On this web page:

Passport and VISA

U.S. Consulate in Florence

Banking

Credit Cards

ATMs

Computers







PASSPORT and VISA
Non-European Union citizens are required to have a valid passport upon entry and departure from Italy. It is illegal to return home with an expired passport.

U.S. and Canadian citizens can enter Italy without a visa as tourists for stays up to 90 days.

A visa is necessary for all stays for all non-European Union students. Upon acceptance in a NECA program NECA will e-mail students all the necessary information to request the visa and the permit of stay at their arrival in Italy. Start your process for the visa as soon as possible since it may take a bit of time. NECA will assist students to get the visa. NECA is not responsible for those students who enter Italy without a visa and for those students with a visa who do not request the Permit of Stay (Permesso di Soggiorno) at their arrival in Florence.

IMPORTANT: Before coming to Florence students should make some photocopies of their passport and any other important document, keep them separately, and give one copy to NECA staff upon their arrival in Florence.
Students must always have the passport with them anywhere they go, plus the permit of stay or receipt of it.



U.S. CONSULATE IN FLORENCE
Lungarno Amerigo Vespucci 38
Ph. +39 055266951
Open Mon-Fri 9:00am-12:30pm and 2:00pm-3:30pm.
The U.S. Consulate can assist you if you lose your passport.

Click here for addresses of Italian Consulates or Embassies in the U.S. and worldwide. For Consulates/Embassies in the U.S. scroll down until you find "Stati Uniti d'America".



BANKING
It is possible to change money or travelers checks at any bank in Florence (with proof of ID). There are also many "change" places in the historical center, be aware of additional fees (ask first). Rates will vary from place to place.

Students can cash American Express traveler's checks without a transaction fee at the American Express Office
via Dante Alighieri 14
Tel. +39 05550981
Personal checks cannot be cashed.

If students need to have money sent from home they should ask NECA, which will answer as soon as possible and help them. Students should remember that money transfers take time, and should always have extra money in case of an emergency.

It is possible to ask one's home bank if they have a "correspondent" bank in Florence, they may be able to provide some assistance in Florence.

Students should arrive in Florence with €300.00 cash for the first days.



CREDIT CARDS
In Italy we do not use credit cards all the time.
-Credit cards connected to banks will probably allow you to make purchases in Italy AND ALSO to get money from ATMs.
-Credit cards NOT connected to banks will probably allow you to make purchases but MIGHT NOT ALLOW you to get money (=cash) from ATMs.

Please check with your credit card company before leaving the U.S.
If your credit card does not work in Italy, the responsibility is ONLY of your credit card company, which should make sure in advance that your card will work in Italy.



ATMs
The best way to get money in Italy is with an ATM or credit card. Students can use their ATM card in Italy and access their personal bank account depending on the system their bank uses (Cirrus or PLUS, for example). There may be a limit (usually of €250.00) on the amount to be withdrawn and a service fee of about €7.00.
Again, if your credit card does not allow you to get money from ATMs, the responsibility is ONLY of your credit card company, which should make sure in advance that your card will work in Italy.

Students can also get a cash advance with a credit card at any bank machine; Visa, Master Card, and American Express are widely accepted. However this is not the most economical way. There might be a service charge and high interest rate.

Debit cards, which link students bank account to a Visa or MasterCard, are another alternative.
Students should check with their home bank before leaving their country.



COMPUTERS
At NECA no instructor requests the use of computers for research, any course work, to write papers, etc. NECA provides students a card with some minutes free to go to internet points which are (really) everywhere in the city center. Then students can purchase packages of hours at a discounted price to e-mail their friends, if they want.
If the use of computer should be requested by NECA instructors, students would be provided a computer by NECA.