Many felons can recall having the desire to travel back when life was different and simpler, before their felony conviction.

They may have dreamed of traveling abroad before their conviction, and for some this may have been a reality.

This blog post will address the question of whether a felon can travel to Italy.

• Travel Restrictions
• Why Italy?
• Traveling to Italy
• Requirements to Enter Italy
• Encouraging Felons to Travel to Italy

Travel Restrictions

Upon release, felons must complete the terms of their sentence, which typically involves being on probation, reporting to their probation officer in person or checking in online monthly.

During the probation period, felons are restricted from leaving the district in which they reside without permission from their probation officer.

Of course, travel outside the U.S. is out of the question until the conditions of probation have been satisfied entirely.

Once this is accomplished, travel beyond the U.S. border is possible.

There is the question of obtaining a passport, which is a form of identification from the federal government allowing international travel.  Felons are able to obtain a passport.

Being convicted of drug trafficking or a crime of treason against the U.S. may prevent felons from being able to obtain a passport, as well as for anyone owing at least a certain amount of child support.

Having current legal charges pending can also prevent having a passport.  This is because leaving the country will be interpreted as an unlawful attempt to avoid prosecution, which is itself a federal crime.

Traveling to another country with a passport is very possible.

Why Italy?

Why would felons want to visit Italy?  Well, for the same reasons anyone wants to travel there.  Felons may have served time in prison, but they have the same interests as any other U.S. citizen.

Traveling to Italy is no exception.

Italy is a popular destination for tourists from the U.S. for a number of reasons.

This nation is considered to be one of the ten most visited countries in the world with 30 million tourists each year.  Italy is home to some of the most popular, historic cities in the world, such as Rome, Venice, Florence, and Naples.

The country is famous for its historical churches, cathedrals, and buildings that have been there for centuries.  Art museums are everywhere as 40% of the world’s art is in Italy.

It has a beautiful countryside and pleasant weather.  The people there are considered to be among the friendliest in the world.  “La dolce vita” is their motto.

Many felons’ ancestry is Italian.  So, a trip to Italy makes a lot of sense.

Traveling to Italy

Going on a cruise is a popular means of travel to Italy.

There are basically two types of cruises, closed loop and open loop.  A closed loop cruise is one that starts and ends in the same U.S. port while an open loop cruise has different starting and final port city locations.

Felons may sail on either type of cruise, although the requirements for a closed loop cruise are less restrictive than for open loop cruises.

U.S. citizens going on a closed loop cruise can depart and enter the U.S. with only proof of citizenship.  This proof consists of an original or copy of a birth certificate and a government issued photo ID.

Open loop cruises require a passport, regardless of the starting or destination port.

Some of the reasons for requiring a passport are in case people miss the embarking of the ship and must fly ahead to a port to meet it.

Also, travelers may have to fly home before the cruise ends for medical, family, or personal emergencies.  They may also miss their ship’s departure from a port and have to fly ahead to meet up with it at the next port.

Requirements to Enter Italy

Italy has several requirements all U.S. citizens, regardless of whether they are felons or not, must meet in order to gain entry.

First, the law in Italy states that they must have at least six valid months remaining on their passport when entering the country.

Those U.S. citizens who stay in the country less than 90 days need to have only a passport.  No visa is required.

Any stay by a U.S. citizen of more than 90 days will require a visa, which must be obtained prior to departing form the U.S.

If you’re in a hurry to get your visa or want someone to walk you through the process, I recommend you use this website to help.

Felons would do best if they plan their stay in the country to be limited to less than 90 days in order to not have to be subjected to having their criminal record checked.

For felons especially, their conduct while in Italy is critical.  Of course they will want to stay out of legal difficulties.

This would obviously result in significant problems for felons who may find it extremely difficult to gain their release.  For those felons ending up in jail, good legal counsel will be necessary.

It is best to strictly obey all laws and be able to leave the country as planned.

Encouraging Felons to Travel to Italy

Families of felons who visit Italy can be helpful to those felons by encouraging them to travel outside the country for a sense of peace and relaxation.

Once the decision has been made to travel to Italy, be supportive of their making the trip.

It is important to remind them that as a traveler to a foreign country, just being there as an American will bring them under more scrutiny.  For this reason and others, they must obey the laws and not draw the attention of the legal authorities to themselves.

Remind them of their commitment to live an honest life and how legal difficulties while in Italy will only defeat these efforts and may result in returning to prison.

Approximately 69% of those released from prison return within the first two years.  Don’t let them be one of those statistics.

So what do you think about this blog post about how a felon can travel to Italy?  Have you or someone you know been through this experience?  What was that like and were they successful?   Please tell us in the comments below.