Foreigners from outside the European Union who visit Italy without a long-stay visa can only stay in the country for up to 90 days in every 180 days. If they exceed this period, they will be considered irregular and may face various sanctions.
The rule applies to citizens of countries such as Brazil, the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, which are exempt from visa requirements for the Schengen area. The time counts cumulatively in all 29 countries that make up this area, including Italy, Germany, France and Spain.
In other words, spending 30 days in France, 30 in Germany and 30 in Italy already completes the 90-day limit allowed in the entire Schengen area.
What are the penalties for exceeding the deadline?
Anyone who stays beyond 90 days without a visa or residence permit can be deported, fined and even banned from returning to Schengen Area. In extreme cases, there is a risk of imprisonment.
In practice, deportation is rare when it comes to tourists who are not working or using social services. In these cases, the person is usually notified to leave as soon as possible.
In Italy, anyone who overstays their visa and is caught while still in Italian territory can receive a deportation order and a fine of up to €10.000 – approximately R$64.000. Those identified only when leaving the country, for example at an airport, are usually not fined, but may have their passport flagged and face future difficulties entering Europe.
How Italy enforces stay limits
Entries and exits from the Schengen Area are recorded digitally. This makes it easier to control the length of stay of each traveler. From 2025, with the implementation of the EES system (Input and Output System), monitoring will be even stricter.
Although Italy is known for being less strict than other European countries, such as Germany or the Netherlands, this does not prevent a tourist from being penalized. Even a delay of just a few weeks can trigger an alert in the system and further complications.
How to avoid staying beyond 90 days
To avoid risks, it is essential to count the days correctly. The first and last days of your stay count in full, even if your flight arrives late at night or takes off in the early hours of the morning.
Those planning short, frequent trips can use specific online calculators to track the days already used within the 180-day period.
It is also important to remember that the rule applies to all Schengen Area countries. Moving from one country to another does not reset the counter.
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