Entry requirements for Italy, in order

Four separate rules decide an Italian entry: 90 days in any 180¹, biometric registration at the border since April 10, 2026, ETIAS which is not live yet, and a declaration of presence within 8 working days of arrival.

The 8 working days almost nobody mentions

A non-EU traveler has 8 working days from entry to apply for a residence permit or to file a declaration of presence, under articles 2, 4 and 5 of legislative decree 286³ of July 25, 1998 and article 5 paragraph 8-bis of DPR 394³/1999. The sanction for skipping it is administrative expulsion.

In practice the hotel does it for you, by sending the guest notification to the questura. That shortcut is how it works day to day and it is not something we verified on a primary source, so if you are staying in a private home, ask the host what they filed and when.

What the border does in 2026

Since April 10, 2026 the Entry/Exit System is fully operational, after the phased start on October 12, 2025. It records your travel document data, a face image, fingerprints, and the date and place of each entry and exit across the 29 Schengen countries, and it logs refusals of entry too.

The booth takes longer on a first crossing than it used to. Where the Travel to Europe app is in use, you can pre-register up to 72 hours ahead, which moves the data entry off the queue.

ETIAS: 20 euro, nothing to buy today

The fee is 20 euro, set by the European Commission on July 17, 2025 in place of the 7 euro written into the 2018 regulation, and travelers under 18 and over 70 pay nothing. None of it applies yet.

As of September 2026 the system collects no applications, and the launch is expected in the final quarter of the year, with the exact date announced by the EU months ahead. Anything selling you an Italian ETIAS this season is selling nothing.

The 90 days are shared with 28 other countries

The limit is 90 days of stay inside any 180¹-day window, and it applies across the whole area, not per country. Above 90 days the instrument is a national type D visa, valid 91 to 365¹ days, issued by one state, which still allows 90 days in 180¹ in the others.

There are 29 countries in the area since January 1, 2025, when internal controls with Bulgaria and Romania went. Italy's own consular portal is behind on that: it still lists 26 states applying the acquis in full.

The order to do this in

2 of these 4 rules are settled before you fly and 2 after you land, so check the ETIAS launch date at booking time rather than at packing time, since it can be announced at any point in this window. Allow extra minutes at passport control for the biometric capture on your first entry of the cycle.

Then, on the day you land, settle the 8 working days question with whoever is housing you. Two of these four rules are handled at a desk abroad; the other two happen after you have already picked up your bag.

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