Mandatory driving lessons, Italian licence B 2026: how many hours
The MIT licence B page still asks for a certificate of at least 6 hours of mandatory driving lessons, under the decree of 20 April 2012. MIT decree no. 294 of 17 November 2025 raises this to 8 hours in four modules, but only for learner permits (foglio rosa) issued after an implementing directorial decree enters into force.
How many mandatory driving hours does licence B require?
It depends on the date of the foglio rosa, not on the calendar year. Article 122, paragraph 5-bis, of the Codice della Strada requires licence B candidates to take lessons at a driving school, with a qualified instructor, on motorways or extra-urban roads and in night-time conditions. The number of hours is set by ministerial decree.
The first decree, of 20 April 2012, requires at least six hours. The second, DM no. 294 of 17 November 2025, published in Gazzetta Ufficiale no. 297 of 23 December 2025, requires eight. The new text has no fixed start date: article 6 makes it effective from the day a directorial decree governing the certification platform enters into force. On the date this page was updated, the official MIT page on obtaining licence B still listed the certificate of at least 6 hours.
| Item | Decree of 20 April 2012 | DM 294/2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum hours | 6 | 8 |
| Modules | 3 modules of 2 hours | 4 modules: A 2 hours, B 3 hours, C 2 hours, D 1 hour |
| Longest lesson | 2 hours a day | 2 hours a day |
| Who it covers | Applications filed from 2 May 2012 | Learner permits issued after the directorial decree enters into force |
| Proof of hours | Lesson logbook and attendance certificate from the school | Digital certification from the Motorizzazione platform, recorded in the national register of licence holders (ANAG) |
| Validity for a new application | New application within 6 months of the second failed practical test or permit expiry | 18 months from certification, with a valid theory pass |
| Licence B speciale | Left to a later decree | Exempt |
What changed, and from when?
The change comes from law no. 177 of 25 November 2024, which rewrote paragraph 5-bis of article 122. The new text says a licence B candidate may practise on the road with a private accompanying driver only after completing the lessons on motorways or extra-urban roads and at night. DM 294/2025 implements that rule: more hours, split into modules, with a digital platform replacing the paper logbook.
The decree is precise about timing. Article 6, paragraph 2, ties its effect to the directorial decree on the platform. Paragraph 3 applies the new rules to lessons taken with a learner permit issued after that point. Paragraph 4 keeps the 2012 rules for permits issued before. Many press articles give 22 April 2026 as the start: that date is not in the decree, and no directorial decree confirming it appears on mit.gov.it. The rule that applies to a given file should be confirmed with the driving school or the Motorizzazione office.
What does each module contain?
The content is set out in article 3 of DM 294/2025. Each module has its own goal and road type, and the order is only partly free.
| Module | Hours | Where | Content |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 2 | Urban roads or secondary extra-urban roads within 10 km of the school | Moving off, clutch, steering, braking, gears and reversing; ADAS driver aids; reducing in-car distraction; breakdown on the road, warning triangle, high-visibility vest and calling for help |
| B | 3 | Urban roads | Lane position, turns, junctions, roundabouts and traffic lights; safe distance and hill starts; priority near pedestrian and cycle crossings; cycle and bus lanes, school zones; U-turns, narrow passages, parking |
| C | 2 | Motorways or main or secondary extra-urban roads | Driving above 50 km/h in the highest available gear; efficient driving with lower fuel use and emissions |
| D | 1 | Urban roads, extra-urban roads or motorways | Night-time driving, with junctions controlled by signs and traffic lights |
Module A comes first, because it is a prerequisite for all the others. Module C requires at least one hour of module B already done. B and D have no order between them. One lesson may mix activities from modules B, C and D, as long as each part lasts at least thirty minutes (or a multiple of thirty) and the total stays within two hours that day.
Night-time driving has a strict definition: not before 20:00, or half an hour after sunset if that is earlier, and not after 06:45, or half an hour before dawn if that is later. The car needs dual controls at least for clutch and brake, and the same gearbox type shown on the foglio rosa. If the permit carries restrictions, the hours are reduced to match those restrictions.
How are the completed hours certified?
Under DM 294/2025 certification runs through the Motorizzazione data centre platform. After modules A and B the platform issues a partial certification; after C and D it issues the final one, recorded in the national register of licence holders. Under the 2012 rules the school keeps a logbook signed by instructor and student and issues an attendance certificate, which must be proven when the practical test is booked.
If a candidate in Trieste loses her logbook and the school does not issue the attendance certificate, the practical test cannot be booked: according to the MIT page on obtaining licence B, booking requires the certificate for a course of at least 6 hours.
Can a learner drive on the foglio rosa before finishing the hours?
At the driving school, yes: the mandatory hours are taken on the foglio rosa. With a private accompanying driver, the answer changes under the new rules. Article 4, paragraph 3, of DM 294/2025 says the final certification allows practice under paragraph 2 of article 122, that is with an accompanying driver aged 65 or under who has held a licence for at least ten years. A learner under the 8 hour rule therefore practises with a relative only after all four modules.
When practising on a motorway with a private accompanying driver, the learner must stay in the two right-hand lanes where there are three or more, and keep to the limits in article 117, paragraph 2: 100 km/h on motorways and 90 km/h on main extra-urban roads. On a motorway, main extra-urban road or at night, in a car that is not a school car, only the driver and the accompanying driver may be on board (article 5).
What are the consequences of driving without the certification?
The first consequence is practical: without the certificate the practical test cannot be booked, and under the new rules no practice with a private accompanying driver is allowed before final certification. For behaviour, the decree refers to penalties already in the Codice. Using lanes other than the two on the right or exceeding the article 117 limits is penalised under article 176, paragraph 21. Carrying anyone besides the accompanying driver is penalised under article 122, paragraph 9, with a fine of 87 to 344 euro. Driving alone on the foglio rosa falls under paragraph 8 of the same article: 430 to 1,731 euro and the vehicle impounded for three months. The general rules are in the foglio rosa guide.
If a young man in Perugia with a foglio rosa takes his parents' car out alone before finishing the hours and is stopped, he faces 430 to 1,731 euro and the vehicle impounded for three months (article 122, paragraph 8, of the Codice della Strada).
What happens if...?
A young woman in Modena received her foglio rosa before the directorial decree came into force. The 6 hours of the 2012 decree apply to her, even if she takes the lessons months later. Article 6, paragraph 4, of DM 294/2025 looks at the permit date, not at the date of each lesson.
A young man in Catania gets his foglio rosa once the 8 hours are operational and wants to practise with his father. He must first complete modules A, B, C and D at a school and obtain the final certification. At two hours a day at most, that means at least four days of lessons, starting with module A.
A candidate in Genoa completes the 8 hours, but her foglio rosa expires before she passes. If her theory pass is still valid, the certification can be used for a second application within 18 months of issue (article 4, paragraph 5). If the theory pass has also lapsed, she starts again.
If a privatista in Padua plans to do all his practice with his aunt, he will not be able to book the practical test, because the MIT page on obtaining licence B requires the certificate for at least 6 hours of driving school lessons at booking. Paragraph 5-bis of article 122 requires the hours at a driving school with a qualified instructor even for candidates not enrolled on a full course. The price of the lessons is not set by the decree and has to be asked for at the school.
Which mistakes waste time with the mandatory lessons?
- Taking the 22 April 2026 press date as certain, without asking which rule applies to one's own permit.
- Booking the night lesson at 19:00 in summer: before 20:00 it does not count as night-time driving.
- Starting with module C, when the decree requires module A and at least one hour of module B first.
- Planning three-hour lessons in a day: the decree does not allow lessons over two hours a day.
- Leaving the hours to the end of the twelve-month permit, with little room left for three practical attempts.
Official fees are in the guide on how much licence B costs; the steps before the test are in the checklist before the driving test.
Frequently asked questions
How many mandatory driving lessons does licence B require?
Under the decree of 20 April 2012 at least 6 hours at a driving school, and that is still the requirement the MIT licence B page lists when the practical test is booked. DM no. 294 of 17 November 2025 raises this to 8 hours in four modules, effective from an implementing directorial decree.
When do the 8 hours start?
DM 294/2025 takes effect on the day a directorial decree on the certification platform enters into force (article 6, paragraph 2). The date of 22 April 2026 appears in the press, but it is not in the text of the decree.
Does the application date or the foglio rosa date count?
The foglio rosa date. The 8 hours apply to lessons taken with a learner permit issued after the directorial decree enters into force; a learner permit issued before that stays under the 2012 rules (article 6, paragraphs 3 and 4).
Do independent candidates (privatisti) also need the mandatory lessons?
Yes. Article 122, paragraph 5-bis, of the Codice della Strada requires the lessons at a driving school with a qualified instructor for every licence B candidate, without distinguishing between school students and privatisti.
How many hours of lessons are allowed in one day?
Each lesson may not exceed two hours a day, under both the 2012 decree and DM 294/2025. Lessons are individual; only the emergency simulation in module A may be taught to a group of at most five students, lasting thirty minutes.
Do completed hours still count if the foglio rosa expires?
Under DM 294/2025 the certification stays valid for 18 months from issue, only for a second application and only if the theory test pass is still valid. Under the 2012 decree the certificate counted if the new application was filed within six months of the second failed practical test or of the foglio rosa expiry.
Does the 8 hour rule apply to the adapted licence B speciale?
No. DM 294/2025 covers the standard licence B and, in its preamble, exempts licence B speciale candidates, because an adapted vehicle matching each individual prescription is often hard to find.
Start dates may change with implementing measures. Legal notes.
Data as of 2026-09-07. Source: MIT decree no. 294 of 17 November 2025 (Gazzetta Ufficiale no. 297 of 23 December 2025), decree of 20 April 2012 (Gazzetta Ufficiale no. 95 of 23 April 2012) and decree of 3 October 2012, article 122 of the Codice della Strada, MIT page on obtaining licence B.