Visa for a Chilean citizen joining a tour from a US agency

Question

I have a friend in Chile (Chilean citizen) with whom we wanted to go on a tour in Italy (January 2014).

I am from the USA, and to make things easier, I was planning to order a tour locally from somewhere like Globus or Virgin-Vacation for both of us, and then to arrive to Rome (me from USA, she from Chile) and meet there to start the tour (get picked up by the tour operators to hotel and so on).

However, she had some concerns recently, because she was speaking about this with their local tour agents. What they have told her, is that she could get deported if she does not present the right documentation for her stay in Italy (which I found very odd, but wanted to make sure once again that she will not have possibility of such problems). Another thing that they have told her is that supposedly it is compulsory for her to have tour insurance to be able to go to Italy? (Is this really true? even for me, tour insurance is optional, if I understand it correctly). My gut feeling tells me like those tour agents are just trying to sell her their own tour packages, however, I want to be sure what is true and what is not.

She will have a return ticket, obviously (with a connecting flight most likely in Spain or Portugal). The tour invoice should also include her name and information of each hotel and rail pass there (any problems of it being ordered from tour company in a different country?). I also know that Chileans have no need to have visas to go to Italy or any Schengen area.

Answer 1

Having appropriate travel health insurance is indeed one requirement for Schengen visas. Regarding documentation and the like, you don't need anything particularly mysterious but you should be able to show that you are coming for tourism (hotel confirmations, etc.) and have enough money to cover your stay. The things you mention in your question should be enough and that's probably what the people your friend talked to had in mind.

You should be asked to produce these documents when applying for a visa – if you need one – and you may be asked to show them again or provide other relevant information at the border if there are doubts about the purpose of your stay and that even if you don't need a visa (which is indeed the case for Chile). The logic behind this is that entry is conditioned on a particular purpose (e.g. tourism) and the border guards are supposed to check that.

Buying from a US agency, coming for the same tour, etc. is not directly relevant to the issue (just explain it if someone asks). The only thing is that it's good to have some confirmation of your booking and itinerary and a return ticket at hand to show you are really coming for tourism, just in case someone asks about it. Do send that your friend or have her print everything out in advance. As Chilean citizens have the same status than US citizens (annex II country), the US agency must be familiar with the requirements.

Formally, whether you have a visa or not, entry is never guaranteed and the border guards could refuse it and put you on the next flight back home (hence the scare stories) but if you are really coming for tourism and have all the necessary documentation, there is no reason you should encounter any trouble. Also, the Italians don't have the reputation of being the most difficult so I think you can relax and prepare to enjoy your holiday together.

Answer 2

When I was preparing tour to Europe (Schengen area), it seems that travel insurance proof is mandatory for visitor of my country (Singapore). However travel insurance is not that expensive (less than 30 USD), and at that time I just obtained it from any ATM in Singapore (it is not mandatory to buy it from a travel agency).

The tour agency should provide her with detail of itinerary (with her name and places she will stay in). However usually this kind of detail is only needed for visa approval. As long as she has the Schengen visa stamped in her passport and she does not doing anything against the law. There is no valid reason she is going to be deported.

Update : Just noticed thx to @Annoyed that Chile is in same annex II countries like Singapore, which means Singaporean and Chilean don't need visa to Schengen area. The border control did ask for proof of where are I was going to stay, so here is your tour itinerary comes handy. They also particularly checked the return flight ticket. They didn't mentioned anything about travel insurance.

Answer 3

I would be rather curious about how your girlfriend would get deported if she can't enter without a visa.

There is a website Italian Foreign Ministry that allows applicants to determine whether or not they need a visa. And if you check on the site it will show that she will need to provide the proof of duration of stay. Basically usually referred to proof of onward travel (return ticket)