What is a visa

A visa is an authorization issued by a state of destination to a foreign citizen who wants to cross its borders for travel, work or other reasons. In practice, it consists of the application of a specific marking on the applicant’s passport.

As regards Italy, the visa can be:

1. A type, for airport transit (it does not allow access to Schengen area).
2. C type, for short stays (valid up to 90 days). This visa is called Uniform Schengen Visa (USV).
3. D type or National Visa (valid for over 90 days): in addition to allowing access to the territory of the State that issued the visa, it also allows free movement in other Schengen countries.
4. There is also the Limited Territorial Validity Visa (LTV) which, in derogation from the common USV regime, allows access to a Schengen State for humanitarian or national interest reasons.

Who issues the visa

The competence to issue the visa lies with the Italian Representations (Embassies and Consulates) in whose jurisdiction the applicant legally resides.

How to apply for an Italian visa

To obtain a visa it is necessary to submit a specific application at the embassy or consulate of reference, where the applicant will be interviewed about the reasons for the request.

In addition to the application form, you will need to provide:

• Passport photo to attach to the form
• Valid travel document
• Fingerprints
• Documentation certifying the purposes of the trip, the means of transport; livelihoods and housing information.

Issue

Uniform Schengen Visa: according to article 23 of the Visa Code, the issue can take place within 15 and 45 days;

National Visa: according to art. 5, c. 8 of Italian Presidential Decree 31.8.1999, no. 394 (as amended by the DPR 334/2004), the visa will be issued “within 90 days of the request (30 days for subordinate work and family reasons, 120 days for self-employment)”.

For further and more precise information about the issue and on applying for visas for Italy, consult:

https://vistoperitalia.esteri.it/home.aspx and https://www.esteri.it/it/servizi-consolari-e-visti/ingressosoggiornoinitalia/condizioni_ingresso/