Italy is preparing to introduce personalised vehicle registration plates, allowing motorists to select their preferred combinations of letters and numbers for a fee.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced the measure on Oct 28 while presenting the government’s 2027 budget proposals.
Under the proposed scheme, personalised plates will cost €600 (about RM2,700) for cars and €360 (about RM1,630) for motorcycles, excluding normal registration charges.
The €600 car fee comprises €500 for producing the front and rear plates and a €100 surcharge payable to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.
Motorists will still have to follow Italy’s existing seven-character registration format of two letters, three numbers and two letters.
The plates will retain their standard dimensions, black lettering, white background and blue side bands. Certain letters, including I, O, Q and U, will remain prohibited to avoid confusion.
Combinations already assigned to other vehicles cannot be reused while those registrations remain active.
Unlike personalised plates in some countries, the Italian versions will remain attached to the vehicle rather than its owner.
Although Italian legislation previously provided for personalised registrations, the system was never implemented because supporting regulations were not introduced.
The latest proposal forms part of a wider revision of Italy’s Highway Code, which received cabinet approval on Oct 13.
According to Italian news agency ANSA, the legislation is expected to take effect formally in January 2028, although additional regulations and computer system updates will be required before applications can begin.
