Before you start

Residence registered with the comune, which starts the twelve-month clock
Your original licence plus a sworn translation, unless it is an EU one
Codice fiscale
Medical certificate from an authorised doctor

Step-by-step

1
Check the reciprocity list before assuming conversion is possible
Italy converts EU and EEA licences and those from a defined list including Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Argentina and Morocco. The US, UK, Australia, India and China are not on it, and for those the Italian exams are the only route.
OnlineWho: You
2
Treat the twelve-month grace period as a deadline
A foreign licence remains valid for one year from the date residence is registered, alongside an International Driving Permit or a sworn translation. After that it has no legal effect in Italy regardless of its own expiry.
In personWho: You12 months from residence registration
3
Convert at the Motorizzazione or enrol at an autoscuola
Conversion is a booked appointment with licence, translation, medical certificate and fees. For the exam route an autoscuola handles the foglio rosa and the scheduling, and in Naples that administrative help is worth the fee on its own.
In personWho: You
4
Prepare for a theory exam in Italian
The quiz is offered in Italian, German and French. Thirty literal true/false statements with a low error tolerance and technical vocabulary. Most non-Italian candidates take an autoscuola course for the phrasing.
In personWho: You
5
Map the several ZTLs before driving into the centre
Naples operates separate limited-traffic zones over the centro antico, the Pignasecca and Dante area, Chiaia's Morelli-Filangieri streets and the Marechiaro coast road, each with its own hours, plus a low-emission scheme. They are camera-enforced and each crossing is a separate fine.
OnlineWho: You
6
Use the metro, the funiculars and the regional lines instead
Metro line 1 loops the centre and climbs to Vomero and the northern districts; three funiculars serve the hill; the Cumana and Circumflegrea run west and the Circumvesuviana east to Pompeii and Sorrento. A monthly urban pass covers most daily needs.
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Documents you’ll need

Original driving licence
Sworn translation or International Driving Permit
Passport and permesso di soggiorno or receipt
Certificate of residence
Medical certificate from an authorised doctor
Codice fiscale and passport photographs

Things most newcomers don’t know

Naples has among the highest motor insurance premiums in Italy, and it is a large recurring cost.

Premiums are risk-priced by province, and Naples' combination of claim frequency and theft history puts it at or near the top of the national table year after year — often several times what the same driver would pay in Trento or Aosta. Anyone budgeting a move here from the north should price the insurance before deciding to bring the car, because it can exceed the difference in rent.

Source: IVASS; community-reported

Unauthorised parking attendants are illegal and paying them is not a fee you owe.

Parcheggiatori abusivi operate openly around the centre, the seafront and the stadium, asking for money to 'watch' a parked car. It is an offence with escalating penalties for the attendant, the comune runs enforcement campaigns, and there is no legal obligation on you to pay. It is also a genuinely uncomfortable interaction for a newcomer, and the cleanest way to avoid it entirely is not to bring a car into the city.

Source: Comune di Napoli

The theory exam is not offered in English, which rules out self-study for most Anglophone arrivals.

Britons, Americans, Australians and Indians cannot convert their licences, so all of them must sit the Italian exams — and English was withdrawn from the available languages. The questions are literal true/false statements where one word changes the answer. Naples' autoscuole handle this routinely; attempting it alone in a language you are still learning is the expensive route.

Source: Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport

Metro line 1 and the funiculars cover the geography that would otherwise force you to drive.

Naples is built on hills, which is the usual argument for a car. Line 1 loops from the centre up through Vomero and out to the northern districts, and three separate funiculars climb the hill from Chiaia, Montesanto and Via Toledo. Combined with the Cumana west and the Circumvesuviana east, the network reaches almost everywhere a resident actually goes. The gaps are the eastern industrial belt and the late-night service.

Source: ANM; community-reported