Italy Visa & Passport

All visitors entering Italy must possess a valid passport and visa. Though Italy is an open country yet visa formalities are comparatively strict here.

Passport valid for three months beyond the validity of the visa required by all except:

Nationals of Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, The Netherlands, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland who only require a valid national ID card.

Required by all except the following for stays of up to 90 days:

• Nationals of countries referred to in the chart above;
• Nationals of Andorra, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong (SAR), Israel, Korea (Rep), Macau (SAR), Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Romania, San Marino, Singapore, Switzerland, Uruguay, Vatican City and Venezuela;
• Airport transit passengers continuing their journey to a third country by the same or connecting aircraft within 48 hours, provided holding tickets with reserved seats and valid documents for onward travel (except nationals of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Congo (Dem Rep), Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, Somalia and Sri Lanka, who always require a visa, unless granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK). As the preceding list is liable to change at short notice, visitors are advised to check transit regulations with the relevant Embassy or Consulate before traveling.

For Business Visa, the documentation and fee are as above. Additional requirements are: an introductory letter from the company or firm in India, indicating qualification of the applicant, purpose of the visit, organization to be visited, and duration of the proposed stay and a letter of invitation from the business associates in Italy to be faxed directly to the Embassy. If the applicant is participating in any fair in Italy, then evidence of the full payment of the stall advance and balance of remaining fee is to be submitted. Visa validity, stay, fee and processing time are the same as for Tourist Visa.

To get the Tourist Visa, the applicant should have proof of funds in form of foreign exchange at a minimum US$150 per day. This must be endorsed on the passport by leave letter from the employer. In case of family visit, sponsorship letter attested by the foreign registration office of the Italian Police Station (Questura) of the locality of residence of sponsor must be enclosed with visa documentation. Visa is valid for 90 days and it is issued for a stay of 30 days. Processing time is one working day.