Monday, December 13, 2010

FOR HOLIDAYS, Important rules before leaving italy for holidays,

Before you decide to leave Italy for any short journey abroad, here are some important rules you should know, depending on your legal status in the country.

Those with valid Permits of Stays

Those who have valid Permits of Stay can travel home and return to Italy at anytime without necessarily having to leave and return to the country using the same border crossing point.

They can in fact freely transit through or go for holidays in all the Schengen countries (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden).

Should they need to either transit or go for holidays in a non - Schengen country, they have to check with the Embassy of that country if they need the transit or tourist visa.

Regardless of the destination, a foreigner with a valid permit who has to travel abroad must carry along a valid passport or equivalent travel document, and the Permit of Stay which is indispensable for re-entering the country.

Those whose Permits of Stays have expired & have applied for renewal

There are however, some restrictions for foreigners whose permits have expired and have applied for renewal.

They can travel home and return to Italy at anytime without necessarily having to leave and return to the country using the same border crossing point.

But they cannot transit through Schengen countries. They must carry along a valid passport or equivalent travel document, the expired Permit of Stay and the renewal slip issued at the post office at the time they submitted the application for renewal of the expired permit. Border police will have to put a rubber stamp on this receipt.

Those who have applied for the first Permits of Stays

Those who have just arrived in Italy and have applied for the first Permit of Stay for work under Quota Agreement (Decreto flussi) or for family reunification, can also travel home and return to Italy at anytime without necessarily having to leave and return to the country using the same border crossing point. They can only travel to or transit through Schengen countries if they have Schengen visas.

Together with the application slip issued by the post office, they’ll also be required to carry along the passport with the visa issued by the Italian Embassy showing the reason of entry to Italy.

Those who applied for regularisation

Finally, illegal immigrants in Italy who applied to be regularised cannot leave the country before their applications have been approved. The receipt they received when they submitted their applications is not considered a valid document for leaving and re-entering the country.

They’ll have to remain in the country until they undersign the Residency contract (contratto di soggiorno) and apply for the Permit of Stay. Only then will they be allowed to travel abroad and return to Italy.

All who applied for regularization must remain in the country.