Entering Italy

Non-EU nationals who wish to enter Italy must:

enter through an official border crossing point;
hold a valid passport or equivalent travel document authorizing them to cross the border;
hold an entry or transit visa, if required;
not be listed in the Schengen Information System as an inadmissible person;
not be considered to be a threat to public order, national security, public health, or international relations;
have sufficient means of subsistence to cover their intended stay and return to their country (showing a return ticket is sufficient proof).

Foreigners seeking to enter Italy are subject to checks by border, customs, currency, and health authorities.

Entry may be refused at the border, even if a valid entry or transit visa is held, if all of the above requirements are not met.

Foreigners who stay in Italy for visits, business, tourism or study for periods not exceeding 3 months are not required to apply for a residence permit.

If foreign citizens have arrived from non-Schengen states, they should report their presence to the border authorities when entering Italy and the border authorities will put a uniform Schengen stamp on their travel documents.

If foreign citizens have arrived from other Schengen states, they should report their presence to the local Questura (central police station in the province) filling out the relevant form within 8 days of their arrival in Italy.

For foreigners staying in a hotel, evidence of their presence is the registration form submitted to the hotel management and signed by the foreign guests on arrival. The hotel will provide a copy of this form to the foreign guest who can show it to police officers, if requested.

As from 8^th August 2009 a new bill (Law no. 94 of 15 July 2009) makes it a crime to enter or stay in Italy illegally. Therefore, foreign nationals caught entering or staying in Italy without permission commit the offence of illegal immigration, which is punishable by a fine ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 euros, and they are brought before the Justice of the Peace (Giudice di Pace) and repatriated. Hence, the Questore, after having expelled or rejected the foreigner, informs the Justice of the peace who passes a non-suit decision.

29/03/2010