# Tourist Visa in Italy



## AFgirlfriend (Mar 15, 2016)

Hello, my boyfriend lives in Italy and I have a few questions about visas.

I am an American citizen. I lived with him in Italy for 89 days, fully utilizing the 90 out of 180 days visa rule. I am leaving Italy on March 27th and would like to return on May 20th for another month. I don't want to wait the full 90 days because my boyfriend is stationed in Korea next, and we want to spend some time together before that happens. I know I would only be back in America for 55 days, instead of the full 90 required to return to Italy. How strict are they on this? Would I just be fined or what would the consequences be if I was caught? 

Second Question: I have a visa appointment on May 3rd to hopefully obtain another tourist visa so I can enter Italy again on May 20th, does anyone have any experience on how vast visas are processed if I were to be approved? Anyone have any experience on my chances of being approved? 

Thank you!


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## randle (Mar 13, 2016)

Americans don't need any visa to visit Italy as far you are not staying more than 6 months,so why did you apply for a tourist visa?


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## accbgb (Sep 23, 2009)

randle said:


> Americans don't need any visa to visit Italy as far you are not staying more than 6 months,so why did you apply for a tourist visa?


I believe she is hoping to get permission to return to Italy at a time which would violate the "90 days out of any 180 day period" rule.

Frankly, I don't think this (a special visa) will work. I also suspect that she would get turned away at the border if she tried to enter early without some sort of visa.


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

AFgirlfriend said:


> How strict are they on this?


Very. Increasingly so.



> Would I just be fined or what would the consequences be if I was caught?


If you're caught overstaying you could be barred from future entry into the Schengen Area for as long as 10 years.

You _can_ attempt to re-enter "early" on Schengen visa waiver privileges. You just cannot stay as long as you did the last time. The rule is simple: you cannot stay longer than 90 days out of any and every 180 day period. The last time you stayed ~89 days. If you stay out for 91 days, that's long enough to fully "reset your clock" and allow you to enter for another ~89 days. But if you stay out less than 90+ days then you can re-enter and stay for a shorter time -- but just not ~89 days. If admitted, you can stay for some shorter period of time than the time you were outside the Schengen Area.

And keep in mind you have no _right_ to enter and to stay in the Schengen Area. You're a foreign guest. If the border control officer wants to deny you entry even if you've complied with the 90/180 rule, he/she certainly can. A _couple_ long(ish) trips into the Schengen Area probably won't cause too much border control officer anxiety, but if you start really living in the Schengen Area on nothing more than tourist visas (or visa waiver privileges) then that's a problem.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

AFgirlfriend said:


> Second Question: I have a visa appointment on May 3rd to hopefully obtain another tourist visa so I can enter Italy again on May 20th, does anyone have any experience on how vast visas are processed if I were to be approved? Anyone have any experience on my chances of being approved?


This is a bit confusing as the term "tourist visa" normally refers to the 90 day stamp-in-the-passport Schengen visa. You can't apply for one of these at a consulate if you're from a country (like the US) where you can just get an automatic Schengen visa on entry.

You might be able to get a "visitor" visa for some period longer than 3 months (say, 6 months) if you have a valid "reason" and agree not to work while you're in Italy. But check the consulate website for what is required to get a long-stay visa for an American citizen.

As others have mentioned, in the past you probably could have gone back in without too much worry about the 90 days in 180 rule. And actually you can - but remember that it's a rolling 180 days, so the longer you stay out of Schengen, the longer you'll be able to remain on that second trip.

However, with the immigrant crisis the way it is right now, I would expect border security to be getting stricter in the coming months, so you'll be well served if you play by the rules as they are.
Cheers,
Bev


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Bevdeforges said:


> This is a bit confusing as the term "tourist visa" normally refers to the 90 day stamp-in-the-passport Schengen visa.


I was also thrown by that comment. Particularly considering....



> You might be able to get a "visitor" visa for some period longer than 3 months (say, 6 months) if you have a valid "reason" and agree not to work while you're in Italy.


As far as I know (and as far as the official or even unofficial information sources will admit), Italy doesn't offer a tourist visa longer than 90 days. There is an Elective Residence visa, but it's only issued when the applicant intends to stay longer than one year, and there are quite a few other requirements. Otherwise, anything longer than 90 days requires a specific, approved purpose: a course of study at an approved educational institution (student), medical treatment, or something else. "I just want to stay longer than 90 days with my boy/girlfriend/fiancé(e)" isn't a visa type they offer, I'm afraid.

Maybe AFgirlfriend can enlighten us.


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## AFgirlfriend (Mar 15, 2016)

*Tourist Visa wasn't the correct term!*

You guys are all correct, I worded it wrong. I wouldn't be applying for another tourist visa, as you said, that's impossible because the tourist visa is the 90 days and stamp on your passport. I've had trouble figuring out which visa to apply for, if there's even a chance of me getting one. We even went to the visa office in Pordenone, Italy with a translator, but they had no useful information for us, and waved us out of the office in a few minutes. 

I made an appointment at the Consulate General in Chicago in case I can figure out what visa to apply for, since appointments book so quickly. If I find out it's a lost cause, I will cancel my appointment so someone else can take the time slot.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Take a long, hard look at the consulate website. There may be some form of "visitor" visa - where you would have to show that you have adequate financial resources to get you through your proposed stay without being tempted to work. However, it's also common for this type of visa to require some "reason" for you to be in the country for the period of time you have requested. Usually this is something like studying the language (though this can sometimes be a student visa), doing some form of research (depends on your current area of employment), a "sabbatical" (it's possible to be on sabbatical from a non-teaching job). 

In any event, see what long-stay visa you may qualify for - or else you have to play the rolling 180 day period game and wait out some period of time before re-entering Italy.
Cheers,
Bev


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## accbgb (Sep 23, 2009)

You can play with the various options at this official website: Il visto per l'Italia

Note that you would not be applying for the "Up to 90 day" visa because your goal is to exceed that number (you have already used up 89 days and you want to return before the 90 days out-of-Schengen-area has elapsed). You need to select the "More than 90 days..." option.


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