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I am a non-EU student. I have a type D visa available for one year (multiple entries). My permesso di soggiorno appointment is after 3 months, so I only have the receipt now.

My question is: does my student visa allow me to travel within the Schengen area without getting in trouble with the borders police? Or do I need to apply for a temporary permesso di soggiorno?

I feel so confused because some people say I can travel with my visa and others say I am not allowed to. What does the law say about this?

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  • What does your visa say? There should be a "valid for" line on it which says either "Stati Schengen" (Schengen States) or "Italia".
    – jcaron
    Oct 25, 2021 at 22:42
  • It says "italia".
    – Rain
    Oct 25, 2021 at 22:47
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    @jcaron D visas are almost always only valid for the issuing state only, in the sense its authorization for a long stay is only for the issuing state. Unless it is explicitly territorially limited (with a minus sign or corresponding remark), it exempts the holder from short-stay visa requirements (within the 90/180 rule).
    – xngtng
    Oct 25, 2021 at 22:55

1 Answer 1

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Does my Italian student visa allow me to travel within the Schengen area?

Yes.

Your type D visa allows you to travel to other Schengen countries provided that you spend no more than 90 days in any 180-day period in Schengen countries other than Italy. One source supporting that statement is https://ec.europa.eu/immigration/general-information/already-eu_en:

Going to another EU country during my long-term stay – more than 90 days

When you stay in an EU country for a long stay, usually for more than 90 days, you will generally be [issued] a long-stay visa and/or a residence permit.

If your long-stay visa or residence permit has been issued by a Schengen area country, you can travel to another Schengen area country for 90 days per 180 day period. You must:

  • justify the purpose of your stay;
  • have sufficient financial resources for your stay and travel back;
  • not be considered a threat to public policy, public security or public health.

In practice, you are unlikely to be asked to justify the purpose of your stay or to show sufficient resources. If you travel completely within the Schengen area, you won't generally encounter border guards, and if you travel through a non-Schengen country, the border guards will most likely let you back into the Schengen area without much fuss once they've seen your visa.

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