Italy to sell personalised number plates for 600 euros under 2027 budget

What the budget proposes

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni presented the idea at the press conference on the 2027 budget bill, the last before the parliamentary elections. Italians would be able to choose the letters and numbers on their vehicle plate for 600 euros for a car and 360 euros for a motorcycle. The provision first appeared in a reform of the Codice della strada approved by the cabinet on 13 October, and Meloni confirmed it will now sit in the budget law. Current Italian plates follow a fixed pattern of two letters, three numbers and two letters, and it is not yet known how far the new rules will allow departures from it. Meloni described the plan lightly and encouraged people to be inventive:

“Something tells me the creativity of Italians could come into play here.”

Meloni also said the budget makes permanent the removal of road tax for cars up to 80 kilowatts and for motorcycles, which she said covers about 70% of vehicles in circulation.

Prices and how it would work

A car plate would cost 500 euros for the front and rear pair, paid to the State Printing Works, plus a 20% surcharge of 100 euros for the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, for a total of 600 euros. A motorcycle plate costs 300 euros plus a 60 euro surcharge, or 360 euros in total. Other registration charges are not included in those figures. The ministry has said plates would be issued on request, but the operating procedures remain undefined. For new cars the choice would form part of registration, while for vehicles already in use the Aci reading suggests a custom plate might be possible only when a plate is reissued after theft, loss or deterioration. Fanpage cites Belgium, where the service costs 1,030 euros, and Germany, at 12.80 euros, as comparisons.

Car plate total600

Motorcycle plate total360

Car plate total

600 EUR

Motorcycle plate total

360 EUR

Data from the article text

Timing and open questions

Sources disagree on when the service would start. Greek-language reporting gives late April 2027, while Italian reporting says it will not begin before 2028 and only once an implementing regulation sets the rules. That regulation has not been adopted, so the permitted characters remain open. Greek reporting adds that offensive, unclear or controversial combinations would be banned, and the reform itself says the chosen code cannot coincide with an existing one. Fanpage reported that government circles are considering an auction for the most sought-after plates, at least for the first three months, which could push prices well above 600 euros. That mechanism is still undefined and would depend on implementing decrees.

Opposition and public reaction

Opposition parties reacted sharply. Debora Serracchiani, a Democratic Party deputy and member of its national secretariat, said the government cared more about plates than about inflation, energy costs, fuel and stagnant wages. She opened her reaction with a short remark:

“It seems like a joke, but it is all true.”

Giuseppe Conte, leader of the Five Star Movement, listed real wages down 10% in five years, three years of industrial decline, a boom in the cassa integrazione wage-supplement scheme, and fuel above 2 euros for months. He said the budget gives 4.5 billion euros more to weapons in 2027 and 2.5 billion to health, which he called half of what the minister and the regions had requested, and closed with the phrase 'cost of living, I couldn't care less'. Nicola Fratoianni called the budget yet another embarrassing one that leaves its debts to whoever comes next. Online, memes showed Meloni as Marie Antoinette. Taxi drivers welcomed the plates because approved operators would be easier to identify, while others fear offensive wording will be allowed. Italy's public debt stands at about 139% of GDP. The government has not said how much revenue the plan should raise.