DFAT’s Italy travel advisory, refreshed on 12 October 2026, maintains a “normal safety precautions” rating but adds practical guidance on Europe’s new Entry/Exit System (EES), which is scheduled to go live in January 2027. The EES will biometric-stamp non-EU nationals—Australians included—each time they cross an external Schengen border, replacing manual passport stamps. Smartraveller warns that the transition period could create bottlenecks at popular gateways such as Rome Fiumicino and Milan Malpensa, especially during the southern-hemisphere summer peak. Australian travellers may be required to register fingerprints and a facial image on first entry, a process expected to take several minutes per person. Temporary controls have also been re-introduced on the land border with Spain, and DFAT recommends allowing extra time when transiting between Schengen states. For corporate mobility managers, the takeaway is scheduling: itineraries that once assumed a 30-minute connection may need 60–90 minutes until procedural teething issues settle. Frequent business visitors should track EES implementation across the 26-member bloc, as registration at one Schengen airport will speed subsequent entries. Companies whose staff hold dual EU-Australian citizenship should remind them to enter and exit on the same passport to avoid over-stay calculations. Visa-waiver rules remain unchanged for stays under 90 days in any 180-day period, but DFAT flags that some travellers may still need a work permit if undertaking remunerated activities. Employers sending technicians to trade fairs or short on-site projects should verify whether the Italian Posted Workers Directive triggers notification obligations. The updated advice also reiterates terrorism and petty-crime risks, recommending standard precautions such as using RFID-shielded wallets and pre-booking authorised taxis from railway stations.
Source: DFAT – Smartraveller
