>no intention of doing anything illegal

Violating visa rules IS an illegal activity, by the way. I know you don't want to hear this, but that does not help.

So she's going to be in Italy, which will be a great experience in itself. She has the option to visit a number of very interesting and lovely countries afterwards and clearly is a very lucky girl. Is it really the end of the world if she can't get to some other countries on this trip? I suspect that she'll have other opportunities?

Pissing off immigration isn't a pleasant experience in any country.

<What will they do to her, arrest her when she's already returning home?>

Wow, just wow. These are international rules you're talking about here. You're just going to have your daughter ignore the 90-day tourist limit?

Oops back to what happens. I only know from reading about this on various travel forums. But there are some fairly significant fines that can be imposed. As well as not being allowed back into that country.

You have a weird idea of "nothing illegal."

This is becoming a bit of a joke....... Europe is ENGULFED in so many problems with illegal workers or others, violent Jihadists who infiltrate into the continent, simply to take advantage of its Liberal social rules, or enjoy its health system, or force the locals to convert to Islam ------ and a young American girl who wanted to travel for 2 weeks is gonna be punished?

.....I think those Europeans are a bit smarter than what some posters here imagine....

At this stage, I think I've exhausted the subject.

Thanks so much for all the suggestions and ideas.

You can say the same thing about what the US is doing/not doing to wetbacks across the southern border and harsh immigration regime imposed even on innocent tourists from the West.
Every EU country is under political pressure to tighten up on immigration from outside the EU, and to show they are impartial and not just targeting Third World nationals, they may want to make an example of a young American girl flouting its law.

I beg your pardon? In other words, she should have special rights because she is American and everything has to go as she wishes?

I hope your daughter is smart enough not to show that attitude in Europe.

Excuse me, but yes, if she shows up at immigration in the USA with that American passport, it will be clear she overstayed her visa and...hello...SOMETHING might happen. I don't know what...she gets arrested? She gets prevented from traveling to Europe in the future...who knows? In today's climate, though, I think it VERY unlikely they will just go...oh, no problem.

Are you really that blasé about immigration law that you think because it's only an American student who wants to take an extra couple of weeks of travel, you can flout the law? Good luck with that.

<<Europe is ENGULFED in so many problems with illegal workers or others, violent Jihadists who infiltrate into the continent, simply to take advantage of its Liberal social rules, or enjoy its health system, or force the locals to convert to Islam...>>

Please get a grip. Yes, they are dealing with larger social issues. They also have very specific laws regarding how long a person from country X can stay there. If you violate those, you are in illegal status and can suffer consequences.

" and a young American girl who wanted to travel for 2 weeks is gonna be punished?". Uh, yeah. That's what happens if you flaunt it.

Believe me, every college student I know, who has studied abroad, has wanted to stay longer to travel. All of them worked within the laws to do it. It is certainly do-able by the average person.

BTW, is it ok to travel with two different passports? Isn't that suspicious to authorities?

Something tells me this young woman is going to get an interesting education. Will it be in Cortona or at home?

From UGA's Studies Abroad website:

"If you elect to stay more than one semester, the cost of the second consecutive semester is reduced by $500. Please contact us if you wish to take advantage of this opportunity for an extended time in Cortona. Should you require additional material, please contact us by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at 706-542-7120."

On another page of the website is a notation/link to "Visa Application for Spring 2011 (coming soon)".

So. Methinks the school does know what is required and that the school intends to provide the necessary visa information and application "soon."

And this thread is much ado about nothing...

I certainly hope your daughter doesn't come across as such an "ugly American" as her mother does. Might make for a really REALLY uncomfortable/unfortunate semester . . . .

(and few Europeans will have ANY sympathy, since they have to jump through difficult [and expensive] hoops just to set foot in the USA)

It is certainly possible to travel on two passports. I do it. But you have to leave and return to the US on the US passport. If the other passport is for a Schengen country she could enter and leave Schengen on that passport. But you'd still need to check on resident permits.

However, I agree that given the hassle and expense of getting a visa for the US there does seem to be a double standard at work here.

People frequently overstay their tourist visas in Australia.
Sometimes they get caught.
They then get locked up and deported.

Europe may have the same protocols, and getting locked up is probably not the kind of travel experience that most would seek.

I have traveled with both of my passports for the last 38 years and always present the one that makes life easier for me (usually the European one). I generally pass immigration going out on the European passport and enter the US with the American one, obviously. The fact that the American one does not have a single stamp in it does not bother the US authorities.

But -- I'd be willing to bet the daughter's 'other' passport is not European/Schengen --or there wouldn't have been an issue in the first place

<i>and few Europeans will have ANY sympathy, since they have to jump through difficult [and expensive] hoops just to set foot in the USA</i>

Those hoops are no more onerous than those one must jump through to enter Japan or Australia or Thailand. Frankly, I think these complaints are overplayed.

<i>In other words, she should have special rights because she is American</i>

She already does. That is the very nature of the various visa waiver regimes, including the one between Italy and the US. Now, I'm not saying that an American should do whatever they want, and working around this issue will require some effort, but the Italian authorities are pretty clear that Americans are different from those from a lot of other countries.

<i>Excuse me, but yes, if she shows up at immigration in the USA with that American passport, it will be clear she overstayed her visa and...hello...SOMETHING might happen. I don't know what...she gets arrested? She gets prevented from traveling to Europe in the future...who knows? In today's climate, though, I think it VERY unlikely they will just go...oh, no problem.</i>

Oh please. There are plenty of reasons to not skirt the law. No need to make up ridiculous scenarios in an effort to find more. The US authorities won't care. They will ask you what you were doing abroad, stamp your passport, welcome you home, and send you on your way. The US authorities are not in the business of enforcing Italian immigration laws.


Now, to the OP, you should be aware that, while the US authorities are not in the business of enforcing Italian immigration laws, the airlines often are, as they can be fined for transporting people without proper authorization. To that end, if you book a ticket from the US to Italy and back, where the time abroad exceeds 90 days, they may not let your daughter board the flight. To that end, if you choose to skirt the law, you should ensure that at least one of the legs originates or terminates in the UK or another non-Schengen country.

<i>However, I agree that given the hassle and expense of getting a visa for the US there does seem to be a double standard at work here.</i>

There is no double standard. Italians can enter the US, visa-free, for 90 days. Americans can enter Italy, visa-free, for 90 days. There are plenty of examples of double-standards for tourist visa requirements, but this is not one of them.

"and few Europeans will have ANY sympathy, since they have to jump through difficult [and expensive] hoops just to set foot in the USA"

The US is truely a place of contradictions. Built on civil rights, civil liberties, the strength of the individual, free enterprise and yet it still seems totally acceptable to not question the way in which foreign visitors are treated on their arrival. On our six arrivals there have been issues on each occasion, to the extent that we simply cannot be bothered with the effort. It has been 4 years now and around £50,000 of tourist "cash" has gone to The Bahamas, Canada and Europe. We get a band in Nassau on arrival not a strip search.

Having said that T5 staff seem to have graduated from the same American charm school.