Italy Visa

The Embassy of Italy grants a Schengen visa as Italy visa to all foreign citizens seeking to enter this European country for a short period of time. It does not issue any separate visa for short-stay but issues an Italian National visa for long-term stay in Italy. A Schengen visa is a comprehensive visa issued to non-European citizens to enter the Schengen area comprising of 26 Schengen states, including Italy.

The Italian Embassy has appointed VFS Global Services as the official partner to provide Italy visa application services in India. It operates as an Italy visa application centre under the guidance of the Embassy of Italy. It facilitates the Embassy/ Consulates in the collection of Italy visa application, visa fees and returning the passports back to the applicants.

Visa Guide

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It is compulsory for all foreign nationals, who are not a citizen of any Schengen states, to obtain travel insurance in order to apply for Italy visa.

What are the Features of Italy Visa?

Schengen visa for short stay issued to all foreigners
No visa fees for children and students
Travel insurance mandatory for all travellers

Types of Italy Visa

Different types of visas are issued to non-Schengen citizens who want to visit Italy. The Italian Embassy has divided Italy visa into two broad categories. A prospective traveller should select the appropriate kind of Italy visa keeping in mind the purpose of their travel. Take a look at the two varieties of Italy visas below:

Schengen Visa

Short-term Uniform visa is a type of visa issued by the Italian Embassy to people who want to travel to Italy for a short period of time. It is also called C visa and is usually granted for a maximum period of 90 days. This type of Schengen visa provided by the Italian Embassy is divided into five sub-categories:

Tourist Visa/ Business Visa

Italy tourist visa is a type of visa that is issued to people whose main purpose of travel is a vacation or to visit family and friends based in Italy. People who are visiting Italy to receive medical treatment will also get an Italy tourist visa. In fact, people who are travelling to Italy to fulfil a business commitment such as attending business meetings, conferences, mergers, etc will get a Business visa.

Transit Visa

Transit visa is a type of Italy visa which is meant for people who have a stopover in Italy and need to board a connecting flight to reach their destination country.

Study Short Stay Visa

Study short-stay visa is a type of visa that can be applied by people who want to study in a short-term course in Italy. The maximum duration of the course should not be more than 90 days in order to obtain this type of Italy visa.

Sports Visa

Sports visa is a type of Italy visa meant for people who are travelling to Italy as a sportsperson, judge or a referee/ adjudicators in their field of sports.

Invitation Visa

Invitation visa is a type of Italy visa which can be applied by people who have been invited by an organization in Italy due to their professional status or achievements.

National Visa

National visa is a type of Italy visa which is granted to foreign nationals who want to stay in Italy for longer period of time. It is also considered as a D visa and is issued if the traveller will be staying in Italy for more than 90 days. The National visa is available in three sub-categories:

Study Visa

Study visa is a type of visa which can be applied by people whose main purpose of travel is to study in Italy. This type of Italy visa allows its holders to study in Italy for a course spanning over 90 days. People with this visa can also conduct research work in Italy.

Work Visa

Italy Work visa is a type of visa that allows foreign nationals to work in Italy for a long period of time. This type of Italy visa includes both employment visa and self-employment visa. While employment visa is made for intra-company transfers, skilled professionals and salaried workers, self-employment visa is meant for people who are business owners, startup owners, freelancers, sportspersons, etc.

Family Reunion Visa

Family Reunion visa is a type of Italy visa meant for people who are visiting Italy to reunite with their family members and stay with them for a long period of time.

Who Should Apply for Italy Visa

All Indian citizens with a valid Indian passport will have to obtain an Italy visa in order to visit Italy. Whether you are travelling for vacationing or for taking up employment, you will need a valid Italy visa in order to enter and stay in this European country. Moreover, if you have a layover in Italy and only need to catch a connecting flight from one of Italy’s international airport terminals, you will have to get an Italy visa.

Foreigners can apply for Italy visa for short stay or Schengen visa even if they are visiting more than one Schengen states. However, your Schengen visa application will be accepted by the Italian Embassy only if Italy is the main destination of your trip. The main destination refers to the Schengen state where the traveller would be spending the longest duration of your trip or the main purpose of your trip will unfold.

How to Apply for Italy Visa?

The process of applying for Italy visa is quite simple. All visa applications have to be submitted to VFS Global Services which collects them on behalf of the Italian Embassy/ Consulate. Make sure to check the Consulate that has jurisdiction over your residence city at the time of applying for the Italy visa. The jurisdiction will cover the city you have been residing for the last six months. Follow the steps given below to apply for Italy visa for Indians:

Visit the official website of VFS Global Italy
Select the type of visa you want to apply as per your purpose of travel
Arrange all the required documents
Schedule an appointment at the Visa Application Centre
Submit the documents
Pay the visa fees

Documents Required to Apply for Italy Visa

Every applicant of Italy visa for Indians requires a set of documents that they have to submit in support of their visa application. Here is a list of documents required to apply for an Italy visa:

Duly filled-in visa application forms
Two recent passport size photographs
Passport with a minimum of 3 months more validity from the date of intended visa expiry. It should have at least two empty pages and should have been issued in the last 10 years
Evidence of sufficient financial ability
Health insurance or medical travel insurance valid throughout the Schengen area
Polio vaccination certificate mentioning the applicant was vaccinated 4 weeks to 12 months before travelling to Italy (People who have stayed in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Syria or Somalia for more than 4 weeks)

Refer to the table given below to find out about additional documents required with different types of Italy visa applications:

Types of Italy Visas		Documents Required
Schengen Visa	Tourist Visa	For Tourists: Documents supporting the applicant’s employment status Booking confirmation of return flight tickets Proof of accommodation in Italy For Business: Licence/ certificate from relevant authority granting permission to operate business in India Letter of invitation from an Italian company Trip itinerary with business contacts and their details including addresses Booking confirmation of return flight tickets For Medical Treatment: Letter from the doctor in India mentioning the illness Letter from the healthcare provider in Italy mentioning the kind of treatment to be given; start, duration and estimated cost of treatment Certificate from the healthcare provider in Italy confirming that 30% of the estimated treatment cost has been deposited by the patient Authorization issued by the Health Ministry on humanitarian grounds, if any Proof of accommodation for the person accompanying the patient Booking confirmation of return flight tickets
	Transit Visa	Booking confirmation of return flight tickets Visa for the destination country, if required Documents supporting the applicant’s employment status Document suggesting the need to travel through the Schengen area Proof of accommodation in Italy, if required
	Sports Visa	Booking confirmation of return flight tickets Letter from the Sports Ministry or the Sports Organization in India stating the purpose, duration and estimated cost of the trip Letter of invitation from the Sports organization in Italy Proof of accommodation in Italy from the Italian organization Affidavit from both parents giving consent to travel abroad (in case of minor sportsperson)
	Invitation Visa	Booking confirmation of return flight tickets Travel itinerary including travel dates Cover letter from the traveller mentioning the purpose, duration of the trip Cover letter from the relevant organization confirming the professional status of the traveller Letter of invitation from the Italian organization stating the details of the event and estimated cost of the trip
National Visa	Study visa (Long stay and Short-stay)	Acceptance/ enrollment letter for the course in Italy Proof of accommodation in Italy Declaration of Value of applicant’s educational certificates by the Italian Embassy Educational certificates of the applicant apostilled by the Ministry of External Affairs Payment receipt of tuition fees Proof of economic status, which includes: Bank statement of the applicant of his family Scholarship from the Italian government Bank guarantees covering the expenses of the stay in Italy Proof of accommodation in Italy Booking confirmation of return flight tickets for a short-stay study visa or a one-side ticket for long-stay study visa Letter of admission in original
	Work Visa	For Employment visa: Clearance certificate from Single Immigration Desk (SUI) allowing to work in Italy For Self-Employment visa: Proof of accommodation in Italy Certificate identifying the resources to operate the business, issued by the Chamber of Commerce of the Italian region where the business will operate Proof of income that exempts the applicant from participation in health expenditure Nulla Osta from the relevant Police HQ
	Family Reunion Visa	Clearance certificate from Single Immigration Desk (SUI) Proof of relationship between the traveller and the family member with Italian citizenship Consent letter to issue visa from the one parent (if minor travelling with the other parent)

Italy Visa Fee

All applicants of Italy visa will have to pay a visa fee at the time of submitting the visa applications. Refer to the table given below to find out the visa fee you need to pay with different types of Italy visas:

Types of Italy Visas		Visa Fees (IN Euro)
Schengen Visa		80
National Visa	Study Visa	50
	Work Visa/ Family Reunion Visa	116

Travel Insurance for Italy Visa

Italy is an extremely beautiful country with lots of historical marvels. There are a wide variety of adventure sports available for tourists and locals alike. But even at the safest and the most gorgeous places, you can find yourself in an emergency. You can get injured while participating in one of the water sports or forget your handbag that had your passport at a pizza place in Rome. Such situations can create a lot of panic and might disrupt your trip entirely. However, you can handle such situations wisely if you have insured your trip with a travel insurance policy.

Travel insurance is a protecting shield that guards you against any adversities that you may face during your trip to Italy. It not only provides adequate medical and financial assistance at the hour of need but also compensates for any losses that you may incur as a result of any eventuality. Typically, Schengen travel insurance covers medical expenses, loss of passport, personal accident cover, medical evacuation, personal liability, trip delay, missed connection flight, repatriation of mortal remains, etc.

There are also several customized travel insurance plans for different types of travellers. For instance, all insurance providers offer student travel insurance to people travelling abroad to study. It includes special covers such as sponsor protection, study interruption, compassionate cover, bail bond, pregnancy cover, etc. Similarly, there is also senior citizen travel insurance for the elderly, family travel insurance for families travelling together and the corporate travel insurance for business travellers. You can also choose to opt for single or multi-trip travel insurance as per the frequency of your travel.

Buying a travel insurance policy is mandatory for all applicants of Italy visa irrespective of whether you want to apply for an Italy tourist visa or Italy work visa. Your visa application will be denied if you don’t have travel insurance. Make sure that your travel insurance policy has a minimum cover of EUR 30,000 as per the guidelines of the Embassy of Italy.

Steps to Check the Status of Italy Visa

In order to check the status of your VFS Italy visa, follow the steps given below:

Visit the official website of VFS Global Italy
Select your Embassy/ Consulate
Go to ‘Track Your Application’
Enter your reference number and date of birth
Click on submit

Processing Time for Italy Visa

Different types of Italy visa can take varied amount of time to get processed. Take a look at the processing time of various types of Italy visa:

Types of Italy Visas		Processing Time
Schengen Visa	Tourist/ Business Visa	15 working days
	Transit Visa	15 working days
	Sports Visa	15 working days
	Invitation Short Stay Visa	15 working days
	Study Short Stay Visa	90 days
National Visa	Study Visa	90 days
	Work Visa	90 days (Employment visa) 120 days (Self-Employment visa)
	Family Reunion Visa	30 days

FAQs

Q: Do I need a visa to travel to Italy? Do Indian passport holders need a visa for Italy?

Ans: All Indian nationals with a valid Indian passport need to obtain an Italy visa in order to visit and stay in Italy.
Q: Is Schengen visa valid for Italy?

Ans: Yes. You can travel to Italy using a Schengen visa. However, make sure that Italy is the main or sole destination of your trip if you want to apply for a Schengen visa through the Italian Embassy/ Consulate.
Q: When should I apply for an Italy visa?

Ans: Indian citizens who wish to apply for Italy visa should submit their visa applications a minimum of 15 working days and a maximum of 90 days before their departure from India.
Q: Do I need travel insurance in Italy?

Ans: Yes. It is mandatory for all foreign nationals, including Indian citizens, to possess valid travel insurance in order to get a visa for Italy. Italy visa allows its holders to enter Italy for a fixed period of time.
Q: What kind of travel insurance do I need for Schengen visa?

Ans: All applicants of Schengen visa for Italy should have valid international travel insurnace , Schengen travel insurance or medical travel insurance with a cover of at least EUR 30,000.