Living outside Italy

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

You can't travel to the UK with this document.  A carta di soggiorno is an Italian residence card, nothing else.  It does permit you to travel to other Schengen countries and stay for a maximum of 90 days, but you are not permitted to work in these countries; the UK is not a signatory to the Schengen agreement, so your document is not acceptable there; as a Ghanaian citizen, you will need to apply for a visa to visit the UK.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Thank you for responding, sorry I did not state that my dad is Italian ...Which means I can travel to the UK only if he is going with me. I have got a residence permit in the UK as well as carta di soggiorno, my question is that would I be allowed in Italy after spending 7months outside with the carta di soggiorno? Thank you

Hi again.

Do you have an EU passport?

No I don’t...I’ve got a non- Eu passport and a carta di soggiorno

Hi again.

If you are now in the UK and have a UK issued residence permit, then your Italian one would have automatically expired on the date that was issued (you can't hold more than one EU permit); however, if you haven't told the Italians, then they may not know.

To answer your original question; no, you would not be allowed back into Italy; after 6 months, you become classed as UK resident as far as the Italians are concerned and your carta di soggiorno would have lapsed.  As the UK is not a signature to Schengen, your UK residence card cannot be used for travel like the Schengen country versions.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Thank you

One last word of caution.  Be very careful.  If you are in the UK as part of your father working/living there, then should he leave, your right to be in the UK will also lapse.  Should you stay and your Italian residence has also lapsed, you could find yourself deported back to Ghana.

Okay ..Thank you very much

<< Although the carta di soggiorno "confers permanent residence to its holders," a permanent resident who is absent from Italy for 12 months or more will lose his or her permanent resident status, "regardless of the validity indicated on the Carta di Soggiorno" >>

Canada gov website. I would ask the italians though.