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TOURISM

What rules will you need to follow if you’re visiting Italy this summer?

While Italy has relaxed many of its quarantine rules ahead of the summer holiday season, there are still a few things to be aware of if you're visiting the country soon.

Published: 14 July 2020 09:11 CEST
What rules will you need to follow if you're visiting Italy this summer?
Some tourism is restarting in Italy but it looks a little different this year. Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP
Italy's coronavirus lockdown was Europe's longest, and its rules were among the strictest. Though the country was badly hit by the coronavirus outbreak, infection rates have now dropped. The government has now relaxed most of the quarantine rules, and some tourism is now allowed.
 
But not all rules have been relaxed just yet. Travellers to Italy should be aware of measures still in place in the country which might differ from those at home.
 
READ ALSO: 
Of course, if you’re planning to come to Italy this year the first thing to consider is the travel restrictions when getting to the country in the first place.
 
The rules on who can currently travel to Italy remain complicated, and have changed several times in the past month.
 
Since June 3rd, non-essential travel to italy has been allowed from within Europe, including from the UK, with no quarantine requirements on arrival in Italy.
 
 

If you're flying, you'll need to know that Italy currently has a ban on hand luggage on all flights to and from the country.

Small handbags and items which can be placed under the seat in front of you are still allowed.
 
Once you get to Italy, you'll find that tourism looks quite different this year.

While most restaurants, beaches and tourist attractions are now open for business, they're likely to be much quieter than usual, and will have rules in place to ensure social distancing.

Most businesses now either recommend or require advance bookings, and some may ask customers for their contact information in case tracing is required.

And when greeting Italian acquaintances, remember that the usual kissing and hugging is still a no-no. Handshakes are also discouraged.

Italy's normally packed museums and historical sites have reopened with strict measures in place to control crowds and reduce to risk of contagion, and are also experimenting with everything from bluetooth apps to vibrating necklaces intended to help visitors stay away from each other, so don't be surprised if you're asked to use something like this.

And whatever you plan to do on your trip, you'll need to be aware of the following rules set by the Italian government, as detailed in recent emergency decrees (you can find the most recent decree here, in Italian.)

Social distancing
 
Everyone is required to keep a minimum distance of one metre from anyone else at all times when out of the house. If that's not possible, wearing masks is mandatory.
 
Masks required
 
Wearing a face mask is a requirement in Italy inside closed spaces, such as in shops or on public transport. Masks are also required in bars and restaurants except when sitting down (for example when going to the bathroom or paying at the counter).
 
Photo: Tiziana Fabi/AFP
 
Temperature checks
 
To access offices and public buildings, body temperature scans are mandatory. If you have a temperature of 37.5 degrees, access may be denied. The government also recommends that restaurant owners should carry out these checks on customers at the entrance.
 
Temperature screening is also in place for passengers at Italian airports and some train stations.
 
Disposable gloves
 
Wearing gloves is recommended when shopping and is mandatory in some food stores. Many shops ask customers to use hand sanitiser or wear gloves before allowing them to enter.
 
Contact tracing app
 
Anyone arriving in Italy is also encouraged to download Italy's contact-tracing app Immuni. It's not compulsory, and authorities insist the information it collects is completely anonymous.
 
Regional differences
 
To complicate matters, the rules vary slightly from one Italian region or city to another because of local legislation – and some authorities are reportedly enforcing some of the measures more strictly than others.
 
 
Before you go, it’s advisable to check the current local rules in the part of Italy you're visiting with your hotel or travel agent.
And remember that your own country may have measures in place when you return.
 
For example, anyone travelling to the UK from Italy is being warned that they still need to complete a contact locator form.

For more information, check the Italian Foreign Ministry's website (in English), as well as the latest advice from the government of the country (or countries) you're travelling to or from.

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TRAVEL NEWS

What’s the deal with passport stamping in Italy?

There are clear guidelines in place about who should have their passport stamped when they enter or leave Italy - but the letter of the law doesn't always seem to be applied on the ground. Here's what you need to know.

Published: 20 May 2024 12:56 CEST
What's the deal with passport stamping in Italy?

When you pass through an Italian border control post, officers will check your passport and – in some cases – stamp the date of your entry or exit of the country onto one of the blank pages in the booklet.

Although the system should be clear and simple, it becomes complicated when conflicting information is given on the ground.

Here’s what the rules say, and whether it’s really a problem if your passport is incorrectly stamped.

Who should be stamped?

The purpose of the date stamps for entry and exit is to calculate how long you have been in Italy, and therefore whether you have overstayed your allowed time – whether that is the time allowed by a short-stay Schengen visa or the visa-free 90-day allowance that certain non-EU nationals benefit from. 

Those people who are exempt from 90-day restrictions should therefore not have their passports stamped.

EU passport – people who have an EU passport should not have it stamped, because they have the right to unlimited stays due to EU freedom of movement.

Dual nationals – people who have passports of both EU and non-EU countries should not be stamped when they are travelling on their EU passport. However, because the passports of dual nationals are not ‘linked’, those travelling on their non-EU passports will be stamped, unless they have other proof of residency.

READ ALSO: Can I use my Italian carta d’identità for travel?

Italian residents – the passports of non-EU citizens who have a residency permit in Italy (carta di soggiorno) should not be stamped, because they have the right to stay in Italy for as long as their permit is valid. The passports of UK citizens covered under the Brexit withdrawal agreement should also not be stamped provided they can show some kind of official proof of pre-Brexit Italian residency; in practice, this is often ignored by border agents (see below).

Visa holders – people who have a long-stay visa or a short-stay visitor visa should not be stamped, because they have the right to stay in Italy for as long as their visa is valid. 

Tourists/visitors – people making short visits to Italy who do not have a visa should be stamped, with the stamps keeping track of their 90-day allowance. Visitors from nationalities who do not benefit from the 90-day rule (e.g. Indians) are also stamped.

Most tourists and visitors travelling to Italy will have their passports stamped. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

Travel practicalities

When crossing an Italian border, you should present your passport along with other documents – visa or carta di soggiorno – if relevant. Don’t wait for border guards to ask whether you are a resident.

It should be noted that as a non-EU national, neither your carta d’identità Italian ID card nor your carta di soggiorno are travel documents and they cannot be used to cross borders, not even internal Schengen zone borders. The only valid travel document for a non-EU/EEA citizen entering Italy is a passport. Any other forms of ID – driving licence, residency card etc – cannot be used for travel purposes.

Border problems

While the rules on stamping are simple in theory, many readers of The Local have reported having their passports incorrectly stamped at the border, particularly UK citizens who have been legally resident in Italy since before Brexit and have the right to permanent residency under the withdrawal agreement.

READ ALSO: What to do if you lose your passport while travelling in Italy

Travellers are also often given incorrect information by border guards – for example being told that only holders of the post-Brexit carta di soggiorno elettronica, or post-Brexit residency card, are exempt from stamping, that all non-EU nationals must have their passports stamped, or that only being married to a Italian national exempts you from stamping.

None of these are correct, and Italy is one of a handful of “declaratory” countries in the EU where getting a post-Brexit residency card was optional, rather than compulsory.

In practice, the British government has long recommended that British nationals who were resident in Italy before Brexit should obtain the card as it’s the easiest way to prove residency rights and avoid delays at the border.

It’s also sometimes the case that people whose passports should be stamped – tourists, visitors and second-home owners who don’t have a visa – do not receive the stamp. For frequent visitors this can be a problem because it looks as though they have had a long stay in Italy, due to their exit not being recorded.

The system of stamping itself is also a bit haphazard with stamps scattered throughout the passport book in random order, so border guards sometimes make mistakes and miss an entry or exit stamp and therefore think that people have overstayed when they haven’t.

So how much of a problem actually is it if your passport is wrongly stamped?

It’s one thing to know the rules yourself, it’s quite another to have an argument with a border guard, in Italian, when a long queue is building behind you. Numerous Local readers have reported feeling that they had no choice but to accept a stamp when an implacable guard insisted upon it.

But is this really a problem?

One thing is clear – if you are a resident of Italy then you have the right to re-enter, and your proof of residency (visa or carta di soggiorno) takes precedence over any passport stamps. So it’s not a question of being barred from the country – it can, however, be inconvenient as it might lead to delays at the border while your passport record is queried.

Meanwhile people who did not receive correct exit stamps can be incorrectly told that they have over-stayed and even be liable for a fine. 

Will the new EES passport control system improve this?

Theoretically, the EU’s new Entry & Exit System – which does away with the manual stamping of passports – should get rid of these problems.

However, as we have seen, theory and what actually happens on the ground are two different things.

READ ALSO: How will the new app for Europe’s EES border system work?

The EES system, due to come into effect later this year, brings in two main changes: it makes passport checks more secure by adding biometric data such as fingerprints and facial scans, and it does away with manual stamping of passports and replaces it with scans which automatically calculate how long people have been in Italy.

You can read full details of how it works HERE. 

So that should eliminate the problems of unclear stamps, stamps being read wrongly or passports not getting the stamps they need.

Residents of Italy – carta di soggiorno and visa holders – are not required to complete EES checks and should have a separate system at ports, airports and railway terminals.

However, at present it’s pretty common for border guards to give incorrect information to non-EU residents who are resident in the EU – let’s hope that they are properly briefed before EES is deployed.

Have you had problems with passports being incorrectly stamped? Please share your experiences in the comments section below

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