Poland investigates Polish license plate registration scheme in Naples

The Polish government has launched an investigation into the widespread use of Polish license plates on vehicles operating primarily in Naples, Italy. This phenomenon, described by some media as the ‘Naples scam,’ involves a mechanism where vehicles are removed from the Italian Public Automobile Register and re-registered in Poland through intermediaries. Owners then lease the vehicles back to themselves to secure significantly lower insurance costs.

According to ACI data, over 68,000 vehicles with Polish plates are circulating in Italy, with a high concentration in the Campania region. Mariusz Wichtowski, president of the Polish Motor Insurers Bureau, stated that authorities are working to recover millions of euros and have already initiated legal actions and arrests related to false registrations and uninsured accidents.

To combat this, Warsaw is preparing stricter regulations. Proposed measures include requiring vehicles to be physically present in Poland during periodic inspections and reforming road codes to mandate that foreign-registered vehicles operating in Italy must hold insurance from an Italian company or an authorized foreign insurer operating within the national territory.