Category: Driving licences
If you are an Argentine citizen residing in Italy — or an Italian citizen who has returned from Argentina — and you hold a driving licence issued in Argentina, you may convert it into an Italian driving licence without having to take the theory and driving tests. The bilateral agreement between Italy and Argentina has been in force since 2004 and does not have a fixed expiry date, but there is a strict time requirement that many people underestimate: the conversion must be requested within 4 years of obtaining residence in Italy. Once this limit has passed, the possibility of converting without exams is lost.
Who can convert an Argentine driving licence
To be entitled to conversion without an exam, all of the following conditions must be met at the same time:
- ✅ The Argentine driving licence must be valid at the time the application is submitted
- ✅ The licence must have been obtained before transferring residence to Italy
- ✅ You must have been resident in Italy for less than 4 years at the time of submission
- ✅ The licence must not have been obtained by conversion of another foreign licence that cannot be converted in Italy
⚠️ Pay attention to the 4-year requirement. Anyone who has been resident in Italy for more than 4 years can no longer convert without exams: they will have to take a licence review exam (theory quiz and practical test) before obtaining the Italian driving licence. This does not mean starting completely from scratch, but it is still a process that requires preparation and time. It is better not to reach that point.
A specific aspect: the double Argentine document
It is possible for the driver to hold two Argentine driving documents. In this case, both must be translated and attached in original form to the conversion application. Anyone who renewed their licence in Argentina may therefore have both the old and the new document: both must be submitted.
How the equivalence table works
The conversion does not take place automatically category by category: it is carried out in accordance with an Argentina–Italy equivalence table, using documentation issued by the Argentine diplomatic-consular authorities in Italy, including translation, certification of authenticity and confirmation that the licence is valid, with an indication of the vehicles that may be driven with that category, and then identifying the Italian category to be issued by conversion.
In practice: you do not simply take the Argentine driving licence to the Motor Vehicle Office. You must first go through the Argentine Consulate, which issues an official certificate translating and confirming the validity of the licence and the authorized categories — an essential document in order to proceed.
The role of the Argentine Consulate: a mandatory step
Before submitting the application to the Italian Civil Motorization Office, you must contact the Argentine consular authority responsible for your area of residence. For those living in Piedmont — including Turin — the reference consulate is the Consulate General of Argentina in Milan (Via Agnello 2, 4th floor).
The Consulate issues a consular certificate in Italian confirming the validity and authenticity of the Argentine driving licence, including the licence details and the related certificate of legality. To book an appointment, the documentation must be sent in advance by email to
The documents to be sent to the Consulate in order to obtain an appointment are:
- Valid Argentine DNI (Documento Nacional de Identidad) in card format, front and back
- Valid Argentine driving licence, front and back
- Historical residence certificate issued by the Italian Municipality or Italian identity card
- Validity and authenticity certificate ("certificado de legalidad") issued by the Dirección de Tránsito that issued the licence, with Apostille from the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Note: the Argentine passport is not considered a personal identity document for the purposes of this procedure in Italy and cannot replace the DNI.
Documents to be submitted to the Motor Vehicle Office
Once the consular certificate has been obtained, the application is submitted to the Civil Motorization Office. The documents required by DGTNO (Direzione Generale Territoriale del Nord Ovest, competent for Turin and Piedmont) are:
- Completed TT2112 application form
- Certificate of validity and authenticity of the Argentine driving licence containing the description of the vehicles the driver is authorized to drive, issued by the Argentine diplomatic-consular authorities in Italy with signature legalized at the Prefecture
- Original Argentine driving licence and front/back photocopy (the original licence is not withdrawn immediately: it will be handed over to the Motor Vehicle Office only when the new Italian driving licence is collected)
- Substitute declaration indicating the date and place of first acquisition of residence in Italy
- Valid identity document
- Tax code
- Valid residence permit (or renewal receipt in progress)
- 1 recent passport-size photograph, on a light background, bareheaded
- Medical certificate of physical and psychological fitness (not older than 3 months, issued by a doctor authorized under Article 119 of the Highway Code), subject to stamp duty, with photo
- Receipt of PagoPA payments: €10.20 (account 9001) + €32.00 (account 4028), with reason “Conversione di patente di guida estera paesi non UE”
Processing times
The procedure involves several steps and several authorities, so the total time may vary. As a general indication:
- Obtaining the Argentine consular certificate: depends on the Consulate’s processing times and on the completeness of the submitted documents
- Medical examination: from a few days to a few weeks, depending on the chosen facility
- Processing of the application by the Motor Vehicle Office: a few weeks, depending on the period
Putting all the steps together, it is realistic to estimate a total of 6 to 10 weeks from the start of the complete procedure. One more reason not to postpone it, especially if you are approaching the 4-year residence limit.
GR Servizi handles the procedure for you in Turin
The conversion of an Argentine driving licence is one of the most complex foreign licence conversion procedures, precisely because it requires a mandatory preliminary step through the Argentine Consulate before the application can be submitted to the Motor Vehicle Office. Coordinating between the two authorities, managing the documents in the correct format and meeting all deadlines requires attention.
GR Servizi in Turin handles the entire procedure for you: it collects and checks the documentation, supports you with the Consulate step, translates the necessary documents, books the medical examination, submits the application to the Civil Motorization Office and collects the new Italian driving licence on your behalf as soon as it is ready.
Contact us to find out immediately whether you are still within the required time limit and to start the procedure without wasting time.
📞 011 4366827 / 011 4319261 / 011 0266975
✉️
📍 Via della Consolata 17/E – 10122 Turin
🕐 Mon-Thu: 09:00–17:00 | Fri: 11:00–15:00
Sources: MIT – mit.gov.it | Direzione Generale Territoriale del Nord Ovest – dgtno.it | Consulate General of Argentina in Milan – cmila.cancilleria.gob.ar | International Agreement Italy–Argentina of 17/07/2003, in force since 17/02/2004.