With the  Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers (DPCM – Decreto del Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri) issued last Friday on  April 10^th, 2020 the Italian government has provided guidelines for people who are required to travel to, or through, Italy for business purposes. More specifically the new requirements are outlined in Article 5 of the 29 page Decree under the heading ‘Transits and Short-Term Stays’ in Italy (Transiti e Soggiorni di Breve Durata in Italia).

SHORT TERM STAYS IN ITALY

Short-term visits for work purposes are now allowed for a maximum of 72 hours.  In special cases this may be extended by another 48 hours.

Anyone who enters the Italian territory by either private or public air, sea (intending any type of body of water), or land transportation (including by car and on foot) must declare the following:

• The reason for the work trip
• The duration of the trip
• The address of where they will be staying during their short trip in Italy
• The private method that they will use to arrive at the place where they will be staying
• If multiple addresses will be visited during the trip all addresses must be indicated –
  in addition to an indication of the private method of transportation they will be using to move from location to location
• A telephone and or / cell phone number where they can be contacted during their stay
• The foreign address of where, on leaving the Italian territory, they will be undertaking their 14 day quarantine period

It must be noted that this part of the decree only speaks about ‘private’ transportation methods – and not ‘public’ transportation methods.  Here it could be recommended to look into car hire or private car with driver hire to ensure full compliance with the decree.

Upon arrival in Italy visitors must also contact the local health department whether they have symptoms of COVID-19 or not.  If during their stay they begin to manifest symptoms this must be immediately reported to the local health authority.

At the end of the 72 hour period, and in special cases with an additional period of 48 hours (a total period of 120 hours), the visitor must leave the Italian territory or start a quarantine period of 14 days.. If during this post–Italian trip quarantine period the visitor manifests symptoms of COVID-19 they are also required to communicate this information to the local Italian health authority in the region they were staying.

TRANSIT TO ANOTHER COUNTRY

The DPCM of April 10^th, 2020 also provides regulations allowing people to travel through Italy in order to reach a destination in another country.

In terms of transit through Italy using ground transportation the regulations in Point 7 of Article 5 only applies to the use of private vehicles and not for public transportation. Here the maximum amount of time one can stay in the country for transit purposes is 24 hours.  In special cases an extension of 12 hours may be granted  – for a total maximum of 36 hours.

In terms of transit through Italy using air transportation the regulations in Point 8 of Article 5 does not indicate a maximum time period.  However, the obligation to declare the reason for the trip, the length of stay in Italy, the number of the flight, the transportation to be used to arrive at the final destination, the location of one’s final destination, and a telephone number the authorities can contact you on during your stay in Italy.  In addition, the traveller is not allowed to leave the specific areas in the airport required for their transit.

EXEMPTIONS

The following situations are exempt from the obligations of Article 5:

• Crew members of air and sea transportation
• Traveling staff and crew staff employed on board and belonging to companies with registered office in Italy
• Workers on the Italian border who regularly enter and exit the Italian territory for work
• Medical professionals, including those arriving for temporary assignments

DEADLINE

The  DPCM of April 10th, 2020 has extended the lockdown in Italy until May 3^rd, 2020.  Hence, all of the obligations outlined above are in force until this date – or until another DPCM is issued either prolonging, cancelling, or changing the requirements.

If you have any questions or require any assistance with the formalities involved with having employees enter the Italian territory for work purposes in this period please contact LABLAW on + 39 02 30 31 11 or at info@lablaw.com.