VISAS

Citizens from countries from which a visa is necessary to enter Italy can enrol in and attend a course provided that they have a visa for TOURISM (for stays of up to 90 days) or for STUDY (indispensible for periods of over 90 days).

Before enroling in one of our courses we would ask you to contact the Italian diplomatic representation or Consulate nearest your place of residence to obtain precise, up-to-date information. Below we indicate the necessary requisites to be able begin the visa application procedure. We would also remind you that a visa is not considered a right, but rather a "concession" and that therefore its issue is at the discretion of the individual Consulates, who reserve the right to ask for supplementary documentation in addition to standard documentation.

In the event of a refusal to grant a visa, the Consulate must provide the person concerned with a written justification together with information regarding how to appeal. The justification must be translated into a language that is comprehensible to the applicant or, failing this, in English, French, Spanish or Arabic.

In some countries it takes a long time to obtain a visa and for this reason it is advisable to contact the Consulates as soon as possible.

In the absence of an Italian Consular Representation, the visa for TOURISM can be issued by the Consulate of any country that has adhered to the Schengen treaty. In this case, whenever possible, application for the visa must be made to the Representation of the Country of destination in the "Schengen area".
The visa for STUDY can only be issued by the Italian Consulate (or by the Consular Section of the Italian Embassy) competent in the country of residence of the applicant.

The countries subject to the obligation to hold a visa are as follows:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Comoros, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominikan Republic, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Green Cape, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, North Corea, Northern Mariana Islands, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, People's Republic of China, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Republic of Macedonia, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia and Montenegro, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, the Solomon Islands, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Western Saoma, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

For other countries, such as:

Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Brasile, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Cile, Cipro, Corea del Sud, Costa Rica, Croazia, El Salvador, Estonia, Giappone, Guatemala, Honduras, Israele, Lettonia, Lituania, Malesia, Malta, Messico, Monaco, Nicaragua, Nuova Zelanda, Panama, Paraguay, Polonia, Repubblica Ceca, Romania, Singapore, Slovacchia, Slovenia, Stati Uniti, Ungheria, Uruguay, Venezuela, there is no obligation to apply for an entry visa for purposes of tourism for periods of up to 90 days.

To check up on any changes in these lists, we advise visiting the site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: http://www.esteri.it/visti/and the site of the European Union: http://europa.eu.int/abc/travel/doc/index_it.htm

From May 2004 citizens of : Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lthuania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Malta and Cyprus will no longer be considered foreigners. In any case, even if a visa is not required, to avoid problems with the Police, always make sure that your passport is stamped with the date of entry into Italy by the Italian Border Police.

An indispensible condition for the application for a entry visa for Italy, both for tourism and for study is proof of having sufficient economic means to be able to spend the period of stay applied for independently.

In relation to this the Ministry of Home Affairs has drawn up the following "Table for the determination of the minimum means of subsistence required for entry into national territory for tourism and for study."

Duration of stay	Number of participants in journey
	One person	Two or more
	Euro	Euro
From 1 a 5days: total fixed	269,60	212,81
From 6 a 10 days: fixed daily amount per person	44,93	26,33
From11 a 20days: fixed daily amount per person	51,64	25,82
Daily amount per person	36,67	22,21
21 days or more: fixed daily amount per person	206,58	118,79
Daily amount per person	27,89	17,04

This table is published by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs at the address:

http://www.esteri.it/MAE/IT/Ministero/Servizi/Stranieri/ServReteConsolare.htm

The documents normally required by the consular authorities are:

• 1. Passport valid for at least 3 months (for some countries it must be valid for at least 6 months) longer than that of the visa applied for
• 2. Return air ticket (or return ticket for any other means of transport) or the flight booking
• 3. Proof of possession of sufficient financial means for self-support during the stay in Italy, according to the parameters specified above.
• The applicant, by means of appropriate documentation (e.g. declaration of employment, cash, credit card, travellers cheques or other), will have to prove that he/she is in a socio-economic situation or work or family position that can guarantee his/her genuine interest in returning to his/her country of origin at the end of the period of validity of the visa.
• 4. Confirmation of hotel booking or any other suitable accommodation.
• 5.Health insurance with adequate cover and valid for all the countries of the Schengen area.
• In some countries there are some reliable travel agencies, accredited by the Italian Consulates or other States that have adhered to the Schengen treaty, that will be able to help you with any bureaucratic problems

Anyone applying for a visa for purposes of study must also:

• a) stipulate a medical insurance policy, valid in the event of urgent hospitalization without limits on expenses or duration with 1'"INA- Le assicurazioni d'Italia". This insurance is fairly cheap, on 03/10/2003 it costs euro 38.73 for 6 months or 77.46 euro for 12 months and covers risk of hospitalization in the event of injuries or illnesses that necessitate emergency hospitalization, but cannot be used for out-patient or domiciliary medical examinations. For this reason it is necessary to have also medical insurance from ones own country, valid in Italy, that covers these risks.
• b) show documented proof of the course to be attended (certificate of enrolment in the course).

Those applying for a visa for purrposes of tourism must also:

- stipulate medical insurance cover, valid in the case of urgent hospitalization without any limit on expenses or duration, with INA-Le assicurazioni d'Italia". This insurance covers the risk of hospitalization in the event of traumas or illnesses that necessitate urgent hospitalization, but cannot be used for surgery or domicilary examinations. For this reason it is also necessary to have medical insurance from the country of origin, valid in Italy, covering these risks. AI 03.10.2003 the costs of insurance with "INA-Le assicurazioni d'Italia" are: -Euro 72,30 for siz months or euro 118,79 for twelve months, up to the age of 40 years; - Euro 92,96 for six months or Euro 154,94 for twelve months, from 40 to 65 years of age (INA does not stipulate this type of policy for those over 65 )

It is possible not to stipulate insurance cover with "INA- Le assicurazioni d'Italia" for those who are in possession of a declaration by the Italian Consulate which states clearly that their insurance (it must include the name of the insurance) is valid in Italy, that it covers expenses in the event of hospitalization or medical examinations and that it can be used for the application for the residence permit.

Before issuing the visa for study some Consulates require enrolment in a course of at least 20 hours of weekly lessons.

Once the possession of the minimum requisites required by law has been verified and the necessary information obtained from the Consulate, the student can then enrol in the course by sending to the school the enrolment form and effecting a single payment of the entire cost of the course booked. Only at that point can the school, in order to make possible the initiation of the visa application procedure, issue the enrolment certificate, the letter of confirmation for the course with the address of the accommodation booked and the receipt for the amount paid.

It is not possible to issue a visa (nor the extension of a pre-existing visa) to a foreigner who is already on Italian territory. To make possible officially extensions of the period of stay, only extensions or renewals of the residence permit are valid.

In Italy the Police cannot extend or renew residence permits of the visa is type "C".

Further information about the issue of visas and residence permits can be found by visiting the following sites:

Ministero degli Affari Esteri

http://www.esteri.it/ita/2_11.asp

Addresses of all the Italian Diplomatic and Consular Representations in the world (in Italian). Information about visas in languages other than Italian can be found in the web sites of some Embassies.

Ministero dell'Interno- Polizia di Stato

http://www.poliziadistato.it/pds/cittadino/stranieri/stranier.htm

Information about entry into Italy and work permits (in Italian)

Finally it should be remembered that within eight days from the date of entry into Italy, all foreigners are required to apply for a residence permit to the Police (Questura) of the town in which they reside. The secretary of the School provides assistance with the application for the residence permit.

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