No fee passport and entering Italy?

Question

My husband is stationed in Italy, and I just got my No-fee passport in and was wondering if I could enter Italy for a stay of less than 90 days with just a No fee passport. Or do I HAVE to have a visa before I can?

Answer 1

1st answer - no the spouse needs a passport their id's dont work and they arent cac cards.

you should be able to use that passport because its like a regular passport, i have never heard of anyone having this problem - most people i know are able to travel around europe ... GOOD LUCK  

Answer 2

You can enter Italy without your visa, but you had better have a return ticket in hand.  If not, forget it.  They can and will turn you around and send you back.  They've done it to spouses here in the UK as well.

NOTE:  UK and Italy require an Entry Visa for ALL military dependants.  That is part of the SOFA agreement.  The SOFA does many things, but it will not get you out of needing a visa if the country requires it.  Fortunately, Germany does not require it, therefore many spouses incorrectly assume that no country does.  It's been about 10 years that this has been in effect.

Answer 3

I was told your Military CAC card acts as a passport for most countries.  I'm not sure if it applies to spouses though.

Answer 4

The no-fee passport is for entering the country that the sponsor is stationed. It would be just fine. Take a look at the last page of the passport. It will state that it is only for use in traveling between the U.S. and the country assigned. Sometimes you can get away with using it for travel to other countries but then you might get stopped by some uptight bureacrat and then be up a creek. Some countries usually require a visa to stay in the contry for longer that a certain time-frame, but you do not need a visa to get there. I would consult the legal office where he is stationed. You could probably find the question answered there more definitively.  

Answer 5

Military spouses only need a passport.  You do not need a visa because you have special circumstances due to the SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement).  This is an agreement between the US and the host country, in your case Italy on soldiers, family members, and DOD employees rights in a foreign country.

It outlines things such as visas, passports, and also what happens if someone is arrested for a crime in the host country. You may find more info on this site:

http://www.hqusareur.army.mil/default.ht...

Good luck!