Italy Visa Types, Requirements, Application & Guidelines (2024)

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You need a Schengen visa to enter Italy if you are a citizen of a country with no visa agreement with the Schengen Area.

You can also verify your visa requirement via the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

Here you have to answer a few questions as follows:

According to your answers, the website will create an overview of your data and will provide you with the visa application form and what documents you need based on the reason for the visit you picked.

You do not need a Schengen visa to enter Italy if:

• You are a citizen from one of the countries that have a visa liberalization agreement with the Schengen Area.
• You have a residence permit issued by another Schengen country.

If you do not need a visa, the website will display the following information:

1. Italy Transit Visa. You need a transit visa if you are traveling via Italy to join a connecting flight towards your main destination.
2. Italy Tourist Visa. This visa is issued to you if you are planning to visit Italy only for tourism purposes.
3. Italy Visitor Visa. If you have a family member or a friend who you are visiting in Italy, then you need to apply for this visa.
4. Italy Business Visa. You need to apply for a business visa if you are planning to visit Italy to meet a business partner or take part in a business meeting or conference.
5. Italy Medical Visa. If you are planning on entering Italy to receive short-term medical treatment, then you need to apply for a medical visa.
6. Italy Cultural Visa. You can apply for this visa if you are attending a cultural event, sporting event, or competition in Italy or if you are entering the country as a part of a filming crew.
7. Italy Student Visa. You can apply for this visa if you are planning to attend a short-term study course in Italy.

1. Italy Working Holiday Visa. If you’re looking to travel and work in Italy temporarily, you’ll need to apply for a working holiday visa; you can apply for this visa only if you are a citizen of countries that have a working holiday agreement with Italy.
2. Italy Work Visa. You can apply for this visa if you have an employer or a work contract in Italy.
3. Italy Student Visa. Students attending long-term studies in Italy need to obtain a student visa for their studies.
4. Italy Family Reunification Visa. If you’re joining family members who are already residing in Italy, you’ll need to apply for a family reunification visa.
5. Italy Retirement Visa (Elective Residency Visa). Individuals looking to retire in Italy can apply for a retirement visa, also known as an elective residency visa.
6. Italy Self-Employment Visa. Entrepreneurs and self-employed individuals planning to establish a business in Italy will need to obtain a self-employment visa.
7. Italy Seasonal Worker Visa. If you’re planning to work in Italy temporarily for seasonal employment, such as agriculture or tourism, you’ll need a seasonal worker visa.

1. Complete the application form online.
2. Gather the required documents.
3. Submit the application form and documents.
4. Pay the Schengen visa application fee.
5. Wait for a response.

To proceed with the application, you must click on “View” under the Documents and Forms section, which can be found in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, where you completed the questionnaire.

Once you click on View, you will automatically be taken to the official website of the online application. There you can find the three steps of the application process. Start the online Schengen visa application by clicking on “Proceed to online form.”

You also have the option to change the language as required depending on the available options from your chosen country.

After clicking to proceed with the online application, you will be taken to a new window where you must provide your personal details.

Please take note of the part where it says that information is not required for family members of EU, EEA, or Swiss citizens. Once you complete the answers click “Next” to continue.

The next part of your online application includes questions about your home address. Make sure to complete it all correctly.

This section is applicable only to minors (under 18) applying for a Schengen visa for Italy. You can skip this step if not applicable to you.

Provide the data for your travel document, such as travel document number, country of issue, etc.

This section requires information regarding your travel, such as the reason for your trip, the country you will be traveling to, the duration of your stay, etc. Make sure you provide correct and relevant information.

This section requires information about the person(s) who are inviting you to go to Italy if that is applicable. Click on “Select a choice” and choose the option that applies to you.

• If you do not have a sponsor but instead have booked accommodation in a hotel, choose “Hotel/temporary accommodation” and fill in the required information about the hotel you will be staying in.
• If you have a family member or friend who invited you to Italy, choose “Person” and then complete the required information.
• If you have been invited by a company or organization, choose “Invitation” and provide the required information.

Once you have completed the information required above, you will be required to answer the following questions about how you are going to support yourself financially during your stay in Italy.

Then, continue with “Next” to finalize your application.

This section applies only to family members of EU, EEA, or CH citizens (spouse, child, or dependent ascendant). If you are a non-EU national, skip this step and click “Print”.

Once you reach this point, your application is filled out and ready to print. You have the option to save your data and print your application later, whichever option suits you best.

Either way, once you click “Print,” your application will be downloaded automatically as a PDF file, and then you can print out the application and attach it to the rest of the documents so you can submit it to the corresponding embassy or visa application centre.

Please ensure to print the complete file, especially the final page with the barcode which you will need as it contains your entries in a machine-readable format.

• If you are from Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, or Botswana, book an appointment with VFS Global; on their website, open an account and pick the “book an appointment” option.
• If you are from Senegal, Cameroon, Kazakhstan, Abu Dabi, Singapore, or Mali, book an appointment with BLS International; here, you must open an account and find the book an appointment option.
• If you are from Armenia, Belarus, Lebanon, or Nigeria, book an appointment with TLS Contact.
• If you are from anywhere else, book an appointment with the local Italian embassy or consulate with the Prenotami online booking system. You must open an account to make any appointments.

To change or cancel your Italy visa appointment, you must use the services available at the designated centre where you initially scheduled your appointment:

• If you’ve booked an appointment with VFS, BLS, or TLS, you need to log in to your account and find the “cancel an appointment” button. Some visa application centres may allow you to even reschedule your appointment, but this depends on the specific visa application centre; you will have all the information available within your account.
• If you’ve booked an appointment with the Prenotami online booking system, to cancel your appointment, you need to log in to your account and go to the option “my appointments.” You will have all the information about your booked appointment and the option to cancel your current appointment. You cannot reschedule your current appointment, but after you cancel it, you can request a new one at a different time and date.

Please note that you cannot cancel or reschedule an appointment with either option on the day of your actual appointment; you must do so a minimum of 24 to 48 hours in advance.

On the day of your visa appointment, you must submit your biometric information, i.e., your fingerprints and photographs.

However, you may be exempted from this requirement if you’ve applied for a Schengen visa in the last 59 months since your data will still be valid, and you do not need to resubmit your biometric information again.

You will also need to attend a visa interview, answering questions about your planned trip to Italy. The focus of the interview will solely be on your planned activities during your visit and the duration of your stay.

See the most common mistakes to look out for during a Schengen visa interview.

To track the status of your application, you need a reference number which is usually stamped on the receipt of your visa application fee.

The actual tracking process depends on where you submitted your application:

• If you’ve applied for your Italy visa via a visa application centre (VFS, BLS, or TLS), you can track your application on their website using your reference number and passport number.
• If you’ve applied for your visa directly to an embassy or consulate, online tracking may not be possible.

If you’ve received a negative decision, you will find the reasons for your refusal highlighted in the denial notice.

In this case, you can either appeal against the decision or reapply for the visa. To reapply for the visa, ensure that you already have addressed the issues that caused your denial in the first place and then go through the process again.

To appeal against a negative decision on your Schengen Italy visa application, you need to send an appeal request to the Regional Administrative Court (T.A.R.) of Lazio based in Rome. You must send your request within 60 days of having received your negative decision.

Additionally, you may not be able to send the appeal on your own; you need to employ a legal representative to send the appeal request on your behalf.

The Schengen visa for Italy allows stays of up to 90 days within a 180-day window for short visits. The day count starts as soon as you enter Italy and stops the moment you leave the Schengen Area.

It is possible to extend your Schengen visa for Italy, but only under exceptional circ*mstances such as force majeure, humanitarian needs, or significant personal reasons. To extend your stay, you need to contact your local “Questura” office where you are staying in Italy so you can submit a request for an extension.

Going over the allowed 90-day limit can result in many consequences, including immediate deportation, a penalty, or you will be banned from entering the Schengen Area.

Therefore, it is recommended to use the Schengen calculator to ensure you don’t surpass the permitted stay in Italy, avoiding any legal issues.

Beyond the Schengen Area, your Schengen visa also permits travel to certain non-EU and non-Schengen countries.

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