How the Italian theory exam actually works
Last updated: · ✓ Checked against official sources
Every figure on this page was checked directly against the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT) and the Portale dell’Automobilista. Last verified: 13 August 2026. Official sources are linked at the bottom.
The format
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Questions | 30 |
| Time | 20 minutes |
| Maximum wrong answers | 3 |
Four mistakes is a fail. These figures changed on 20 December 2021 (Decreto ministeriale 27/10/2021) — before that it was 40 questions, 30 minutes and 4 permitted errors. Plenty of older websites and printed manuals still show the old numbers. Check the date on anything you study from.
Language — the part nobody tells you honestly
The exam is in Italian. The official question papers are published in exactly three versions: Italian, French and German. French and German exist because of the protected linguistic regions of Valle d’Aosta and Alto Adige — not as a service to immigrants.
There is no English version. There is no Bangla, Arabic, Urdu, Romanian or Chinese version either, no matter what you may have been told, and no matter how much you offer to pay.
Audio support: what it is and what it is not
Audio support (supporto audio) does exist, and non-Italian citizens are explicitly one of the three eligible categories. You request it when you submit your TT 2112 application, on a stamped form with a signed declaration (dichiarazione sostitutiva) that you do not know written Italian — “non conoscere la lingua italiana nella forma scritta”.
But read this carefully: the audio plays in Italian, French or German. It reads the Italian question aloud. It does not translate it. If you can understand spoken Italian but struggle to read it, this helps enormously. If you do not speak Italian at all, it does not help you.
That gap is exactly why this site exists.
How many attempts you get
- Theory: 2 attempts within 6 months, counted from the date you submit your application (domanda)
- Practical: 3 attempts within 11 months, counted from the month after you pass the theory
In the Ministry’s own words: “per la teoria: 2 prove in 6 mesi, a partire dalla data di presentazione della domanda”.
Fail both theory attempts and you start over with a new application — new fees, new medical certificate. Preparing properly the first time is the cheap option.
After you pass: the foglio rosa
The foglio rosa is issued only after you pass the theory exam — not before, and it is not something you get just by enrolling. Every foglio rosa issued since 10 November 2021 is valid for 12 months, and allows 3 practical driving test attempts.
If your foglio rosa expires before you manage to sit the practical, a passed theory result can in some cases be carried over to a new foglio rosa (riporto dell’esame di teoria). Note the limitation: the ministerial circular frames this as relief for candidates delayed by the motorizzazione’s own scheduling — not as a general right for everyone who runs out of time.
Official fees
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Theory exam — diritti | €26.40 |
| Theory exam — bolli | €16.00 |
| Practical exam — bolli | €16.00 |
All paid through pagoPA.
⚠️ These are state fees only. Driving school tuition, the medical certificate and driving lessons are separate, are market prices, and vary widely by city. Anyone quoting you a single “official total cost” for a licence is either confused or selling something.