italy visa

italy visa


Visa & Embassy Information » Italy Visa Requirements, Tourist, Travel Visa, Italian Embassy
Italy Visa Information
Learn4good provides general information on study, travel, work visa and business visa requirements and the addresses of embassies worldwide. You should contact your local embassy or consulate for the most up-to-date information or visa forms.

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Who requires a Visa?
What documents will be required?
Time required to issue a Visa
What is the cost of a Visa?
How long is the Visa valid for?
Other information
Embassy contact information
Travel Guide
Study Abroad Programs in Italy
Italian Language Course in Italy

Who requires a visa?
Nationals bearing ordinary passports of the following countries/regional configurations are subject to visa obligations:
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belorus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central Africa, Chad, China, Colombia, Comoro Islands, Congo, Congo (Democratic Republic), Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican (Republic), East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Granada, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia (the Former Yugoslav Republic of), Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Northern Marianas, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Palestinian National Authority, Papua-New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tajikistan, Taiwan, (non-recognized territorial entity), Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Western Samoa, Yemen, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia-Montenegro), Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Nationals of the following countries do not require a visa for visits up to a maximum of 90 days, for tourism, on missions, business, invitations ought to take part in sports events:
Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Macao, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, South Korea, Singapore, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela.

Nationals of San Marino, the Holy See and Switzerland do not require a visas in any case.

The citizens of the following countries are required to obtain visas for transit through Italian airports:
Afghanistan***, Bangladesh***, Democratic Republic of the Congo***, Colombia**, Eritrea*, Ethiopia***, Ghana***, Iran***, Iraq***, Nigeria***, Pakistan***, Senegal**, Somalia*** and Sri Lanka***.

(*) exempt from obligation if the passenger holds a valid visa or residence permit from one of the EU Member States or one of the Parties to the European Economic Area Agreement of 2 May 1992, from Canada, Switzerland or the United States.

(**) exempt from obligation if the passenger holds a valid visa or residence permit from one of the Member States of the European Economic Area, Canada, or the United States of America.

(***) are exempt from the obligation to obtain an Airport Transit Visa if in possession of a “resident permit” issued by one of the following countries: Ireland, Liechtenstein, United Kingdom or of a "resident permit with unlimited right of return" issued by one of the following countries: Andorra, Canada, Japan, Principate of Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland, United States;

For long stays (above 90 days) for whatever purpose all aliens are required to hold a visa, even if they are nationals of countries which do not require transit or short-stay visas.

What documents will be required?
One passport size photograph;
One application form duly completed and signed at the Consulate;
Passport valid three months over planned stay in Italy
A letter of acceptance from school or University in Italy indicating place, duration of the course and dates of attendance;
A letter addressed to this Italian Consulate, stating that you own private means of support. If you are a recipient of financial aid, please submit a statement
A letter from your bank indicating your account number, financial status, and balance. The letter must be signed by a bank official
Flight reservations (round trip)

Note: Health Insurance Proof of Health Insurance must be shown to the competent local authorities in Italy (Questura) in order to obtain your residency permit (Permesso di Soggiorno). A Health Insurance Policy can be purchased on arrival in Italy at the Post Office, from Inassitalia, that is specially designed by the Italian Government for foreign students to cover all medical expenses without disbursing any money in case of illness.

Time required to issue visa:
Average 2 days, up to 12 days; varies depending on nationality.

What is the cost of a visa?
Fees for the processing of visa applications (expressed in Euro):
Single fee for all Schengen visas: € 60
Group visas (types A, B and C) € 60 + 1 per person
National visas for long-term stays (type D) € 75

On the basis of the existing Visa Facilitation Agreements with the UE, the visa applicants of the following Countries will be charged 35 euro, for the type A, B and C visas only:
Ukraine, Russian Federation, Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania and Moldova.

How long is the visa valid for?
Visas may be individual - issued to an individual applicant and apposed to an individual passport - or group visas - issued to a group of aliens, all having the same nationality of the passport-issuing country, and provided that the document is expressly and formally recognised by Italy. Group visas cannot exceed 30 days.

Visas are divided into three main categories:

1. Uniform Schengen Visas (USV): valid for all the Contracting Parties' territories; they may be

* airport transit visas (type A),
* transit visas (type B),
* short-stay or travel visas (type C), valid for up to 90 days, for single or multiple entry.

Exceptionally, the Schengen regulation enables important or well-known persons who frequently require a visa and who can provide the necessary guarantees, to be issued with C-type visas which permit a visit of up to 90 days in any half-year and are valid for one (C1), two (C2), three (C3) or five years (C5).

2. Limited Territorial Validity visas (LTV): these are only valid for the Schengen State whose representative issued the visa (or in particular cases for other Schengen states where specifically named) without any possibility of access to or transit through the territory of any other Schengen States. They are issued solely for humanitarian reasons, or in the national interest, or under international obligations as an exception to the common USV system. An alien may not directly apply for these visas, which are issued in a few specific cases by the diplomatic or consular representative when it deems it appropriate to issue the visa for the reasons as stated even though not all the conditions are met for the issue of a Uniform Schengen Visa, or when the applicant does not hold a validly recognised travel document, in particular emergencies or in case of need.

3. Long stay or "national" (NV) to Visas, which are only valid for visits that are longer than 90 days (type D), with one or more entries, in the territory of the Schengen State whose diplomatic representative issued the visa, and to transit through the territory of other Schengen States for a period of not more than five days.

Other information:
All aliens who enter Italy legally, including those who are not required to hold a visa, must comply with the rules governing the stay of aliens in Italy, and are required to report their presence on Italian territory to the local Central Police Station ('Questura') of the province in which they are staying within 8 working days from the date of entry, and apply for a residence permit ('permesso di soggiorno') pursuant to article 5 of Law 286/1998. Aliens requesting this residence permit are required to be fingerprinted.

It is this residence permit ('permesso di soggiorno') alone, which is issued for the reason and for the period indicated on the visa, which authorises an alien to stay in Italy.

Under Schengen rules, the residence permit issued by the Questura police authorities (or the diplomatic or service identity card issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) to holders of a long-stay visa, permits aliens, unless express limitations are imposed, to enter and leave the Schengen area and travel freely for a period of not more than 90 days in any 6-month period within territories of the other Contracting States, provided that they hold a currently valid national passport or equivalent travel document. Nevertheless, all aliens are required to report their presence to the police authorities in the territory of any other Schengen states within 3 working days of entry

Embassy contact information:
Please contact the nearest Italian Embassy for information on what documentation you may require to enter Italy.

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