Do I Really Need a Tourist Visa?

No visa needed to be a tourist in Italy or to do tourist travel within the countries that are part of the Schengen Area, as long as your stay is not longer than 90 days within a 180-day period. All you need is your current Passport, assuming it won't expire within 6 months of your stay. If it's even close to expiring, I'd see about getting it renewed. (I don't like to live too close to the wire.) And take care you don't go over the 90 days. Google 'Schengen countries' to see the list. I mention this because even though you say only Rome, you may wish to travel a bit during your long stay.

My experience has been that if you have a round trip ticket which shows what date you are flying back to the United States, and that date is less than 90 days and you don't indicate that you are there for any other purpose other than a vacation (ie, trying to find work, go to school, get medical treatment, etc.), then they are entirely satisfied. If they ask where you are staying, you can provide them with the name and address of the hotel or apartment you are staying at (or if you are staying with relatives or friends, you can list their address) - you don't need to give them an entire night by night accounting of what places you are staying in if you will be traveling around to more Italian cities than just Rome. They may ask if you are planning to visit any other countries during that time. So if you are positive that you will be visiting a neighboring country, then you could mention that if they ask you.

I'm amending my response because Ceidleh brings up good points. Because your stay is long, Passport Control may ask you more questions than they would ask a tourist staying only for a few weeks. In that case, it would be good to have some additional documentation about your stay, just to make your entry go more smoothly. Also, be aware that on your return trip you will be required to fill out a U.S. Customs form listing all the purchased items you are bringing back. So keep receipts and good records to be able to do that easily.

Thank you for your responses! My airline ticket will say the round trip travel is until December 17th, which is less than 90 days. I will be in London and Ireland from September 2nd-Sept 23rd, so when I enter Italy on the 23rd-Dec. 17th, that will be within the 90 days because UK and Ireland do not count towards the Schengen Area. I will carry with me a bank statement, proof of residence at the apartment I will be staying at and of course, my airline ticket. Hopefully, that will be enough, as this is a lot simpler than applying for a visa! Thank you for all your help!

You are over thinking this. First off, nobody has an airline ticket these days so a copy of your ticket confirmation is about all you have. Don't worry about a bank statement or anything else. Listen to immigration officer's question and answer directly - DO NOT add information. The purpose of your trip? Vacation ! Not - I am visiting my sister's cousin then I going to xxx for month but I may go.... etc. Too much information. Second, may ask where are you staying. Give them the name of the first place. Keep it simple. There have been times when the immigration office, just looked at me to check the passport picture and stamped it. No questions. Say thank you and more on. Second, even if you wanted a visa you could not obtain a visa for less than 90 days. Third, the comment about six month left on your passport is often repeated and may be on the State Department web site. While it is good general advice, it is not a hard and fast rule. Some countries might insist on three months but as long as the passport expires after your return you will be OK. You will find it harder to return to the US than entering any of the European countries. Of course, all of these comments assume you are a US citizen.

Hopefully, that will be enough, as this is a lot simpler than applying for a visa! It absolutely is enough. The whole point of the Schengen agreement is to eliminate actual visa's for common tourists. Visa's are now only issued for those wishing to become permanent or semi-permanent residents, to work or for students.

Lindsey, I agree with Frank's comments. As long as you don't plan on staying longer than 90-days in the Schengen area, I doubt very much that you'll need bank statements, proof of residence or other documents. I also agree with the advice not to provide more information than needed when you're dealing with the immigration staff. Just answer the questions as briefly as possible. If they want more information, they'll ask. I've NEVER been asked to produce any financial records or even asked to show my return air ticket or hotel documents. The typical question is usually "what is the purpose of your visit" (holiday), and after that they usually just say "have a nice visit". I don't recall ever being asked how long I was staying. How are you getting from the U.K. to Italy? Your Passport will be stamped on entry to the U.K. and it MAY be stamped again when you enter the Schengen area. It will also be stamped at the airport where you board your flight back to the U.S. I also agree that there's more bureaucracy in travelling to the U.S. When I book flights, it's necessary to provide a complete address for my first hotel, including zip code and phone number. You'll probably find that your trip is going to be a lot less complicated than you imagined. Happy travels!

Hi Lindsey, As others have said, you don't need a visa nor nor that matter would they even issue one. Here is an actual reference to the EU directive (Law) on entry into the Schengen area. Annex I, part C, lists the documents you may be asked for by the officers if stopped, note that it is not exhaustive, but does include things like: - accommodation
- trip itinerary - return ticket When it comes to showing sufficient funds, for a trip of over 20 days, Italy requires a sum of 206.58 Euros plus another 27.89 Euros per day. Per article 5 section 3 of the directive, these figures are calculated as an average of the cost of board and lodgings in the country, so don't rely on it as your budget because in reality it is probably too low. They will accept bank statements or copies of your last 3 pay checks as proof of sufficient funds.

You have already noted that the U.K. and Ireland are not part of the Schengen area. That means that they have their own immigration concerns, and will probably ask you the same questions when you arrive there. They are most concerned that you will be a drain on the health system and may be looking for work. Don't forget that all the obstacles to easy travel for you, coming from the U.S. to Europe, are matched by similar rules from American agencies.

One thing to add, while you can't get a tourist visa for under 90 days, a visa doesn't come with a specific set of dates (at least not back when I was ordering them) they are typically good for five years and a stay of up to a certain period (I think all mine said up to 6 months) within that period. If you thought you might stay longer, it would be good to request a tourist visa. In your case, it's not needed and would be wasted effort to get one.

I believe that all above answers - correct as they are - make an assumption that you are a US or Canadian/Canadien citizen.