Italy drops proposed mandatory certified email rule from Highway Code reform

Salvini rejects mandatory certified email

Italy will not require vehicle owners to register a certified electronic mail (PEC) address to conduct administrative driving tasks under the upcoming Highway Code reform. Transport Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini confirmed on Saturday morning, 22 August 2026, that the requirement will not be part of the final legislative text. The base draft under consultation had contemplated making a digital domicile registered in the national registry (INAD) compulsory for car and motorcycle owners when accessing key administrative services. Salvini announced the decision through a statement released by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT) following public concern over the proposed rules.

The proposal to bind requests for the issuance or renewal of a driving licence, vehicle registration, or vehicle inspection to the communication of a digital domicile, with a mandatory PEC, will not be included in the new Highway Code.

Scope of the proposed administrative rules

Under the initial draft, the digital domicile requirement covered a wide spectrum of routine motoring procedures. The proposed rules mandated a PEC address for driver's licence issuances and renewals, periodic vehicle inspections, initial registrations, and re-registrations required after number plate thefts. The regulation also encompassed foreign-plated vehicles driven permanently in Italy, requiring a verified digital address to complete registration in the foreign vehicle register (Reve).

The potential rule changes introduced complex procedures for vehicle ownership transfers. Under the proposed mechanism, both the buyer and the seller had to maintain active digital domiciles in order to register the transaction. Car practice agencies would have been required to conduct preliminary checks against the INAD database, carrying the risk of frozen sales if either party failed to comply. In Italy, certified email is only mandatory for registered professionals and businesses, while remaining voluntary for private citizens. Annual subscriptions for standard commercial PEC services cost between 5 and 15 euros, with specialized professional plans reaching several dozen euros per year. The draft also left unresolved the operational role of intermediaries such as Automobile Club d'Italia (ACI) offices and dealerships, as well as the impact on elderly citizens and residents in areas with limited internet connectivity.

Stakeholder consultation and next steps

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport clarified that the digital domicile measure was merely one proposal among many submitted during the summer review process. Throughout August 2026, more than 100 industry associations, technical experts, trade professionals, labour unions, and commercial enterprises submitted suggestions and feedback to the ministry regarding the reform.

The ministry has set a target date of 13 September 2026 to begin compiling the definitive text of the Highway Code reform, leaving more than a month for officials and stakeholders to amend existing drafts. Salvini emphasized that the ministry intends to focus on streamlining administrative burdens for citizens rather than creating new procedural barriers, while concentrating legislative efforts on road safety improvements.

No obligation and no new constraints. We are working to simplify procedures and the lives of citizens, and above all to guarantee more safety for everyone on Italian roads.