Italian Student Visa

Tourism has encountered an enormous boost in Italy and the country had been able to improve its socio-economic situation due to its prosperous hospitality sphere. The national government, in order to guarantee the security of the foreign tourists and provide better law and order, enhanced a tangled way of getting visas for the British residents. We are more than happy to share a detailed clear procedure on how to obtain an Italian visa in 2022.

Let’s consider this:

Introduction

1. Top questions

1.1 What is a visa & who needs to get it?

1.2 What Student Visa is to enter Italy? 

1.3 How long is a Student Visa valid for?

1.4 When should I start applying to get a Student Visa?

1.5 How long does it take to get an Italian Student Visa?

1.6 Where is the Student Visa processed?

1.7 How much does it cost to obtain an Italian Student Visa?

1.8 How to pay?

2. Application process

2.1 Documents to apply for an Italian Student Visa

2.2 Steps to apply for an Italian Student Visa

3. Student Visa Extension

In overall

The boom in the number of international travelers in Italy has led to numerous benefits in terms of local business & study generation. This is also linked to global funding and infrastructure improvement. In parallel, there is an issue about their influence on the local population in Italy. While questions have been raised on the detrimental effects alongside the increase in the Italian travel industry, it is of high importance to say that, by enforcing strict law and order and implementing clear and transparent legislation, authorities may regulate most of these bad effects of trips to Italy. For this reason, certain visa requirements have brought innumerable perks to Italy and especially the local citizens. On the other side, we are sure that the procedure of obtaining a visa to enter Italy is not an as complicated thing as it seems to be. Let’s start to answer as well as get the responses to some questions to find out the Italian visa application process.

1. Top questions

1.1 What is a visa & who needs to get it?

According to Wikipedia definition, a visa is a permit given by Italy that allows someone to fly, stay in, or pass through the border of Italy. This document is stamped on one’s passport by a Visa Application Center. It goes without saying, there is the type of visit and the duration of staying in the country. In rare cases, people have to be interviewed at the Visa Application Center before they obtain a visa. Henceforth, it can be confidently conveyed that some categories of citizens who reside in the UK are offered visa-free conditions to see Italy.

British citizens are exempted from visas for short stay visits to the Schengen area (up to 90 days in any 180 days period) but will require a visa if staying more than 90 days in Italy. On the other side, if you do not hold a UK passport or a BOTC, BOC, BPP, or BS passport meaning that you are a UK resident there is a need to get an Italian Schengen visa to visit Italy.

Please, take a look at the tables to check out whether your nationality requires you to apply for an Italian visa or not.

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With the primary condition such as a UK residence permit valid for at least another three more months beyond the date you plan to leave Italy / the Schengen Area comes a plethora of benefits like you can live in Italy for less than 90 days but if your idea is about staying in Italy for more than 90 days, then there is a need to apply for a residency permit, not an Italian Schengen visa.

If you have a 3 month UK visa, you can extend it for three more months to be eligible to apply for an Italian Schengen visa from within the UK. You must apply for an extension before your visa expires and while you’re still in the UK.

1.2 What Student Visa is to enter Italy? 

This is issued for those who wish to study in Italy for a short time.

1.3 How long is a Student Visa valid for?

It is up to three months within a six-month period. If your study or training course lasts longer than that, you should apply for a Long-Stay Study Visa at the Visa Application Center of the respective country.

1.4 When should I start applying to get a Student Visa?

The earliest period within which you can submit your student visa application is 3 months before your trip to Italy.

The latest period within which you can submit your student visa application is 15 days before your trip to Italy.

But we totally recommend you submit your application about 4 weeks before your traveling date to let the Visa Application Center have time to process your visa.

1.5 How long does it take to get an Italian Student Visa?

Normally an Italian Visa Application Center takes about 15 calendar days to process an Italian visa application for the study reason.

However, sometimes an applicant may be replied earlier or the time may also extend from 30 to 60 days.

1.6 Where is the Student Visa processed?

IF YOU VISIT ONLY ITALY THEN you need to submit your application at the Italian Visa Center IN THE UK.

IF YOU VISIT MORE COUNTRIES THAN ITALY THEN you need to submit your application at the Visa Center IN THE COUNTRY:

– you will be spending more days;

– you will come in first since you plan to spend an equal amount of days in each.

A VISA APPLICATION CENTER IN LONDON – VFS JOINT VISA APPLICATION CENTRE

Address:

66 Wilson Street

London

EC2A 2JX

Contact details:

email: info.ituk@vfshelpline.com

Helpline number: 0871 376 0023

However, to meet the skyrocketing demand for Italian Visas, the Italian Embassy outsourced its Visa Application Processing to the Italian Visa Centers in London. To be added, a Visa Application Centre is a special third-party service provider authorized to accept visa applications on behalf of a country. It should transmit the information on the applicant and their application to the responsible body for visa processing which is the embassy or consulate of the applicant’s destination country. Our company is ready to help you with filling and sending the necessary documents to the Visa Application Center. Thus, at present, our company corrects and sends the documents to get Italian Visas through VFS Visa Application Center.

1.7 How much does it cost to obtain an Italian Student Visa?

The cost for processing a visa is totally different for some categories of UK residents:

– 73 UK pounds is the actual visa processing fee for adults;

– 36,5 UK pounds is the actual visa processing fee for the 6-12 years old kids.

There is no fee to be paid for the next categories of UK residents:

– the kids younger than 6 years of age;

– holders of diplomatic, official, or service passports traveling for official purposes;

– a family member of an EU/EEA national;

– pupils, students, and accompanying teachers during a school trip;

– researchers traveling to Italy to perform scientific research;

The visa fee may also be waived for participants aged 25 years or less in seminars, conferences, sports, cultural or educational events, organized by non-profit organizations. The decision will be made case by case according to the relevance of the event.

1.8 How to pay?

You have the option of paying the visa fees by cash or Credit/ Debit card when applying at the Visa Application Centre. Checks are not accepted.

2. Application process

2.1 Documents to apply for an Italian Student Visa

FIRST DOCUMENT – TWO VISA APPLICATION FORMS

You need to fill in your Short-stay Visa Application Form legibly, and correctly, sign it, and be aware that addresses in Italy must specify the number, street name, city, and postal code.

Please make use of the following table to fill in the form correctly:

SECOND DOCUMENT – TWO RECENT PHOTOS

It is recommended to follow all the following Italian Visa Photo Requirements:

– Two identical photos. Not older than six months;

– Photo size: 35x45mm (width*height);

– In color. No black and white;

– Head should take 70-80% of the photo;

– Brightly colored background. Light grey is suggested;

– The applicant should be looking straight at the camera;

– Neutral face expression. No smile and mouth closed;

– Avoid uniforms or colors matching the background.

THIRD DOCUMENT – VALID PASSPORT

Your passport’s maximum validity period: 10 years.

Your passport minimum validity period: 3 months after your trip to Italy. Your passport should have at least two blank pages in order to be able to affix the visa sticker.

FOURTH DOCUMENT – TRAVEL HEALTH INSURANCE

You need to be aware of some travel insurance requirements, such as the following:

– A minimum coverage of at least 30,000 EUR;

– It should cover all member states of the Schengen Area;

Regarding this, it is highly recommended to contact one of the companies like AXA or Europ Assistance.

FIFTH DOCUMENT – A COPY OF BIOMETRIC DATA ON YOUR PASSPORT

SIXTH DOCUMENT – TIED WITH A RUBBER BAND BUT NOT STAMPLED PREVIOUS PASSPORTS

SEVENTH DOCUMENT – PROOF OF RESIDENCY IN THE UK

All you need is to have a document issued by the UK to prove that you are a UK resident.

EIGHTH DOCUMENT – ROUNDTRIP RESERVATION

This doc comprises dates and flight numbers indicating entry and exit from the Schengen area.

NINTH DOCUMENT – PROOF OF ACCOMMODATION

You are able to select one of the next options to live in Italy while you are studying:

– dormitory contract. It should be signed by you and an official of a dormitory in Italy;

– letter of invitation from the host at whose house you want to stay;

– rent contract with a property owner in Italy where is address and other info about the property and your landlord.

TENTH DOCUMENTS – ACCEPTANCE LETTER AT AN ITALIAN UNIVERSITY/ COLLEGE/ SCHOOL AND PROOF OF ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

Please prepare an actual, official, and signed letter of acceptance including your name, a short description of your studies, your study duration, and the number of hours per week.

ELEVENTH DOCUMENT – PROOF OF SUBSISTENT FINANCIAL MEANS

This is a supporting document that demonstrates you have enough money to support yourself when your stay in Italy. Proof of subsistent financial means maybe one of these docs:

– bank account statement;

– sponsorship letter from another person who can financially support your trip to Italy;

– official scholarship of minimum 631€/month.

In other words, there are some recognized docs to use as proof of subsistent financial means:

– a personal bank statement with your financial affairs for at least 3 last months;

– credit card;

– cash;

– cheques;

– payslips;

– proof of employment;

– document from your sponsor during your stay;

– proof of prepaid accommodation;

– a document about your private accommodation;

– proof of prepaid transport;

– other docs.

TWELFTH DOCUMENT – PROOF OF ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

There are some options like:

– diploma;

– academic records;

– attestation of the application for equivalence or decision/dispatch of equivalence.

THIRTEENTH DOCUMENT – DOCUMENTS FOR MINORS

– an extract of the minor’s birth certificate;

– an identity one document with the parents’ signature;

– a declaration of consent from both parents, confirming the ability of the minor to have a trip.

Sometimes it is important to present a court judgement where is indicated that a certain parent is in charge of the minor or a declaration from the minor’s school to agree on their trip.

FOURTEENTH DOCUMENT – PROOF OF OCCUPATION

In case of your employment:

– employment contract;

– leave permission from the employer;

– Income Tax Return.

In case of your self-employment:

– a copy of your business license;

– company’s bank statement of the latest 6 months;

– Income Tax Return (ITR).

In case of your studies:

– proof of enrollment;

– No Objection Letter from University.

2.2 Steps to apply for an Italian Student Visa

Irrespective of your visa type, your movements after collecting all the corresponding docs to getting an Italian visa are the same:

FIRST STEP – find out the option of applying – through the Visa Application Center on your own or contact us to help you with filling out the documents.

SECOND STEP – figure out the appropriate time to go in person to apply for the Italian Visa.

THIRD STEP – make an appointment at the Italian Visa Application Center

There are two options to make an appointment:

– online;

– in person.

FOURTH STEP – attend the interview with the collected documents.

FIFTH STEP – pay the visa fee.

SIXTH STEP – wait for a reply from the VFS application center on your visa application.

Take note that the visa application form must clearly contain the dates of your visit and which cities you will be staying in. For this reason, it is better to collect your documents and fill in your visa application form once you have all of the information you need for the visa application.

3. Student Visa Extension

You can extend your student Italian Visa only due to top-importance cases such as a late entry, humanitarian reasons, force majeure, or important personal reasons. On the other hand, if you want to extend your Student Italian Visa to continue your studies in Italy where you are, that is impossible. In this case, you will have to come back to the UK and apply from there for a long-stay study visa.

In overall,

We do really hope this article has helped you apply for an Italian visa from the United Kingdom.

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