Can someone tell me where the rule about 180 days for entry on a D visa even comes from? Some say you have to enter within that period, others say it’s made up because the D visa is issued for a year and you should be able to enter anytime during that period. I’ve been waiting for my nulla osta (нулла оста) for quite a while now, and time’s running out. Is there any law or official document that spells this out?
In law 286/98, Article 26, paragraph 7 — it specifically says „180 days from the date of issue“, not half the validity period. My validity period began a month after the date of issue, so in reality there were about five months left to enter, not six. The nulla osta (нулла оста) is separate here — it expires on its own schedule; it isn’t tied to the visa’s 180 days.
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Oh, thanks — so the 180 days from the date of issue isn’t made up. As for the nulla osta, the deadlines turn out to be completely different and need to be checked separately; I’m actually stuck on that right now.
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With a D visa, the 90‑day limit that applies to a tourist visa doesn’t apply — you can stay for the entire validity; they’re different regimes. But there’s another point few people think about: if you end up spending more than 183 days in Italy in a year, you can inadvertently become a tax resident. That’s a completely different set of consequences, not at all related to the 180 days for entry.
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In Milan someone was detained on a Type D visa for exceeding the 90-day limit — the border guards got the visa rules wrong.
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About the 90 days — I also had that stuck in my head as a hard rule. A national D visa is issued specifically for living in Italy, not for tourism; the rules are different. But border officers make mistakes, and that’s already a proven fact — it’s worth carrying a printed copy of 286/98 or at least a paper from the consulate explaining the visa rules. I’ve already printed the relevant page of the law just in case.
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