Driving School - Start of activity

Requirements for carrying out the activity

The driving school must carry out the activity of training drivers to obtain licences of any category. To this end, it must possess adequate technical and teaching equipment and have teachers and instructors recognised as suitable by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. Driving schools may form consortia and set up a motor vehicle instruction centre, to which they may entrust the training for obtaining all categories of driving licences, including special ones, with the exception of category B, and professional qualification documents.

The owner must submit a certified start-up report and in any case the activity cannot be commenced before the possession of the prescribed requirements has been verified.

In the case of the opening of further premises, possession of all the prescribed requirements (except financial capacity) must be demonstrated and a head teacher who meets the above requirements must be appointed. The latter may be an employee or family helper, or in the case of partnerships or corporations must be a partner or director respectively.

Venue requirements

The driving school premises must include

• a classroom with a surface area of no less than 25 sq.m. with suitable furniture and separate from the offices or other premises for receiving the public
• a secretarial office with a surface area of no less than 10 sq.m., adjacent to the classroom and located on the same premises with an independent entrance;
• toilets.

The minimum height is that provided for by the building regulations in force in the municipality where the driving school is located. The use of the premises must be compatible with the driving school activity and the premises must comply with the regulations in force regarding the removal of architectural barriers.

Teaching equipment

The teaching material for theoretical instruction consists of a series of signs and tables on road signs and vehicle components, and this material may be replaced by audiovisual or multimedia supports.

For driving exercises the driving schools, also through membership of a consortium, must have the availability of the vehicles needed to obtain all driving licences in accordance with Articles 6 and 7 bis of Ministerial Decree 317/95.

All vehicles are equipped with double controls at least for the clutch and brake, with the exception of those in categories AM, A1, A2, A and B1.

List of authorised driving schools

Anyone wishing to start a driving school business must meet the following subjective requirements

• age of not less than 21 years
• secondary school diploma
• qualification as a theory teacher;
• driving instructor qualification;
• at least two years' experience in the last five years as a theory teacher or driving instructor;
• not having been declared a habitual, professional or trendy offender and not having been subject to administrative measures of personal security or measures of prevention;
• financial capacity (bank certificate for 25,822.84 Euro, or ownership of real estate for 51,645.69 Euro).

In the case of legal persons, the requirements listed above (with the exception of financial capacity, which must be possessed by the legal person) are required of the legal representative. In the case of companies without legal personality, the requirements must be possessed by all managing partners.

The owner of the driving school must have direct, personal, exclusive and permanent ownership and management of the driving school's assets.

• contact the head of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Office at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, see 'Contact Points'.