Guide · Vatican City

Driving a UK-registered car in Vatican City: who can get Vatican plates, the Italian rules in Rome, and the alternative

Vatican plates are for very few people. Most UK cars near the Vatican come under the Italian rules for Rome residents: three months, then fines.

Last reviewed October 2026

How long can I keep it on UK plates?

Vatican City keeps its own vehicle register through its Department of Motor Vehicles, run by the Governorate's legal office. SCV plates are for vehicles of the State and the bodies of the Holy See; CV plates are for vehicles of Vatican citizens and of non-citizens given a permit because of their role. The Vatican publishes no rules on how long a resident may use a foreign-registered car, so if you live inside the Vatican, ask the department. If you live in Rome, Italian law applies: once you are resident in Italy, a car on foreign plates must be registered in Italy within three months. After that the owner faces a fine of €400 to €1,600, the police withdraw the registration document and have the car taken to a storage yard, and if it is not registered in Italy or taken out of the country within 30 days, it is confiscated.

Can a right-hand-drive car be registered?

For Italian plates, yes. Right-hand-drive cars can be registered in Italy, but at the visita e prova the Motorizzazione checks that the headlamps are converted or replaced for driving on the right, that the rear fog lamp is in the centre or on the left, that the car has two exterior mirrors and that the speedometer reads in km/h. Italian buyers pay less for right-hand drive. The Vatican publishes no technical rules of its own.

What registering it involves

If you think you qualify for CV plates, ask the Vatican's Department of Motor Vehicles in the Governorate's legal office.
For Italian plates: the apostilled V5C with a sworn translation and the manufacturer's technical data sheet, then an inspection and road test (visita e prova) at the Motorizzazione.
Registration with the Documento Unico, Italian plates and the IPT, usually through an agenzia pratiche auto, then Italian insurance and the annual bollo.

What it costs

Vatican plates: holders pay an annual road tax to the Department of Motor Vehicles, with some exemptions. The amounts are not published.
IPT: €150.81 up to 53 kW, or about €3.51 per kW of the car's power above that, plus a provincial surcharge of up to 30%: about €456 for a 100 kW car where the full surcharge applies.
About €100 in fixed registration fees, plus plates, sworn translations, the apostille, headlamp work and any agency fee, then the bollo every year and a revisione every two years.

The alternative: sell it back to the UK

Driving the car back to the UK from Rome means two long days or more on the road, plus fuel, tolls, the Channel crossing and the journey back, and it only works while the MOT and UK insurance are valid. Selling to us skips all of that: we buy the car as it stands, collect it free from your address in Rome or the Vatican, handle the export paperwork and pay in pounds sterling (£) on collection day.

Get a free valuation for your car in Vatican City

Free collection anywhere in Vatican City, all export paperwork handled, paid in pounds sterling (£) on the day.

Value my UK car

Common questions

I work at the Vatican but live in Rome. Which rules apply to my car?

The Italian ones, because your residence is in Italy: three months from taking up residence to put a car on foreign plates onto Italian plates. Our Italy guide covers them in full.

I live inside the Vatican. Can I keep driving on UK plates?

The Vatican doesn't publish a rule on this, so ask its Department of Motor Vehicles. If you don't qualify for CV plates and don't want to put the car through Italian registration, selling it back to the UK is the simple way out.

What if the MOT has expired?

Not a problem. We buy cars with an expired MOT, no UK tax or a SORN, and collect them by transporter.

Rules, rates and thresholds change. This guide is a general summary as of October 2026, not legal or tax advice — check the current position with the registration authority before relying on it.

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