Italy has officially adopted an EU regulation which extends the expiry date of licences as well as vehicle safety checks and related documents for seven months, the Interior Ministry confirmed in a press release.
In the case of licences expiring between February 1 and August 31, 2020, validity is automatically extended by seven months from the expiry date, and the holder will be able to travel freely throughout the EU during that period.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, it has been impossible to renew official documents such as driver’s licences, with most offices closed for months under a nationwide lockdown.
While some services have now started to reopen, many are still working under reduced opening hours or with fewer staff, and officials are faced with a large backlog of paperwork.
Now, as borders begin to reopen within the EU and people start to travel between member states again, the bloc has brought in rules to standardise various countries’ own extensions on expiring documents.
For Italians, the new EU rule effectively extends an already-existing grace period on expiring licences and other identity documents until August 31, which was brought in by the Italian government in March.
Italy’s official death toll from coronavirus stands at 34,405, while some 238,000 people have been infected with the virus.
