# Your Europe Advice - Enquiry 467155 ## Travel Without Physical Carta di Soggiorno **From:** [email protected] **Date:** Friday, 27 February 2026, 08:16 **To:** [email protected] --- ## Official Advice Dear Sir/Madam, Please find below the reply to your enquiry. Please note that the advice given by Your Europe Advice is an independent advice and cannot be considered to be the opinion of the European Commission, of any other EU institution or its staff nor will this advice be binding upon the European Commission, any other EU or national institution. Thank you for contacting Your Europe Advice. **We strongly recommend that if you travel to Hong Kong, you leave the Schengen area directly from Italy, without transiting through another EU country. Likewise upon your return you should ensure that you enter the Schengen area through Italy, without transiting through another EU country.** As a British citizen, you need to provide your details in the EES if you are living in Italy and only hold a certificate of application issued by the Italian authorities that confirms that they have applied for a residence card under the Withdrawal Agreement. **However, the Schengen calculator should not be applied to you.** This calculator will go into operation on 10 April 2026. **When you travel, you should carry a copy of this advice alongside all the other documentation that you indicated in your original enquiry.** --- ## Key Points ### Question 1: Do I have a legal right to exit and re-enter Italy with this documentation package, even without the physical residence card? **Yes**, as explained above, you have a right to return to Italy as the documentation that you have show that your paperwork is in order. ### Question 2: What are the practical risks of traveling without the card — both at Italian border control and at airline check-in? There is a **small risk** that the airline staff might deny you boarding when you return to Italy if they (incorrectly) demand to see your residence permit or visa. As a British citizen, you do not need a visa to enter Italy. ### Question 3: Is there any documentation the Italian authorities can provide me to facilitate travel while I wait for the duplicate card? The certificate of application and other documentation show that your paperwork is in order. ### Question 4: What should I do about the erroneous passport stamp from December 2025? Can it be annulled, or does it not affect my residency status? **The stamp cannot be "annulled". It has no effect on your residence status.** ### Question 5: How does the EES system affect me if I cannot produce my physical card when exiting and re-entering Italy? We explained this above. **The 90-day calculator should not be applied to you** as you have an application for a residence card pending. --- ## Entry/Exit System (EES) - Detailed Explanation 1. The EES is the acronym of the EU's Entry-Exit System (EES) which is being rolled out by the EU from October 2025. 2. However, the EES Regulation does not apply to: - non-EU nationals who are family members of a Union citizen to whom Directive 2004/38/EC applies and who hold a residence card issued under that Directive; or - non-EU nationals who hold a residence permit or residence card issued by any EU Member State according to the uniform format laid down by Council Regulation (EC) No 1030/2002; this includes **British citizens issued with a residence card under Article 18(1) or 18(4) of the Withdrawal Agreement**. 3. UK citizens who hold a certificate of application issued under the Withdrawal Agreement will be registered in the Entry/Exit System, but **the system will not track whether they have left the EU in time**, given that they have a right to reside under the Withdrawal Agreement. 4. **British citizens will need to provide their details in the EES if they are UK nationals living in Italy who hold a certificate of application** (in the format identified in Annexes 22 and 23) issued by the Italian authorities that confirms that they have applied for a residence card under the Withdrawal Agreement. **However, the Schengen calculator should not be applied to them.** 5. In all cases, the UK nationals should also carry other proof of their residence in Italy such as documentation issued under Directive 2004/38 and national identity card (if issued to them, even if this is not valid outside Italy, it shows residence in Italy). --- ## Summary - **You have a legal right to travel and return** with your documentation package - **The 90/180-day Schengen rule does NOT apply to you** as a Withdrawal Agreement beneficiary with pending application - **The December 2025 passport stamp has no legal effect** on your residence status - **Small risk at airline check-in** - carry this advice letter + full documentation package - **Recommended route:** Travel directly Italy ↔ destination (avoid transiting other EU countries) --- ## Documentation to Carry In lieu of the physical card, you should travel with: - The denuncia (police report for lost card) - The ricevuta (receipt) from the questura confirming your duplicate application (which you will receive at the 25 March appointment) - A scan of your lost card - Attestazione di iscrizione anagrafica (certificate of municipal registration from the Comune di Milano, showing registration since August 2017) - Autocertificazione from the Comune (self-certification of residence) - Certificato di matrimonio (marriage certificate to an Italian citizen, issued after 12 April 2026) - Your employment contract (Università di Genova) - **THIS ADVICE LETTER** --- We trust that the above answers your enquiry. We remain at your disposal should you require further information or advice on EU rights. Yours sincerely, **Your Europe Advice**