The Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport has announced that the mutual recognition agreement for driving licenses signed by Rome and Rabat will come into effect on June 3rd, following the completion of all necessary legal procedures in this regard.
The Italian ministry clarified in a statement on its official website that “this significant achievement comes after the signing of the agreement on March 27, 2024, between Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini and the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco, Youssef Bla.” It emphasized that “thanks to this new agreement, it will be easier for citizens residing abroad from both countries to convert their driving licenses, thereby facilitating their faster integration into the economic and social fabric.”
Professional drivers and Moroccan citizens residing in this European country are relying on the implementation of this agreement to end the hardships they have faced and to reduce the administrative and regulatory hurdles that hinder their ability to integrate into the Italian job market.
In this context, Rashid Faique, a Moroccan professional driver in Italy, stated that “the announcement of the implementation of this agreement is long awaited by many Moroccans who were forced to go to other European countries, especially Romania, to validate their Moroccan driving licenses for work in Italy, which incurs additional costs.”
Faique added, in a statement to Hespress, that “this new development will facilitate the integration of Moroccans in Italy into the job market, especially since many of them were even deprived of driving their own cars due to the absence of this agreement and the complexity of obtaining an Italian driving license given the difficulty of the associated exam, not to mention the language barrier.”
The speaker mentioned that “Moroccan professional drivers in Italy still face significant difficulties regarding the professional card, the change of which also requires complicated administrative procedures, prompting Moroccans to head to France, for example, to obtain the card issued by its authorities due to the ease of procedures in that country compared to Italy.” He called on “Moroccan authorities to intervene with their Italian counterparts to work on this file, which could enhance the professional opportunities available to the community residing in Italy.”