Driving Licence is valid only if accompanied by your normal Driving Licence. Driving Licences must be valid in the country of rental.
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IMO it's easier to get one before you leave than to not have one and find you need it. #my2¢
 
I am talking under correction here, but they also make use of average speed over distance on their highways. My previous manager went to italy for company bussiness and drove on toll roads. When he got to one of the toll gates, he got a nast surprise of a speeding fine along with his toll fees! Their system picked up the time he went through the previous gate, and if you arrive at the next toll gate quicker than you would have whilst driving the correct speed, you get fined for speeding which has to be paid on the spot.
 
They are a bunch of thieves with regard to fines, they'll send you fines to SA from collection agencies for years after you've been there for everything from "speeding" to driving in a bus lane to parking in some spot that you're not suppose to although it looks just like a regular parking.

All on cameras that they check and later bill you. Everytime you open your mail, surprise another Italian fine, that will be your life for a couple months after driving there
 
They also seemed surprised that I brought back the rental car after more than a week without any dents or minor accident damage
 
here's the link to the AA website, as I mentioned I got mine before I went even though I didn't need it, even when I hired my car from Europcar in both Italy and the UK (actually I think the UK office asked to see the IDP).

3 weeks driving round Italy and I never had a problem although the Italians drive like lunatics, I just started working off the basis that every Italian driver would make a good SA taxi driver and then everything was okay :D

They speed trap everywhere and lots of fixed cameras on highways and main roads, once you've seen one you start recognising them and drive accordingly, the Italians in general don't seem to bother, best though is to keep your eyes on the limit and stick to it, and stay out of the way of the locals who will come screaming past flashing and hooting at you, be aware of direction signs as well, both in small towns and big cities, traffic flow can be chaotic some of the smaller towns in the countryside have one way into the town and one way out and you can be pretty buggered if you get that wrong as streets can be awfully narrow :p

Parking is always a big problem, so make sure you familiarise yourself with where you're going beforehand and find parking early, the periphery of towns and cities are cheaper and public transport isn't that bad, a good GPS really helps in this regard
 
bwana said:
Europcar recommends an international license
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That's a generic statement. I've rented many times in Italy, and always the SA licence was accepted without looking up. The only hassles I had was way back in the days when the driver's licence was included in ID book. Since the card licence I've never had a hassle with SA licence anywhere in the world.
 
Arthur said:
That's a generic statement. I've rented many times in Italy, and always the SA licence was accepted without looking up. The only hassles I had was way back in the days when the driver's licence was included in ID book. Since the card licence I've never had a hassle with SA licence anywhere in the world.
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You mentioned Europcar and it's what they recommend.

As far as I'm concerned it's a money making racket for the automobile associations but it's the local police who are more likely to want to see it, not the rental agent.

FWIW an official translation of a SA license is just as good as an international driving license.
 
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