Longshot - Italy Student Visa Type D - query on dates?

[Converse2020]

Hi,

As per subject this is a long shot as it’s a very unique question.

In short. Does anyone know if you can enter Italy a few days before the date on a study visa ??


Full details as below …..

My son is studying in Italy from Sep to June. He’s a U.K. citizen so needed a Type D long stay study visa for Italy.

He’s applied for his visa from 5th Sep as the date shown on his inbound flight he had to book and print out.

His visa has come back but is dated 8th Sep rather than the 5th. The same happened for 3 other friends who all applied for 5th and have induction day of 8th and now a visa start date of 8th.


We don’t know why they did this - eg was it a mistake (seems unlikely on all 4 applications ) or was it dated the 8th as that is the university induction day.

The outsourced visa application centre is next to useless. They have said come back to London and submit a request to have it corrected and fingers crossed etc.

The concern is there is now not much time and the risk is the passport doesn’t come back before next Friday. London is also a 3 hr journey for him and so there is the cost of the train / time off work and another courier fee for the return passport.

Frankly it might be cheaper to change his outbound flight to the 8th but then it is going to be tight to make the mandatory university induction day on time.

Does anyone know if you can travel a few days ahead of your study visa start date or will he be turned away ?

Thanks

[twing]

Am I completely under-thinking it or can he not just enter as a tourist (which he will be for the three days) and by the time he becomes a student the Visa will have kicked in.

[Converse2020]

I did wonder that but we are not clear if entering as a tourist and then staying in Italy for more than 99 days will mean he’s deemed to have broken the 90 day stay limit for tourists.