# Italy may make rental companies pay the fines foreign renters leave unpaid: what the draft says, and what it means > A draft revision of Italy's highway code, reported on 16 and 17 September 2026, would let the authorities pursue the rental company when a customer living abroad does not pay a traffic fine. The rental industry association ANIASA opposes it and says about 3.5 million fines a year are issued on rental cars in Italy, 43% of them to non-resident drivers. Nothing has been adopted. Today the renter is liable for the fine, and Italian authorities have 360 days to notify a driver who lives abroad. Updated: 2026-10-26 ยท Source: https://scratchfair.com/en/blog/italy-unpaid-fines-foreign-renters-draft If you rent a car in Rome or Sicily and drive into a restricted zone without noticing, the fine usually finds you months later, at home. ==A draft revision of Italy's highway code would add a new step: if a customer who lives abroad does not pay, the authorities could turn to the rental company instead.== The plan was reported on 16 and 17 September 2026, after the rental industry sent its objections to the transport ministry. Nothing has been decided yet. Here is what the draft says, why the industry is against it, and what it means for you today. ## What the draft would change Italy is rewriting its Codice della Strada, the highway code. According to Newsauto, the draft would make rental companies economically responsible for fines that foreign customers leave unpaid. In the words of ANIASA, the Italian association of rental and mobility companies, the public administration "could recover the amount directly from the owner of the vehicle", which for a rental car is the rental company. Virgilio Motori, which looked at the draft a day later, explains how that fits the current rules. Article 196 of the code makes the owner of a car jointly liable with the person who committed the offence. Since a 2021 amendment, the renter of a car hired without a driver takes the place of the owner. The draft would keep that, but allow the authorities to go after the rental company when a customer resident abroad does not pay. A company that pays could then try to recover the money from the driver. ## Why the rental industry objects ANIASA has asked for the clause to be dropped. Its figures show the scale: about 3.5 million fines a year on rental cars in Italy, 43% of them committed by drivers who do not live in the country. Entering a limited traffic zone accounts for 20% of the offences, speeding for 15% and using reserved lanes for 3%. Italo Folonari, the association's president, told Virgilio Motori that an administrative difficulty for the state should not become a liability for the rental company. ANIASA instead wants a central ministry system to manage and collect fines from foreign drivers, and faster adoption of the updated EU rules on cross-border traffic fines. It also asks that unpaid tolls be charged only to the person who had the car at the time. ## What the EU rules already do The EU updated its cross-border rules in Directive (EU) 2024/3237, which countries have to put into national law by 20 July 2027. The directive lets EU countries exchange vehicle data for a wider list of offences. When a final fine above 70 euros remains unpaid, the country of the offence can ask the driver's home country for help enforcing it. That is the route ANIASA wants Italy to use, rather than the rental company. Our article on [traffic fines abroad in a rental car](https://scratchfair.com/en/blog/traffic-fines-abroad-rental-car) explains how the exchange works and which deadlines apply. ## What this means if you rent a car in Italy For now, nothing changes. The renter is still the person liable for a fine, and the rental company usually passes your details on to the authority. Two rules from the current code are worth knowing. Authorities have 360 days to notify a driver who lives abroad, against 90 days for residents, so a fine can arrive long after your trip. And according to Virgilio Motori, the company may charge you an administrative fee for handling the data only if your contract provides for it. When a fine does arrive, check it before you pay. It should name the place, date and time, the offence and the authority that issued it. Look separately at what the rental company charged you, because its fee and the fine are two different things. Our guide to the [admin fee for a traffic fine](https://scratchfair.com/en/knowledge/credit-card/traffic-fine-admin-fee-rental-car) shows when you can dispute that fee, and the [deadline calculator](https://scratchfair.com/en/tools/deadlines) helps you keep track of the time to pay or appeal. The single biggest cause of fines is still the restricted traffic zones in Italian city centres. Read [how ZTL fines reach you in a rental car](https://scratchfair.com/en/blog/italy-ztl-fines-rental-car) before you drive into a historic centre, and our guide to [a damage claim in Italy](https://scratchfair.com/en/knowledge/by-country/car-rental-damage-claim-italy) if the rental company sends you more than a fine. ## FAQ **Is the new Italian rule on rental car fines already in force?** No. It is part of a draft revision of the Codice della Strada that was reported in September 2026. The rental industry has sent its objections to the transport ministry, and no final text or start date has been published. **Who pays an Italian fine for a rental car today?** Under the current Article 196 of the Italian highway code, the renter of a car hired without a driver is liable in place of the owner, together with whoever committed the offence. The rental company usually gives your details to the authority, which then writes to you. **How long can an Italian fine take to reach me at home?** For people who live abroad, Article 201 of the Italian highway code gives the authorities 360 days to notify the fine, compared with 90 days for residents of Italy. A fine for a summer trip can therefore still arrive the following spring. **Can the rental company charge me a fee for passing on my details?** According to Virgilio Motori, a rental company may charge an administrative fee for handling the data, but only if your contract provides for it. The fee is separate from the fine itself, so check the terms you signed before you accept it. ## Sources - [Newsauto: Nuovo Codice della Strada, multe dei clienti stranieri sulle auto a noleggio (16 September 2026, Italian)](https://www.newsauto.it/notizie/nuovo-codice-strada-multe-clienti-stranieri-auto-noleggio-2026-639006/) - [Virgilio Motori: Noleggio auto e multe agli stranieri, e adesso chi paga? (17 September 2026, Italian)](https://www.virgilio.it/motori/info-utili/multe-stranieri-noleggio-auto/347689/) - [European Parliament Legislative Observatory: summary of Directive (EU) 2024/3237 on cross-border exchange of information on road-safety-related traffic offences](https://oeil.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/en/document-summary?id=1800147)