A boy paints an Italian and an American flag on a school building in Catania, Sicily, in September 2024. Changes to Italy’s sojourner permit process will affect how Defense Department dependents, civilians and contractors apply for and receive the document that allows them to live and work in the country. ( Diana Quinlan/U.S. Navy)

NAPLES, Italy — Recent changes to Italian immigration rules could bring greater scrutiny for dependents of U.S. forces in Italy, as well as Defense Department civilian employees and contractors in the country.

Italy recently changed how those Americans apply for and receive a sojourner’s permit, the document that allows them to live and work there.

The impact of the modifications is significant, as they affect all holders of paper permits and first-time applicants, the Navy said in a newsletter sent Wednesday to commands at U.S. Naval Support Activity Naples.

They also may affect permit holders’ ability to travel in and out of the Schengen Zone, the newsletter said.

Under NATO’s Status of Forces Agreement, DOD military dependents, civilians and contractors must have a sojourner’s permit to reside and work in Italy.

They are required to have the paper permit in their possession when traveling and present it when asked by police, immigration officials or other authorities.

Active-duty or reserve service members are not required to have sojourner’s permits as part of the SOFA.

Those required to have the permit could be stopped and questioned while traveling to any of the 29 countries participating in the EU’s Entry/Exit System implemented earlier this month, the Navy Region Europe, Africa, Central legal services office said in the newsletter.

Those countries include Germany, Italy and Spain, where large numbers of DOD personnel live and work.

People with a valid mission visa in their official passport may continue to travel freely within the Schengen area, the legal services office said.

EES is an automated identification check system that digitally records most non-EU nationals’ entry to and exit from Schengen countries. It eventually will replace passport stamping.

The system collects personal information, such as a person’s name and birth date, from travelers staying in a country 90 days or fewer. A facial photo and fingerprints also are collected and are among data stored for about three years, according to the EU.

Italian and American flags fly in front of the 173rd Airborne Brigade headquarters in Vicenza, Italy. Defense Department dependents, civilians and contractors will see big changes in how they apply for and receive their sojourner’s permits from Italy. ( John Hall/U.S. Army)

Officials aren’t certain how the changes to Italy’s sojourner process, which now requires an electronic permit instead of a paper document, would impact current holders or applicants assigned to U.S. bases under SOFA, the Navy said.

An application fee and appointment at an Italian immigration office also are part of the revisions, the service noted.

U.S. officials are seeking “to better understand the new policies, the impact to our military community, and a way forward,” the legal services office said in the newsletter.

The office still is accepting applications for sojourner’s permits but cannot submit them to immigration offices until it receives guidance on how to proceed, the Navy said.

Aviano Air Base also is working to ensure that affected personnel and families were aware of the changes and make the transition as smooth as possible, 31st Fighter Wing spokesman Capt. Steve Garrett said Thursday.

Sojourner’s permit processing had been paused to finalize procedures for U.S. personnel under the new digital system, he added.

It wasn’t clear as of Thursday how officials at U.S. Army Garrison Italy in Vicenza were informing their community of the changes.

As of June, there were more than 15,400 U.S. active-duty and reserve service members and DOD civilian workers assigned to Italy, according to a Pentagon workforce report.