[REVISION HISTORY]

Polish licence-plate fraud in Naples

Updated 10 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-22 05:41 UTC → 2026-08-25 11:43 UTC · added ~~removed~~

By late August 2026, the Italian government has moved forward with specific measures within a draft of the new Highway Code to combat the widespread use of foreign license plates, particularly from Poland, to evade taxes and insurance costs. Under the proposed rules, vehicles with foreign plates used permanently in Italy must be insured by an Italian company or an entity authorized to operate within the country. This crackdown targets the phenomenon of ‘esterovestizione’, where owners re-register vehicles abroad to save up to 70% on insurance premiums, taxes, and other management costs. The practice is especially prevalent in regions like Campania, specifically around Naples, where local insurance rates are significantly higher. Beyond financial evasion, the practice complicates the ability of local police to issue and notify international traffic fines. The measure follows the 2022 implementation of the REVE (Registry of Foreign Vehicles) managed by ACI. The crackdown targets an estimated 50,000 vehicles. In addition to insurance requirements, the proposed reforms may introduce a requirement for vehicle owners to maintain a certified digital domicile (PEC) registered with the National Index of Digital Domiciles (INAD) for administrative tasks such as ownership transfers, periodic inspections, and registration updates. ~~This reform also aims~~ In response to ~~ensure traceability and adequate coverage for accident victims, addressing concerns that some foreign policies may be non-existent or provide insufficient protection. While~~ the scale of the issue, the Polish government ~~aims to close loopholes,~~ has launched an investigation into the scheme, which some ~~political figures~~ media have ~~criticized~~ termed the ~~move, suggesting it focuses on foreign plates without addressing regional disparities~~ ‘Naples scam’. This involves removing vehicles from the Italian Public Automobile Register and re-registering them in ~~domestic insurance tariffs. Furthermore, legal questions remain regarding whether these measures comply~~ Poland through intermediaries, often leasing them back to the owners. According to ACI data, over 68,000 vehicles with ~~EU directives on~~ Polish plates are now circulating in Italy. Mariusz Wichtowski, president of the ~~free movement~~ Polish Motor Insurers Bureau, stated that authorities are working to recover millions of ~~services. Industry associations~~ euros and have ~~until September 13~~ already initiated legal actions and arrests related to ~~submit proposals~~ false registrations and ~~observations regarding the text, with a final version expected by mid-October.~~ uninsured accidents.

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