While visas are not always required to visit Italy, visitors from some countries must obtain a visa before traveling to Italy. Also, most citizens of countries outside the European Union must have a visa if they visit Italy for more than 90 days or if they plan to work in Italy. Even if you don’t need a visa, you will need a valid passport.
Since visa requirements can change, it is always wise to check the latest information from your government’s state department before traveling.
What is the Schengen area?
When researching the passport and visa requirements for Italy, you will see the term ‘Schengen Zone’ or ‘Schengen Area’. The Schengen area is made up of European Union (EU) countries that have abolished internal passport controls at borders.
Because these countries allow free transit for EU citizens and visitors, once a traveler enters a Schengen Area country, they have the freedom to travel from one country to another. The caveat is that most visitors can only stay for a maximum of 90 days in the Schengen Area. They must then leave the Schengen Area for a minimum of 90 days before they are allowed to re-enter and travel again for another 90 days.
Citizens of the United States and Canada.
If you are a citizen of the United States and Canada and you want to visit Italy for 90 days or less, you do not need a visa.
What do you need? Tourists must have a valid passport that expires more than 90 days after they leave the EU Schengen Area. So if you arrive on June 1 and plan to stay 90 days until August 29, you need a passport that is valid until at least 90 days after August 29.
At your point of entry to the Schengen Area, be it at the airport in Rome, Paris or Barcelona, for example, you will be asked to show proof of a return ticket to your home country or to a non-Schengen country . The customs agent may ask about the purpose of your trip, where you will be staying, what other countries you plan to visit. Although you will not have a sheet of paper marked “visa”, you will essentially be in Italy on a tourist visa, which is valid for 90 days.
It sounds complicated, but it is actually quite simple. You can travel within Italy and within the countries of the EU Schengen Area for a total of 90 days, period. As a tourist, you cannot legally stay in Italy or the Schengen Area for more than 90 days. You cannot come to Italy (or Schengen) with open plans to try to stay longer, look for work, or decide if you want to move long term.
Before the 90 days are up, you will need to leave Italy and the Schengen Area, and stay outside for a minimum of 90 days before visiting again. It sounds rigid, but it is one of the means of Italy and the EU to control illegal immigration.
How to know if you need a visa
To find out if you need a visa, go to the Italian government’s Visa for Italy website. There you will select your nationality and country of residence, how long you plan to stay (up to 90 days or more than 90 days) and the reason for your visit.
If you plan to travel as a tourist, select tourism . Click confirm to see if you need a visa. If you are traveling as a student for a period of more than 90 days, your home institution or the school in Italy where you registered to study will help you to organize your legal stay in Italy.
How to get an Italian visa
If you need a visa, the Visa for Italy website will take you to a page that tells you what is required with links for the necessary forms, where to apply, and the cost. Submitting an application does not guarantee that you will get a visa, so do not travel until you have the actual visa.
If you have more questions or need help with your visa application, you will also find an email address on that page. Please direct any visa questions you have to the email address provided by the embassy or consulate in the country where you live.
Important Visa and Travel Tips:
- Make sure you apply for your visa well in advance of when you plan to travel. Keep copies of all documents and forms you submit and bring supporting documents with you when you travel.
- If you don’t have the proper documents on hand when you arrive in Italy (or the Schengen Area), you will be denied entry. If you are discovered in Italy on an expired tourist visa (meaning you have stayed for more than 90 days), you will be promptly shipped from Italy and the Schengen Area, at your expense. It is not recommended to stay beyond the allotted time allowed.
