# Schengen visa, Student + Tourist



## Kadin.T.Goldberg (Oct 26, 2012)

Hey,
Is it possible to use a tourist visa for say 3 weeks and then switch to using a student visa?

For example, If a student wants to travel for 3 weeks before their 1 year school starts, can they travel on a tourist visa for the first 3 weeks and then use the student visa to complete their full year at school?

Thanks for the info,
Kadin


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

That's an interesting question. I assume you mean entering the Schengen Area after you have obtained a student visa.

Foreign students aren't trapped in the Schengen Area. The terms of your student visa allow some foreign (non-Schengen) travel -- to go home to visit family, etc. As long as you respect the validity period and the other terms (such as getting a residence permit), you're fine.


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## Kadin.T.Goldberg (Oct 26, 2012)

Yeah, I mean obtaining a student visa and then traveling on a tourist visa in the Schengen area before school starts.

I start school April 9th but want to travel in the Schengen area starting March 9th. Because my school is 1 year long the student visa only works for that time. I am wondering if I will be able to travel for the first month on the tourist visa and then switch to the student visa when I start school.


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

I can think of a couple options:

1. Apply for a student visa with a start date of March 9th. The consulate will likely ask "why?" whereupon you'd explain why you want an earlier entry (boosting language proficiency, for example). They may or may not approve that. If they don't approve the earlier date, ask if there are other options.

2. Apply for the visa in early March. Return to your home country (U.S. presumably) to pick up your visa in early April. (Make sure the consulate is OK with that schedule, of course.)

3. (Very speculative.) Ask the consulate if you can pick up your visa at the Italian consulate in London. Then you'd do the same thing as Option 2, except your trip to the consulate to pick up your visa would be a lot shorter. I doubt that'll work, but you could ask.


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## Kadin.T.Goldberg (Oct 26, 2012)

Thanks for the help so far. Still trying to figure this out.

Does anyone know if I can change from a tourist visa to a student visa by going to an embassy once I arrive in Italy or do you have to leave the Schengen region?

I guess I could fly to the UK in between my travels as a tourist and my stay as a student... do think that this is necessary? That way I could enter Sweden on a tourist visa and then fly to the UK (leaving the Schengen area), and then fly from the UK to Italy and enter as a student.

Any other advice would be very much appreciated. Getting kinda stressed out!!

Kadin


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Kadin.T.Goldberg said:


> Does anyone know if I can change from a tourist visa to a student visa by going to an embassy once I arrive in Italy or do you have to leave the Schengen region?


I'm afraid not. You have to pick up your student visa at an Italian embassy or consulate abroad, normally (maybe only) the one serving your place of residence. The student visa is a prerequisite for getting a residence permit. You cannot change your status to student once in Italy.

One other possibility might be to get two visas: tourist and student. While there is no requirement for a U.S. citizen to get a tourist visa to visit the Schengen Area for up to 90 days, there's no prohibition either as far as I know. So conceivably you could get a 30 day tourist visa starting March 2nd and a 365 day student visa starting April 1st (for example). That'll make it clear what you're doing to everybody concerned.


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## Kadin.T.Goldberg (Oct 26, 2012)

So you can get a visa that starts at a certain date even if you don't get the visa stamped at that time?


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

The consulate would know best, but you could propose that idea as a possible solution.

Actually, I may be overthinking this. The visa is for entry not for residence. Once you have entered you would apply for your residence permit. Then you can renew your residence permit in Italy if necessary and if the purpose of your stay (study) is continuing. Chances are that your first PdS would be issued with a sufficient duration but, if not, renewal without leaving Italy is possible.

Anyway, what you'd do is get your student visa before leaving for Sweden, fly to Sweden and let them sort out your entry status (tourist or student), move on to Italy, get your dichiarazione di presenza from the questura within 8 days of arriving in Italy (since you don't go through passport control on a flight from Sweden to Italy, and you'll need that), and apply for your PdS within 90 days -- don't wait until the last minute! -- of your arrival in Sweden (your first entry into the Schengen Area). (The university might want you to apply relatively quickly.) Then renew your PdS if necessary to extend your stay in Italy.

That should work, but ask the consulate. If you give them the full airline itinerary (including the initial stay in Sweden) they'll figure it out anyway.


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