My wife and I usually travel to Europe once a year. Our longest stay has been three weeks. We have been planning for some time now to stay in Italy for four months. I know that 4 months is over the 90 day limit. I also know that the days of crossing the border to another country and coming back in to Italy doesn't work anymore. I may or may not be taking some Italian classes while I am there. So, I guess, I would have to say this is mostly just considered tourism. What are our risks of just staying an additional month? There is no problem of proving stability of income and we will not be working while in Italy. All my Italian friends have all given me the same advice, which is, if it's only for 4 months, it's not worth the hassle of even going through the process of getting a visa - of any kind. What do you think? Thanks.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
1317 posts
I think this is breaking the law and you have a very real possibility of being banned from not just Italy, but most all of Europe for a number of years to forever. It's not a risk I'd be willing to take.
Consider how the U.S. would treat your Italian friends if they overstayed their welcome here. Would you give them the same advice they give you?
Since you can prove your income and have no intention of working, I would look into getting a 6 month tourist visa, and then you won't have to worry about it.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Here's a link to the topic thread that has the most authoritative sounding answer to the OP's question of what are the consequences of violating the "90 days in 6 months" rule (I don't claim personal knowledge on this, that's why I say authoritative sounding):
click here
In the thread linked to, the answer to the question what are the consequences is in Mark's reply, one of the very few replies here that gets specific about the potential penalties (Mark lives in Europe and appears to have the most specific info of anyone here about the penalties).
People considering replying further on this topic may want to see the Webmaster's post on the topic linked to, when this question came up before, I quote the Webmaster:
"Hello everyone, This is the webmaster. I would like to take this opportunity to remind you to please stay on topic. Any further discussion that remotely relates to the concept of how to get around Visa requirements will result in this thread being deleted. Everyone should follow the laws of every country, especially as a guest of that country/region. Several comments have been deleted from this thread. Thank you for your understanding.
Best regards, Rick Steves' Webmaster"
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12313 posts
Dennis,
I've applied for and received Visa's to various countries throughout the world. Other than being something to plan ahead for, it's not a big deal. At the time, I lived in the Pacific, and my only option was to mail my Passport away for a Visa stamp (once for each country we planned to visit).
Traveling under a visa-waiver is nice but people do ask for and get visas when their travel plans don't fit inside the visa-waiver limits.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, United States
64 posts
Liz and Kent have hit the nail right on the head. Don't mess around with this.
When it comes to ranking my travel fears - First, "getting seriously injured in a foreign country." Then followed by, "getting detained by legal authorities in a foreign country".
What if something serious comes up during your stay and you need the help of the Italian police? Do you really want potential visa issues influencing your decision on whether or not to go to the police?
Posted by
OP
Vancouver
3 posts
Thank you "Rick Steves’ Webmaster." When posting this I was simply trying to get some other opinions on the topic. I seem to get a lot of conflicting answers whenever I ask this question. I appreciate the replies I have received. I do not want to get in a situation where a family member needs local healthcare or assistance from local police and be in Italy illegally and risk possibly being banned from returning in the future. Thank you.
Posted by
Ottawa, Ontario,, Canada
521 posts
Hi Dennis,
I just wanted to say that there seems to be no good reason not to get a valid tourist Visa. You can apply through whichever Schengen country you will be entering (presumably Italy), and it only costs €60. This will give you permission to stay in Italy as a tourist for a much longer term with no legal ramifications.
Just contact the Italian Consulate in Vancouver.