Guide to Italy Visa Requirements

Italy is a country synonymous with delicious food. It is also a beautiful country and attracts a large number of tourists as well as people looking to find employment and live in Italy long term. But depending on which country you are a citizen of and what your purpose and duration of travel is, you may or may not need to apply for a visa to enter, live and work in Austria. Before you go ahead and do that, it is important to find out what the Italy visa requirements are and which visa you are eligible for.

Italy is one of the Schengen countries of Europe which means that you can apply to the Italian embassy for a Schengen visa if your port of entry into Europe is Italy or if you are going to spend the most number of days there during a multi-country trip in Europe. However, the Italy visa requirements depend on which category you fall under. So the documents a business traveller will have to submit, will differ from what a tourist would have to submit.

GENERAL ITALY VISA REQUIREMENTS:

In order to fulfill Italy visa requirements, there is a generic list of documents that you need to submit to the embassy, irrespective of which kind of Italian visa you are applying for. The list includes the following documents:

• Correct application form duly filled out
• Valid passport
• 2 passport-sized photographs
• Travel insurance with a minimum coverage of EUR 30,000
• Round-trip flight reservations or a complete travel itinerary
• Hotel reservation or proof of accommodation
• Letter of no objection from employer
• Bank statements from the previous 3 months

TYPES OF ITALIAN VISAS AND ITALY VISA REQUIREMENTS:

Before getting into the nitty gritty of Italy visa requirements, it is good to know what are the different categories of visas available and which one you should ideally be applying for. In addition to a list of generic documents mentioned above, every visa type needs the applicant to submit a few specific documents that may not be needed if they are applying for a different category of visa.

Tourist visa – This is probably one of the most popular Italian visas people apply for! This visa is meant for those looking to visit Italy for less than 90 days for leisure or tourism purposes. According to Italy visa requirements, the following documents are required to be submitted especially for a tourist visa application to the embassy:

• Invitation letter with the address and phone number from family member or sponsor – if applicable
• Bank statement from the last 6 months
• Passport copies

Business visa – This visa is for those who are planning to visit Italy for temporary work related purposes. However, do keep in mind that this does not grant the applicant to take up new employment in Italy or any other Schengen country. The documents required for applying for a business visa are:

• Invitation letter from the Italian company you will be visiting and their address along with your travel dates
• A letter from your employer stating/allowing your business travel
• Bank statement from the last 6 months
• The invitation letter must also mention how the expenses of the applicant is going to be covered during his/her travel. It must be made clear whether it will be sponsored by the employer or the local Italian company.

Visa for cultural activities, sports or film crew – This is a special visa given to applicants who want to travel to Italy to participate in cultural or sporting events. In addition to that, this visa also grants permission to film crew to shoot a film in Italy. Documents required to be submitted to fulfil Italy visa requirements for this category are:

• Invitation letter from the concerned authorities with details of the nature of events or activities. This letter must also mention the purpose of visit as well as how expenses will be covered
• List of names of all travelling crew members
• Duration of stay
• Travel itinerary

Student visa – This category of visas is required only for applicants who intend to study in an Italian institution, conduct research or even undergo some kind of educational training and internship for less than 6 months. The documents required to be eligible for this visa are the following:

• An enrollment certificate of an offer letter showing acceptance into a course or training program
• Certificate of completion or courses attended earlier
• Financial sustenance or proof of sponsorship/scholarship

Transit visa – As per Italy visa requirements, a transit visa is required if you foresee a layover of a few hours in Italy before heading to your destination. But only applicants from a few countries need to obtain this visa. The list includes the following countries:

• Afghanistan
• Banglades
• Democratic Republic of the Cong
• Eritrea
• Ethiopia
• Ghan
• India
• Iran
• Iraq
• Jordan
• Lebanon
• Myanmar/Burma
• Nigeria
• Pakistan
• Somalia
• Sri Lanka
• Sudan
• Syria
• Turkey

In order to get an airport transit visa in Italy, you will need to submit a copy of your valid visa for your final destination. For all other countries not mentioned on this list, a transit visa is not required if you plan to stay within the international transit area in the airport.

Official visit visa – If the purpose of your travel is to attend intergovernmental meetings, consultations, negotiations or events, this is the visa you will need. The following documents will have to be shown to the embassy in order to be eligible for this visa:

• The official invitation copy
• Identity of applicant
• Purpose of journey (negotiations, meetings, event by intergovernmental organizations, consultations)
• Duration of stay
• Details of accommodation

Apart from these, if you fulfil Italy visa requirements and secure an Italian Schengen visa, you can also freely travel to San Marino and Vatican City without any restrictions.

Italy visa requirements vary from one category of visa to another. When applying for a specific visa, make sure you check the list of documents to be submitted thoroughly. The above guide should help you identify which visa you are eligible for and what are the accompanying documents you need to submit to the embassy.