Being a member of the European Union and Schengen Area, Italy issues Schengen visa for various purposes like Tourism, business, medical, visiting family/friends, religious, study, work or family reunification etc. Italy Schengen visa application requirements and application process depend upon the type of visa and purpose of visa you want to apply for. However, Italy visa allows you to enter all 26 member states of Schengen area without any visa. According to the statistics revealed by European commission, Italy issued 1,703,693 uniform visas out of 1,850,260 Italy visa applications received; with a total visa rejection rate of 7.66% in 2017. Let’s discuss Italy visa application requirements for Short term visa which can be issued for a maximum period of up to 90 days. It is also known as visit visa and Type “C” visa.
Requirements for Italy Short Term Visa (visit visa up to 90 days):
- Italy Schengen Visa application form Dully filled and signed; it can be downloaded from the website of Italian embassy or VFS global. You can fill it on your PC and then take a print.
- Two fresh Photographs with white background; photo specifications can be read in details on embassy or visa application center’s website.
- Minimum 6 months’ valid passport with at least two blank pages for visa and airport immigration stamps.
- Any Schengen visa refused in last two years, you need to give a written reason of past visa refusal.
- If you have any travel history, you should provide it because travel history helps to satisfy visa officer.
- If you have any previous computerized passport, please attach copies of used pages of previous passports.
- A copy of round trip air ticket reservation; it is advised not to buy confirm ticket until your visa is issued or it is required by embassy or consulate.
- Schengen Travel medical insurance (TMI) with a coverage of 30000 Euro from an approved Schengen insurance companies. It doesn’t mean that you have to pay 30 thousand euro rather you can get this insurance by paying only a small amount around 30 euro for an insurance of 30 day’s stay. List of approved cheap insurance companies for Schengen visa and procedure can be found here.
- Proof of your marital status (marriage certificate, divorce certificate or death certificate etc. which one is applicable)
- Hotel reservation as a proof of accommodation in Italy for the period of stay in Italy.
- Proof of sufficient funds in form of 6 month’s bank account statement with bank guarantee. The required amount of funds for the trip is specified by Italy Ministry of foreign affairs and relevant departments:
- For a stay of 1-5 days, the total required amount is 269.60 euro for one person and 212.81 euro if two or more person applying in group.
- For a stay of 6-10 days, the total amount needed is 44.93 euro per person per day of stay and 26.33 euro if applying in group of two of more.
- For a stay of 11-20 days, the fixed funds are 51.64 euro per day for one person and 25 euro for group and plus Daily amount for one person is 36.67 euro and 22.21 euro for group.
- For a period of over 20 days: The overall required funds are 206.58 euro per person and 118.79 euro for two and more persons, plus the daily amount is 27.89 euro per person and 17,04 euro for two and more persons.
- If you are doing job in your current country of residence, you should provide the following documents:
- Current job contract.
- No Objection certificate (NOC) from your current employment department.
- Last 6 months’ bank account statement if you get salary in bank account or last three month’s salary slips if applicable.
- If you pay taxes on your salary, you should provide tax details of last two years.
- If you are business person, you should provide the following documents for Italy visa:
- Business registration certificate.
- National Tax Number (NTN) with last two years’ tax returns details.
- Membership of chamber of commerce.
- Business account statement of last six months.
- A recommendation letter from Chamber of commerce for your visa in the name Italian embassy as it is a plus point for you.
- If you are a student, you should arrange an NOC, covering letter and leave certificate from your current educational institute.
- If you have any other source of income, fixed deposit, property/real estate or any other document which shows your strong relation with your country, you should provide it.
- If you want to apply Italy tourist visa, Invitation letter is not a requirement for tourism purpose however, you must provide invitation letter from a Business organization of Italy for Italy business visa. Invitation letter is needed for a visa to visit friends/family too. Invitation letter actually depends on your visa type and tour purpose. If you want visa for religious purpose, you need to arrange invitation letter from religious organization in Italy. Invitation letter form can be found at websites of Italy embassy/consulate or visa application center.
All documents issued by the government must be attested by Ministry of foreign affairs of the country. Italy Schengen visa fee is 60 euro for short term visas which can be paid in local currency. However, visa application center may have additional service charges. Italian embassy may call for a personal interview if needed. All you need to satisfy the embassy through your documents, interview and by make a covering letter that you are a genuine traveler and will neither be overstaying nor work in Italy. During interview, visa officer may ask question about your current occupation, source of income according to documents you submitted, your business, your marital status, your tour plan and purpose etc. the only purpose of interview is to determine whether you are a genuine visitor or have some other hidden purpose. If visa officer is satisfied, you will be granted a short term visa with a maximum duration of 90 days or less, normally embassy issues 30 days’ visa for visit purpose which can be extended up to 90 days but total limit cannot exceed to 90 days.
Italy visa requirements for Pakistan:
Along with above mentioned documents depending on your situation, Italy visa application for Pakistani needs some additional documents which are given below:
- Copy of National Id card.
- FRC (family registration certificate) from NADRA.
- Polio vaccination certificate from government hospital.
- Pakistani fresh applicants are advised to arrange invitation letter to apply any type of Italy visit visa as it increases chances of visa approval.
- Police clearance certificate.
All documents issued by the government must be attested by Ministry of foreign affairs of the country. In Pakistan, Italian embassy doesn’t receive visa application directly from the visa candidates rather you have to apply through VFS global. You need to visit http://www.italyvisa-pakistan.com/ for an appointment in order to submit your visa application. Italy embassy is located in Islamabad and it has a consulate in Karachi too for visa applications. Italy visa processing time is not fixed, so you should apply at least 30 days in advance before your tour plan.
Italy visa requirements for Indian citizens:
If you are an Indian and you want to apply Italy visa in India, you can submit your Italy visa application at visa application center of VFS global. You need to visit http://www.vfs-italy.co.in/ and make an appointment to submit visa application at your nearby visa application center. Requirements are almost same as mentioned above. Italian embassy is located in New Delhi but it has its three consulates in Mumbai, Kolkata and Nepal for visa applications.
Italy visa requirements from UAE:
Many Pakistani, Indians and other nationals who live and work in UAE and Saudi Arabia, they ask how to apply Italy visa in Dubai? How to apply Italy visa in Saudi Arabia?
Actually Italy visa requirements in UAE and Saudi Arabia are same as mentioned above. Actually, it is better idea to apply visa in UAE or Saudi Arabia as it increases chances of approval as compare to applying in Pakistan. However, you need some additional documents which are as follow:
- NOC (no objection certificate) from your current company or employer.
- Salary slips or salary account statement of 6 months.
- Leave certificate.
You can apply visa through visa application center of VFS global by making an appointment online at http://www.vfsglobal.com/italy/abudhabi/ for UAE and http://www.aletimad.com/visa-center/italy-saudi-arabia-riyadh/ for Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Please Note: Information given here is only for general reference, all Italy visa applicants are requested to consult the official website of Italian embassy/consulate or VFS global in your country of residence. Thank you
