How long is the foglio rosa valid?

How long does it last and when does the clock start?

Twelve months from the date of issue, under article 122, paragraph 6, of the Codice della Strada. The validity went from six to twelve months with the amendments of 2021, and the old six month figure still appears on many pages: it should be ignored. The clock starts when the document is issued, not on the day the theory test was passed.

The foglio rosa is the authorisation to practise driving. That is its administrative name, autorizzazione per esercitarsi alla guida, and the everyday name comes from the colour of the old paper form.

Is the foglio rosa needed for the theory test?

No, and this is where many pages go wrong. The foglio rosa is issued after the theory test. Theory attempts depend on the licence application, which lasts six months and allows two: the difference is explained on the page about retaking the theory test.

What does it allow?

It allows driving for practice with an accompanying driver alongside who, under article 122, paragraph 2, is no older than 65 and has held a licence for the same or a higher category for at least ten years. The accompanying driver has to supervise the driving. The vehicle displays the P plate, or the "scuola guida" sign if it belongs to a driving school, under paragraph 4.

Practice with a private accompanying driver is allowed only after the compulsory driving school lessons. Driving alone is not allowed during practice. Driving on a foglio rosa without an accompanying driver, or with one who does not meet the requirements, is an offence under the Codice della Strada, and the insurance consequences of a crash can be serious.

If a learner in Cagliari goes out alone to practise on a foglio rosa, with nobody beside him acting as instructor, he faces a fine of 430 to 1,731 euro (article 122, paragraph 8, of the Codice della Strada).

Which driving school lessons are compulsory during the foglio rosa?

Article 122, paragraph 5 bis, as amended by law 177 of 2024, requires category B learners to practise on motorways or extra-urban roads and in night conditions at a driving school, with a qualified instructor, and allows practice with a private accompanying driver only after those lessons are done. Two regimes currently coexist. The ministerial decree of 20 April 2012 sets at least six hours, the figure shown on the Ministry page on obtaining the category B licence. Ministerial decree no. 294 of 17 November 2025, published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale on 23 December 2025, raises the hours to eight, in four modules, but it applies to fogli rosa issued after the entry into force of the executive decree that activates the Motorizzazione certification platform. Which regime covers a given foglio rosa should be asked of the driving school or the issuing office. The obligation applies to independent candidates too.

What is paid during the foglio rosa?

The ministry page lists no separate payment for issuing the foglio rosa. When the practical test is booked, the N019 tariff is paid through PagoPA: 16.00 euro in stamp duty. Sicily, Valle d'Aosta, Trentino Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia have their own tariffs. Driving school lessons are priced freely and there is no national tariff.

What happens if the foglio rosa expires?

The document stops being valid, practice is no longer allowed and unused practical attempts are lost. The passed theory test is not necessarily lost, though. Under the so called riporto of the theory exam, reintroduced by the Ministry with circular 5411 of 2 March 2016 and updated with circular 24583 of 30 July 2019, someone who passed the theory can ask for the result to be carried onto a new foglio rosa, by filing a new application, and sit only the practical test.

The Ministry sets three limits on the riporto. It can be requested only once. The request must be filed after the foglio rosa expires and within two months, except for those who have already used all their attempts, who may file earlier. If the second foglio rosa also expires without a licence, the theory has to be sat again. The payments for the new application should be checked at the Motorizzazione counter.

What happens when the deadline gets close?

The calendar becomes the main problem. Two concrete cases.

A candidate in Florence receives her foglio rosa on 1 February. She puts off her lessons and sits the first practical test on 10 December, failing it. The second attempt cannot come before 10 January, while the foglio rosa expires on 1 February: one realistic chance is left. If that also goes wrong, she can request the riporto after expiry, by 1 April, and start again with a new foglio rosa.

A candidate in Lecce already used the riporto the year before and lets the second foglio rosa expire without passing the practical. The riporto cannot be repeated: he has to file a new application and sit the theory test again, with all the time that implies.

How much time is really needed inside the twelve months?

The law does not say, but its constraints do. One month minimum before the first test, one month minimum after every failed test, and booking no later than the fifth day before the test (article 121, paragraph 11): anyone wanting to keep all three attempts open should book the first one with many months to spare. Full detail is in the guide on the foglio rosa.

Legal source: Articoli 121 e 122 del Codice della Strada. The consolidated text of the Codice della Strada is on Normattiva.