Citizens of European Union countries and countries that have signed the Schengen treaty
To enter Italy, a valid identity card or passport is sufficient.

Citizens from non-EU countries
They can enter Italy with a passport valid for at least three months after the scheduled departure date from the Schengen area.

A VISA may be required to enter Italy depending on your country of origin. To find out if you need to obtain a VISA, go to the esteri.it website.
After entering your nationality, country of residence, duration of stay (less or more than 90 days), and the reason for your trip, you will receive all the information you require.
Remember that when you cross the border, Italian authorities may ask you to show the documentation justifying the reasons and duration of your stay in Italy.

The VISA must be requested through the Italian consulate in your country of residence and is generally issued 90 days after making the request.

If you stay in a hotel or other hospitality facility, the manager will fill out a declaration of presence on your behalf which will be sent to Police Headquarters. You must always carry a copy of this declaration with you so that you can show it to the police if asked to do so.

If you enter Italy from a country outside the Schengen Area, the harmonized Schengen stamp applied to the passport during border checks takes the place of the declaration of presence.

If you enter Italy from a country in the Schengen Area and do not stay in a hospitality facility, you must provide a declaration of presence within 8 days of your entry into Italy to the Police Headquarters of the Province where you are staying.

There are specific limits that vary from country to country as regards bringing particular goods into Italy, such as food, alcohol, and tobacco derivatives, as well as cultural items and pharmaceutical products. Money in cash is also subject to precise limits: you can bring up to € 9.999,99 in coins and banknotes into Italy without making a declaration. Above this sum, you must compile a specific form c/o appropriate offices to avoid incurring penalties and seizures ranging from 30% to 50% of the sum in excess of the indicated limit. There are also precise rules about what travelers may include in their personal effects, transport of goods of animal and plant origin, or bringing pets into Italy.

The indications applied in order to enter Italy must also be upheld when leaving, be it to your home country, another European country, or any other destination.

For more information about every single item outlined above, please consult the Traveler’s Customs Card, which you can view/download here: Traveler Customs Card.

If you arrive from a non-European country (or in any case from outside the Schengen area), you can obtain a direct deduction or a subsequent VAT refund affixed to the goods you purchase in Italy.

This benefit may be granted provided that:

- the value of goods purchased, against each invoice, is more than 154.94 euros
goods are intended for personal or family use and are carried in personal luggage
- the invoice includes a description of the goods, personal data of the traveler, and details of passport or other equivalent document proving that - the traveler is a resident or domiciled outside the EU
- the goods leave EU territory within the third month after the date of issue of the invoice as proven by the “customs visa”
- the invoice thereby validated is returned to the Italian seller within four months after the month of purchase

It must be mentioned that the OTELLO service has been active at exit points from Italy since 1 September 2018. This procedure digitizes the VISA to be affixed to tax-free invoices issued electronically. It should be mentioned in this regard that, at the time of purchase, travelers must ensure that the copy of the invoice received from the seller has the request code certifying that it has been sent to OTELLO.

For more information about this procedure, refer to the section dedicated to OTELLO.

If you prefer, you can contact an “OTELLO intermediary”, i.e. an agency specialized in “Tax-free shopping” which will handle transmitting your data to OTELLO and obtaining the VAT refund. The agency will retain a percentage directly from the VAT sum refunded to you.

It is always advisable to take out travel insurance to ensure financial coverage in the event of flight delays/cancellations and avoid exposure in the event of health problems: you should also consider this option when planning your visit to our country.

In addition to the printed version of various flight and hotel booking receipts, which you should keep in your luggage, always save an image or pdf also on your mobile phone: it will be easier to show your credentials when requested!

Check if any electrical/electronic devices you wish to bring with you and use in Italy need adapters for our systems.

By Air

Italy has about forty airports distributed throughout the country, providing a dense network of national, international, and intercontinental flights.
The main entry hubs are the intercontinental and international arrival points of Italy: “Leonardo da Vinci” Rome Fiumicino Airport and Milan Malpensa Airport, yet almost all Italian airports operate international connections.
The offering of flights by the main carriers and low-cost airlines is very broad and covers a large number of destinations. Italy is connected by air with most European nations and all continents. Visit the websites of the main airlines to obtain more information about routes, timetables, prices, and availability. More or less all airports are served by an impressive network of taxis, buses, and trains, ensuring comfortable and fast connections to city centers so that you can reach your final destination with relative ease.

By Train

You can take advantage of EuroCity trains to travel to Italy easily. These international convoys connect various European cities and offer a wide choice of timetables and routes.
For example, Geneva, Marseilles, Innsbruck, and Munich all have direct connections with Venice, Bologna, Verona, or Milan.
If you prefer to travel at night, the equivalent service is offered by EuroNight trains, thereby enabling you to sleep for the duration of the journey.
Naturally, in addition to using these lines, you can also arrive in Italy thanks to the complex European railway network connecting our cities to other capitals.

By Car/Motorcycle

The extensive European motorway network and the availability of several passes over the Alpine chain make access to Italy by car or motorbike easy: Italy can be reached from Austria, France, Switzerland, and Slovenia.
The main passes open all year round are:

- the Mont Blanc tunnel (from Chamonix, it connects France to the A5 motorway for Turin and Milan);
- the Gran San Bernardo tunnel (connects Switzerland to the A5 motorway for Turin and Milan);
- the Brenner Pass (traveling from Austria, it joins the A22 motorway towards Bologna).
Alpine tunnels are often closed during the winter and sometimes even in autumn and spring because of snow.

Visit the “Getting Around” section to discover useful information and the main driving rules to drive in Italy.
For real-time information: www.autostrade.it www.stradeanas.it

By Coach

Italy can also be reached from all over Europe by bus along routes that have always connected our country to the rest of the continent. There are many scheduled agencies running such trips by road, including recent low-cost companies offering the service at very competitive prices.

By Sea

Thanks to more than 8000 km of coastline, Italy offers many opportunities to arrive by sea at the country’s numerous ports. Before leaving, find information about crossing times and international routes that include stops in Italian ports. Many national and international shipping companies connect the main European ports with Italy. Ticket prices are higher in the summer and vary – if you are traveling with a vehicle – depending on its size.
The Grandi Navi Veloci fleet connects Barcelona to Genoa. Connections from Greece to Italy are assured over the most popular routes: from Igoumenitsa, Corfu and Patras, Blue Star Ferries arrive directly in Venice and Brindisi while Superfast Ferries travel to Ancona and Bari. Fragline Ferries covers the Corfu-Brindisi route; Grimaldi Ferries, one of the best-known Italian companies, connects Tunis and Barcelona with Civitavecchia, Salerno, Livorno, and Palermo. Tirrenia Navigazione ferries run numerous connections throughout the year between Tunis and the main Italian islands, Sicily and Sardinia. Marmara Lines connects the Turkish city of Cesme with Ancona and Brindisi. Jadrolinija connects Dubrovnik, on the Croatian coast, with Bari, while Virtu Ferries is the best company to reach Malta from Catania.