Moderator note: I've removed personally identifying information from this post.


Dear Sir/Madam,

I hope you are well.

I currently reside in Columbia, Missouri (USA). I am in the United States on an F-2 visa, as my husband is pursuing his PhD at the University of Missouri. I am planning to travel to Pakistan with my two children, and I urgently require clarification regarding my transit at Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP).

I am scheduled to travel on 8 December 2025, and my itinerary is as follows:

Ticket 1 (United / Lufthansa – one ticket):

• St. Louis → New York/Newark (United Airlines)
  
• New York/Newark → Milan Malpensa (Lufthansa, operated by United Airlines)
  

Ticket 2 (Kuwait Airways – separate ticket):

• Milan Malpensa → Kuwait → Islamabad (Kuwait Airways)
  

These flights were booked through BudgetAir under a “self-transfer” option. At the time of booking, I was not aware of the specific rules regarding self-transfer, nor the potential requirement for a Schengen visa. Since my tickets are non-refundable, it is very important for me to confirm whether I can complete my transfer without entering Italy.

I will be traveling only with hand baggage, with no checked luggage, and I will be accompanied by my two children. We are all Pakistani passport holders with valid U.S. F-2 visas, valid I-20 forms, I-94 records, and proof of lawful residence in the United States.

Both my arriving flight (Lufthansa/United) and my departing flight (Kuwait Airways) are scheduled to operate from Terminal 1 at Milan Malpensa.

To ensure that my transit is smooth and fully compliant with immigration regulations, I kindly request clarification on the following:

1. Schengen visa requirement in self-transfer case
   Given that my onward journey from Milan to Islamabad is on a separate ticket (self-transfer), and that I will need to change from a Lufthansa/United flight to a Kuwait Airways flight at Terminal 1, do I require a Schengen (Schengen transit or entry) visa, or can I complete the transfer without a Schengen visa as long as I remain in the international transit area and do not cross the external border into Italy?
   
2. Boarding pass and need to pass immigration
   a. If, before arriving in Milan, I am able to obtain my Kuwait Airways boarding pass on my mobile phone (for example, by checking in via the Kuwait Airways mobile app while I am still in New York), will I still be required to exit the international transit area and go through immigration/passport control at Milan Malpensa, or can I stay airside and proceed directly to my departure gate without a Schengen visa?
   
   b. If, for some reason, I cannot obtain the Kuwait Airways boarding pass before landing in Milan, and instead I obtain it on my mobile phone after arrival (still while staying inside the terminal), will I in that case be required to exit the transit area and pass through immigration, or can I still remain airside and complete the transfer without a Schengen visa, assuming I have only hand luggage?
   

Because I am traveling alone with two children and our tickets are non-refundable, a clear confirmation from your side is extremely important for us to avoid any problems at the airport.

Hello and welcome to Flyertalk!

I am a volunteer moderator for this board. We are all travel fans, but (with only a few exceptions) do not represent airlines in a professional capacity. There is almost no chance the airlines will see your post on Flyertalk. You need to contact the airlines to get the answers to these questions. Most airlines use something called Timatic to determine whether passengers are eligible to fly to specific countries with or without certain visas. When you check in at the airport, the employees will reference Timatic or a similar software to determine whether you're allowed on the plane. It is possible to check this information in advance on your own, your best bet is to contact the airlines to confirm.

Also -- and I suspect you've already realized this -- this is why cheap/low-cost travel agents may actually be more expensive in the long run, since there is a chance BudgetAir sold you non-refundable tickets that cannot be used by someone with your specific passport. I hope that's not the case.

chgoeditor
co-mod, Info Desk

In addition to the wise advice given above, it would also be important for the passengers to find out ahead of time if they will be allowed to board the United flight from St. Louis to Newark, especially since two of the travelers are children.

Please see here to see if it applies toyou.

https://www.esteri.it/en/servizi-con..._aeroportuale/

Excerpt of text from Timatic below. Looks like transit is only allowed at MXP Malpensa T1 which is where you are self-transferring. If you are considered in Transit, you should not need a Transit Visa since you've a USA issued F2 visa. I presume it has not expired but anyways it has been used so you should be good there.

Your deal-breaking issue next week will be whether you will in fact be considered in "Transit" in Italy because that is the only way you will not require a Schengen visa. I understand you have booked a "Self-transfer" option through BudgetAir. What exactly does this mean? Will United in St. Louis issue you a boarding pass through to Pakistan? Or will they only give you boarding passes to MXP but still be able to see the Kuwait Airways flights in their system? Because you say there are two separate tickets, I am not sure what the BudgetAir itinerary shows: whether your e-ticket is from St. Louis to Islamabad — which is the only way you would be considered in Transit — or St. Louis to MXP and MXP to Islamabad in which case UA will likely only see their flights to MXP. Your problem will be if UA in St. Louis cannot see the onward flights out of MXP then they will rightfully consider your journey as terminating in MXP and their system will not issue you a boarding pass unless they enter a valid authorization to enter MXP and you will not even get to Newark. Having an onward ticket out of Italy may not be sufficient.

So bottom line is that this is a hugely risky gamble you have taken and anyone, anywhere in the world should avoid a self-transfer on separate tickets if the location in which they are planning to perform the self-transfer requires a visa for their passport type. It is the passenger's responsibility to check visa requirements prior to purchasing tickets. I think trying to get a Schengen visa at such short notice from your closest Italian consulate in Chicago is also tricky. You should immediately call United Airlines, Kuwait Airways and Budget Air and go from there to check whether United can see the Kuwait flights in the itinerary and will consider you a through passenger all the way to Islamabad.

Here's your other issue: I don't know if there is a transfer desk in the International Transit area of MXP. Yes I understand you are flying without checked bags — but these self-transfer itineraries will probably assume you have checked bags. Which means BudgetAir is expecting you to enter Italy, pick up your bags and recheck with Kuwait. There may not be an interline agreement between UA and KU. These questions can only be answered by United Airlines, Kuwait Airways and Budget Air so please call them, and avoid booking any self-transfers again in locations for which you will ordinarily require a visa to enter.

***************
Italy TRANSIT-
Type: Critical
Visa Requirements
-Passengers must have a valid visa issued by Italy.

Exemptions for 3rd Country Visa

Passengers can enter with a “C” or “D” visa issued by a Schengen Member State for a maximum of 90 days in a period of 180 days.

TWOV for 3rd Country Visas

Nationals of Pakistan can transit through Milan (MXP), Rome (FCO) or Venice (VCE) for a maximum of 48 hours with a visa issued by Aruba, Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, Bulgaria, Canada, Curacao, Cyprus, Ireland (Rep.), Japan, Romania, St. Maarten or USA. An expired visa is accepted if:
- it has already been used and was valid on the day of departure; and
- the passenger is returning from the country that issued the visa.

Type: Ok
Transit Information
-Passengers can only transit within Terminal 1 at Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP).

To confirm if a visa issued by the USA has been used, it can be verified at https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/home . Click on the View Travel History tab on the top of the page.