Dual citizenship and Schengen 90/180 rule

Question

I have both a US and an Italian passport, and I currently reside in the US.

A couple of questions:

• Will the 90/180 rule still apply in my situation?
• What passport should I show when I enter/leave Italy? Both?
• My understanding is that one should always show the US passport when leaving/entering the US, even if one has 2 passports. Correct?

Thanks a lot!

Answer 1

You are correct. Use your US passport when arriving in the US. When arriving in ANY EU country, Italy included, you should enter AND exit passport control with your Italian passport.

Since you are an EU national, the 90 days within 180 period does not apply to you.

Answer 2

In addition to the answer by Ozzy, you can travel to the EU on your US passport. Getting an entry stamp on your US passport, without exit stamp within 90 days, would create the false impression that you did overstay. Such a false impression could be corrected by showing your Italian passport, so not much harm would be done.

But it is better to avoid this hassle altogether and to show the right passport at each border, as suggested by Ozzy.

Answer 3

As a citizen of the EU, you are not subject to the 90/180 rule. You can stay in any EU country for up to 90 days with no formailities. You can stay longer, but there may be formalities and you may need health insurance. There may also be tax implications if you spend a lot of time in a country.

Regarding passports, in general best practice is.

1. When dealing with the authorities of an EU country show them your Italian passport, when dealing with the US authorities show them your US passport.
2. When dealing with the airline or their agents show them the passport for the country you are travelling to.