Italy Visa

Italy visa is a permit issued to foreign nationals who wish to visit Italy for a fixed period of time. It is an authorization that allows non-Italian citizens to enter and stay in Italy temporarily. It also allows foreign travellers to transit from the international transit areas of Italian airports.

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.

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:

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:

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: