Visas

Informativa privacy

• DO YOU WANT TO GO TO ITALY? YOU WILL NEED A VISA!
• WHO CAN APPLY?
• ACCEPTED TRAVEL DOCUMENTS
• RESIDENCY CRITERIA
• MY TRIP COVERS MULTIPLE DESTINATIONS INCLUDING ITALY …DO I NEED A VISA FOR ITALY?
• WHEN TO APPLY
• WHERE TO APPLY
• IMPORTANT NOTICE
• VISA FEES
• BIOMETRIC DATA COLLECTION (VISA INFORMATION SYSTEM)
• EU/EEA CITIZENS’ FAMILY MEMBERS
• NEVER USE THE EMERGENCY PHONE OF THE EMBASSY FOR VISA-RELATED QUERIES
• ADDITIONAL NOTES
• FURTHER INFORMATION

DO YOU WANT TO GO TO ITALY? YOU WILL NEED A VISA!

An entry visa is a permit required by persons wishing to enter Italy for a temporary visit. Depending on the purpose and duration of your stay in Italy you can either apply for a short-term “Schengen visa” (C visa) or for a long-term “Italian national visa” for stays over 90 days (D visa).
C visas are generally issued for tourism, business travel, family visits.
Long-stay visas (national D visas) are issued for stays exceeding 3 months. The main reasons for issuing this type of visa are study, work and family reunion.
You can find general information on visas below. In order to understand which is the visa category that better suits your need please visit the page Visa for Italy . For further information on each type of visa and requisite documents, please refer to the entries in the above menu.

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WHO CAN APPLY?

All Indians citizens resident in the areas under the consular jurisdiction of the Embassy, i.e. Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu-Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Chandigarh.

All nationals of countries whose citizens are subject to visa obligation (please, check here the list) legally residing in the consular jurisdiction of the Embassy.

All nationals of countries whose citizens are subject to visa obligation who are legally present in India on temporary basis and can justify their need for lodging an application in India rather than in their country of residence. The Embassy of Italy in New Delhi retains the right to evaluate the justification provided and to accept the visa applications.

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ACCEPTED TRAVEL DOCUMENTS:

Here you can download an excel file spelling out, for each third country and territorial entity, which travel documents are accepted by Italy (and by other Schengen countries). Regarding Indian citizens, Italy accepts Indian ordinary, diplomatic and service passports.

Please be informed that passport\travel document must:

• have been issued within the previous 10 years, and its validity must not exceed 10 years;
• have a residual validity of at least 3 months after intended stay;
• have at least 2 blank pages.

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RESIDENCY CRITERIA

The Embassy of Italy in New Delhi can accept applications only from applicants residing in the areas under its jurisdiction, i.e. Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu-Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Chandigarh.

If you reside in other areas of India, you should apply either at the Consulate General of Italy in Kolkata (competent for Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Tripura, Sikkim and West Bengal, the Union Territory of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Nepal), at the Consulate General of Italy in Mumbai (competent for Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Maharashtra, Daman and Diu, Dadra, Nagar Haveli, Lakshadweep), or at the Consulate General of Italy in Bangalore (competent for Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Pondicherry).

If you are a Nepali citizen, please apply at the Consulate General of Italy in Kolkata.

Legal residence in the relevant consular jurisdiction is required in order to apply for a visa.
However, an application may be accepted from a person legally present – but not residing – in the jurisdiction of the consulate where the application is submitted, if a credible (supported by relevant documents and certificates) justification can be provided as to why the application could not be lodged in the original place residence. The relevant consulate will autonomously decide whether the justification presented by the applicant is acceptable.

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MY TRIP COVERS MULTIPLE DESTINATIONS INCLUDING ITALY …DO I NEED A VISA FOR ITALY?

If the travel destination includes more than one Schengen Member State, the application must be submitted to the Embassy/Consulate of main destination. The main destination is understood to be the destination where the applicant intends to spend the longest time or where the main purpose of the intended journey is carried out.

Schengen visa applicants can apply to the Italian Embassy or the Italy Visa Application Centre if:

1. Italy is the sole destination of the visit
2. or, in case visit includes more than one Schengen country, if Italy is the main destination in terms of the length or purpose of stay
3. or, in case no main destination can be determined, if Italy is the external border where the applicant intends to enter Schengen territory.

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WHEN TO APPLY?

Applications cannot be lodged earlier than six months before the start of the intended journey. Therefore duly completed applications may be submitted six months onward prior to the confirmed travel date. In any case, it is advisable to apply well in advance. This will help the smooth organisation of your trip to Italy.

The processing time of visa applications at the Embassy varies, but decisions on C visas are generally reached within 15 calendar days. Some cases might take longer due to special circumstances. Processing times for D visas are on average longer, taken into account the very accurate and thorough examination required and the high volume of requests.

If you wish to submit your application last minute, you can do it under your own responsibility, but there is no assurance that your visa will be processed on time for your wished date of departure.

In any case, please note that applying for a visa is a process that could end both with the issuance of a visa or with a refusal. You are invited thus to seek for refundable tickets and hotel bookings. In any case, the Embassy of Italy is not responsible for any financial loss connected to your trip and in which you can incur if the visa is not granted or is not granted on time.

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WHERE TO APPLY

Visa applications can be submitted upon appointment to the VFS Visa Application Centres located in

•  New Delhi

Italy Visa Application Centre,
VFS Global Services Pvt. Ltd,
1st Floor, 27 K.G.Marg,
New Delhi 110001

• Jalandhar

Italy Visa Application Centre,
VFS Global Services Pvt. Ltd,
3rd floor, Aman Plaza, Plot No 310,
Lajpat Nagar, Mahavir Marg,
Nakodar Chowk, (opposite to lovely autos), Jalandhar,
Punjab – 144001

• Chandighar

Italy Visa Application Centre,
VFS Global Services Pvt. Ltd,
Elante Offices, Entry from Gate No. 3 ,Unit no. B 209, Second Floor,
Office Block B, Plot no. 178- 178A, Industrial & Business Park,
Phase – I, Chandigarh (U T) 160002, India

Other VFS Centers are in areas falling under the jurisdiction of the Consulates Generals of Mumbai (Ahmedabad, Pune,  Kochi), Kolkata (Kolkata and Kathmandu) and Bangalore (Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad).

VFS Contact Centre

Website: https://visa.vfsglobal.com/ind/en/ita
E-mail: infonorth.italyin@vfshelpline.com
Help line: 0 22 67866004

The use of the Visa Application Centres is not mandatory; the resulting additional costs are to be paid directly to VFS Global. All applications will be assessed and decided by the Visa Section of the Italian Embassy, in accordance with the Italian / Schengen immigration legislation and policy. VFS Application Centre staff does not have the authority to assess visa applications or make visa decisions.

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IMPORTANT NOTICE ON FRAUDULENT PRACTICES:

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VISA FEES

Please note that the EUR-INR exchange rate is periodically adjusted. Hence visa fees in rupees could vary over time. Please always check here before issuing any demand draft.

• National D visas: 116 euro
• National study visas: 50 euro
• Schengen study visa: free
• Schengen visas: 90 euro
  • children from the age of 6 years and below the age of 12 years: 45 euro

Visa fees are waived for applicants belonging to one of the following categories:

• children under 6 years of age
• school pupils, students, postgraduate students and accompanying teachers who undertake stays for the purpose of study or educational training
• researchers from third countries travelling for the purpose of carrying out scientific research as defined in Recommendation No 2005/761/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 September 2005 to facilitate the issue by the Member States of uniform short-stay visas for researchers from third countries travelling within the Community for the purpose of carrying out scientific research
• representatives of non-profit organisations aged 25 years or less participating in seminars, conferences, sports, cultural or educational events organised by non-profit organisations
• EU/EEA citizens family members, when accompanying or joining the EU/EEA relative, falling under Directive 2004/38/CE and Italian Legislative Decree 30/2007:
  • a) spouse;
  • b) partner (in case of bounding civil union, compared by hosting Member State’s law to marriage and not in violation of hosting Member State law);
  • c) direct descendants under the age of 21 or dependent, as well as those of the spouse or partner as defined above;
  • d) direct ascendants who are dependent, as well as those of the spouse or partner as defined above;
• diplomatic passport holders.

HOW TO PAY THE VISA FEES

• If you are applying at the Embassy please note that w.e.f. 24 June 2014 the Embassy of Italy will be accepting applications visa fee in the form of Demand draft only. Embassy of Italy will not entertain any other mode of payment. Demand draft needs to be made in favor of “Italian Embassy” payable at New Delhi.
• If you are applying in a visa application centre, payment can be done in cash or by demand draft or NEFT. If you apply at the VFS visa application centre, you will be charged the additional outsourcer’s service fee.

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BIOMETRIC DATA COLLECTION (VISA INFORMATION SYSTEM)

As from late 2015, all Schengen visa applicants are required to provide their biometric data (10 fingerprints and a photo) when applying for a Schengen visa. All applicants whose fingerprints have to be taken for the first time must apply in person. Since biometric data information are stored for 59 months, in case of following visa applications it won’t be necessary to come again in person. It is a simple and quick procedure that only takes a few minutes.

Exemptions from the fingerprints requirement are provided for a limited number of applicants, including children under the age of twelve and persons for whom the collection of fingerprints is physically impossible. Heads of State and members of the federal government (not Parliaments or state governments!), as well as their spouses and the members of their official delegation, will also be exempted when travelling for official purposes.
For more information please refer to this document, and also read the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs webpage and the website of the European Commission.
Starting from 11 January, 2025, Italy will require fingerprint capture also for national visas.

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EU/EEA CITIZENS’ FAMILY MEMBERS:

Family members of Italian/EU citizens can benefit from a preferential channel for visa application directly at the VFS Global.

Italian citizens, registered in the consular district of New Delhi, who already have an appointment for consular services and, at the same time, need to submit a visa request for their family members, can apply at the Embassy by booking an appointment by email.

Pursuant to Directive 2004/38/EC, the following are considered family members:

• the spouse,
• the partner who has contracted a registered partnership with the Union citizen on the basis of the legislation of a Member State (if the legislation of the host Member State equates the registered partnership to marriage),
• the direct descendants under the age of 21 or dependents, as well as those of the spouse/partner as defined above,
• the direct ascendants who are dependent and those of the spouse/partner as defined above.

Visas for the aforementioned categories of family members of EU citizens are issued free of charge (art. 5 Legislative Decree 30/2007).

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NEVER USE THE EMERGENCY PHONE OF THE EMBASSY FOR VISA-RELATED QUERIES.

The Embassy does not disclose details on visa applications on the phone nor gives information on the status nor answers to questions whose content is already covered by this website.
To track your visa status connect to the VFS website: https://visa.vfsglobal.com/ind/en/ita/track-application.

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ADDITIONAL NOTES:

Holding a valid visa does not automatically give the right of entry to Schengen area

Please, be aware that holding a short-stay visa does not automatically entitle to enter Schengen area. Once arrived at Schengen border control, or during other controls, travellers may be asked to provide information on means of support, on the intended length of the stay in the Schengen State, and on the purpose of the visit. It is therefore recommended to carry with you copies of the documentation presented when you applied for the visa (e.g. letters of invitation, travel confirmations, other documents stating the purpose of stay). For more information, please read art. 5 of Schengen borders code .

What happens if visa is refused

Negative decisions on applications are notified to the applicant. In the refusal letter the reasons on the basis of which the refusal decision was taken are clearly stated. Visa applicants whose applications are refused can decide to apply again or to appeal. Appeals against refusal decisions must be brought directly at the T.A.R. of the Latium Region, through a lawyer acting on applicant behalf, within 60 days of the serving of the decision itself. The appeal will have to be notified, under penalty of nullity (as per art. 144 of C.P.C. and art. 11 of R.D. no. 1611 of 1933), to the relevant “Avvocatura dello Stato”.

For family reunion visas only, appeals must be addressed to the Section specialized in immigration of the ordinary Court of Rome (“sezione specializzata in immigrazione del Tribunale ordinario di Roma”), assisted by a lawyer. In order for the appeal not to be declared null and void, it needs to be notified to the relevant Avvocatura dello Stato (ex-art. 144 c.p.c. and art. 11 R.D. no. 1611/1933).

How to read a Schengen visa sticker and correctly use your Schengen visa

“Duration of stay … days” indicates the number of days you may stay in the Schengen area. The days should be counted from the date you enter the Schengen area (the entry stamp) to the date you exit the Schengen area (the exit stamp), i.e. both days included. The period of time between “From … until…” is usually longer than the number of days printed in the “Duration of stay”. The difference in period is meant to give you flexibility to plan your entry into and exit from the Schengen area, but your stay in the Schengen area must never exceed the exact number of days in the “Duration of stay … days”. No matter how many days you have stayed in the Schengen area, you must leave no later than the date printed in the “Until…” field.
Schengen visas entitle to one or two or multiple entries. Travelers who often need to go to Schengen area can apply for multi-entry visas up to 5 years. In case you are a multi-entry visa holder, please remember that the duration of the stay on the territory of the Member States cannot exceed 90 days in any 180-day period, which entails considering the 180-day period preceding each day of stay. In order to avoid over-stay or to better know how many days you can still stay in Schengen territory, please check the European Commission calculator.

How to correctly use your Italian national visa

All Italian national visa holders, once arrived in Italy, must convert their visa into a residence permit (“permesso di soggiorno”) applying within 8 working days from first entry in Italy. Applications must be submitted to relevant police authorities (“Questura”) of the Province of intended residence. Residence permit duration will be the same as indicated in the visa. Residence permits can be renovated or extended directly in Italy. To know the relevant police authority according to your destination, please check the following website.

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FURTHER INFORMATION

For any further information, please read:

• the website of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• the website of the European Commission
• Visa Information System

 

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Information on the protection of individuals with reference to the processing of personal data