Visti

DO YOU WANT TO GO TO ITALY? YOU SHOULD NEED A VISA!

Find out the correct visa type according to your needs. Be informed on needed documents to be submitted when applying for a visa. Know how to correctly use Schengen and National visas, know your rights and your duties following information here below.

1. CHOOSE THE CORRECT VISA ACCORDING TO THE PURPOSE OF YOUR INTENDED STAY AND CHECK WHICH DOCUMENTS ARE NECESSARY IN ORDER TO APPLY. YOU INTEND TO TRAVEL TO ITALY FOR…

2. BIOMETRIC DATA COLLECTION (VISA INFORMATION SYSTEM)

As from 12 October 2015, all Schengen visa applicants are required to provide their biometric data (10 fingerprints and a photo) when applying for a Schengen visa. All applicants will have to apply in person when fingerprints have to be taken for the first time. Since biometric data information are stored for five years, in case of following visa applications it won’t be necessary to come again in person. It is a simple and quick procedure that only takes a few minutes.

Exemptions from the fingerprinting requirement are provided for a limited number of applicants, including children under the age of twelve and persons for whom the collection of fingerprints is physically impossible. Heads of State and members of the national government with members of their official delegation and spouses will also be exempted, if travelling for official purposes.

For more information please read the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs webpage and the website of the European Commission.

Italy does not require fingerprint capture for national visas.

3. WHERE TO APPLY FOR A VISA IN THE PHILIPPINES

Visa applications can be submitted as follows:

a)At the Visa Office of the Embassy of Italy:

Only for Diplomatic and Adoption visas, by appointment to be requested by email at visti.manila@esteri.it .

For any information, please first consult the “Frequently Asked Questions” sections of the Embassy of Italy in Manila (here) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (here); For queries that cannot be found in the said sections, please send an email to visti.manila@esteri.it.

b) At the Italy Visa Application Center, “VIA PIASI CENTER”:

All visa applicants can go directly to the Visa Information and Application - VIA Center - (click here for the website) without the need of setting an appointment in advance.

Opening hours (Monday to Friday, except holidays): submission of individual visa applications from 8:00am to 12:00 noon;

Manila Office: 3^rd Floor, Allegro Center, 2284 Chino Roces Extension, Barangay

Magallanes, Makati City 1232

Cebu Office: Unit 1004-B 1oth Floor, Keppel Center Samar Loop corner Cardinal Rosales Ave.

Cebu Business Park, Cebu City

From Monday to Saturday from 8:00am to 6:00pm

For information regarding requirements and procedures for Visa applications, please visit the website. An operator is available to answer your questions from Mondays to Fridays (except holidays), from 8:00am to 5:00pm.

(There may be costs for calls from outside Manila and from mobile phones)

Email address: ita_inquiry@via.ph

Italy allows the Philippines to apply for a Visa independently from the residence of the applicant in the Country.

4. WHERE TO APPLY FOR A VISA FROM PALAU

Following the recent agreement between the European Union and the relevant Authorities, the citizens of PALAU are exempted from the short stay Schengen Visa for ‘corto soggiorno’ (up to 90 days every 180). In all other cases, please follow the indications mentioned in section 3 above.

5. WHO CAN APPLY FOR VISA

All Filipino citizens residing in the territory of the Republic of the Philippines, and all Filipino and Palauan citizens residing in the territory of PALAU can apply for a Visa.

All nationals of countries whose citizens are subject to Visa obligation (please check here the list) legally residing in the Philippines.

All nationals of countries whose citizens are subject to Visa obligation who are legally present in the Philippines on a temporary base have to present a justification for lodging an application in the Philippines rather than in their Country of residence. The Embassy of Italy in Manila will evaluate the justifications provided and to receive or not the application.

Diplomatic, Service or Public Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines passport holders:

Based on the Italy-Philippines bilateral agreement of 1973, Filipino citizens holders of Diplomatic or Service passports, who are visiting Italy within the limits of their service, are exempted from the Visa. For their household staff members, please send an email to visti.manila@esteri.it.

EU/EEA citizens’ family members:

EU/EEA citizens family members benefit of a privileged treatment accorded by law (Directive 2004/38/CE and Italian Legislative Decree 30/2007).

EU/EEA family members, as indicated by EU Directive 2004/38/CE (link), can submit visa applications through our service provider VIA Center from Monday to Friday from 09:00 am to 12:00 pm without the need to schedule an appointment. In order to be granted access, please bring your marriage (or) family (or) birth certificate, registered by the competent Italian Authorities to prove the family relation.

Based on the law, EU/EEA citizens’ family members benefit from a reduced list of documents. Please find here the documents you must submit for tourism and/or family reunion (note: EU/EEA family member reunion applicants will be issued a short term tourism visa; once in Italy please go to relevant police authorities to convert your visa into residence permit).

Please check point 7 to determine whether the degree of family relation with the EU/EEA citizen entitles the applicant to exemption from payment of visa fee.

For relatives of Italians/EU citizens who travel to Italy exclusively for tourist reasons, visa fee is not waived.

6. WHEN TO APPLY FOR A SCHENGEN VISA FOR ITALY

Schengen visa applicants can apply to the Italian Embassy or to the Italy Visa Application Center if:

Italy is the sole country of destination;
In case visit includes more than one Schengen country, if Italy is the main destination in terms of the length or purpose of stay;
In case no main destination can be determined , if Italy is the external border where the applicant intends to enter the Schengen territory

7. VISA FEES

National visas: 116 €

Schengen visas: 80 €

children between 6 years old and below 12 years old: 40 €
nationals of countries with which the EU has concluded Visa Facilitation Agreements shall pay a fee of 35 €. Please consult the list on the European Commission website to know if your country is one of them.

The corresponding costs in local currency vary depending on the consular rate updated quarterly and visible at the offices of the Embassy.

The Visa fees are waived for applicants belonging to one of the following categories:

• children under 6 years

• school pupils, students, postgraduate students and accompanying teachers who undertake stays for the purpose of study or educational training

• researchers from third countries travelling for the purpose of carrying out scientific research as defined in Recommendation No 2005/761/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 September 2005 to facilitate the issue by the Member States of uniform short-stay visas for researchers from third countries travelling within the Community for the purpose of carrying out scientific research

• representatives of non-profit organisations aged 25 years or less participating in seminars, conferences, sports, cultural or educational events organised by non-profit organisations

• EU/EEA citizens family members, when accompanying or joining the EU/EEA relative, falling under Directive 2004/38/CE and Italian Legislative Decree 30/2007:

a) spouses;

b) partner (in case of bounding civil union, compared by hosting Member State’s law to marriage and not in violation of hosting Member State law);

c) descendants under, including spouses’ and legal partners’ descendants;

d) direct ascendants, including spouses’ and legal partners’ ascendants, as defined under letter b)

• diplomatic passport holders

NOTE: Aside from the fees mentioned in the above list, there are no additional charges expected to be paid by the Visa applicant. Any additional request for any sum of money in exchange of the promise of benefits to avail a visa will lead to a serious violation of the italian laws and will be prosecuted.

Services offered by the local authorized outsourced service provider (P.I.A.S.I.):

Should the applicant prefer to avail itself of the outsourcing service provided by PIASI, additional charges may be added, apart from what has been mentioned above.

For detailed information and related costs, please refer to the web page www.via.ph.

8. VISA APPLICATION PROCESSING TIME

According to the Schengen Visa Code, all decisions must be taken within 15 calendar days, which might be extended to 30 days (see Art. 23 of the Schengen Visa Code). The processing time for national visas requires up to 30 days for family reunion and salaried work, and up to 120 days for self-employment work. The Embassy of Italy in Manila is mandated to attend to every Visa application as quick as possible.

We do recommend to lodge visa applications well in advance (at least 15 days before the departure date). Application can be submitted up to 180 days before the start of the intended journey (270 days for seafarers transit visa).

Citizens of some countries are subject to consultation procedure which might extend processing time. If you are not a Filipino national, please check here if your country/passport needs consultation procedure.

9. USEFUL INFORMATION:

Holding a valid visa does not automatically give a right of entry into the Schengen area.

Citizens of Countries listed in this list are exempted from Visa requirements for staying up to 90 days for the purpose of tourism, mission, affairs, invitation, sport and academic competition.

Please, be aware that holding a short-stay visa does not automatically entitle to enter the Schengen area. Once arrived at Schengen border control, or during other controls, travelers may be asked to provide information on means of support, on how long they intend to stay in the Schengen State, and why they are visiting the Schengen State.

It is therefore recommended to carry with you copies of the supporting documents presented for the Visa application (e.g. letters of invitation, travel confirmations, other documents stating the purpose of stay). For more information, please read art. 5 of the Schengen borders code (link).

What happens if visa is refused

Negative decisions on applications are notified to the applicant. The refusal letter must indicate the reasons why the Visa was denied. Visa applicants whose applications are refused can decide to apply again or to appeal. Appeals against refusal decisions must be brought within 60 days directly at the Tribunale Amministrativo Regionale - T.A.R. - of the Latium Region, by a lawyer acting on applicant’s behalf. The appeal will have to be notified, under penalty of nullity (as per art. 144 of C.P.C. and art. 11 of R.D. no. 1611 of 1933), to the relevant "Avvocatura dello Stato".

For family reunion visas only, appeals must be addressed to the ordinary court (“Tribunale ordinario”) of the place of residence of the family member living in Italy.

How to read a Schengen visa sticker and correctly use your Schengen visa

“Duration of stay … days” indicates the number of days you may stay in the Schengen area. The days should be counted from the date you enter the Schengen area (the entry stamp) to the date you exit the Schengen area (the exit stamp), i.e. both days included. The timeframe between “From … until” is usually longer than the number of days printed in the “Duration of stay”. The difference in period is meant to give you flexibility to plan your entry into and exit from the Schengen area, but your stay in the Schengen area must never exceed the exact number of days in the “Duration of stay … days” field. No matter how many days you have stayed in the Schengen area, you must leave no later than the date printed in the “Until” field.

Schengen visas entitle to one, two or multiple entries. Travelers who need to enter often the Schengen area can apply for multi-entry visas, from 6 months up to 5 years. In case you are a multi-entry visa holder, please remember that for intended stays on the territory of the Member States the duration of each stay cannot exceed 90 days in any 180-day period. In order to avoid over-stay or to better know how many days you can still stay in the Schengen area, please check here to consult the European Commission calculator.

How to correctly use your Italian national visa

All Italian national visa holders, once arrived in Italy must convert their visa into a residence permit (“permesso di soggiorno”) applying within 8 days from first entry in Italy. Applications must be submitted to relevant police authorities (“Questura”) of the Province of intended residence. Residence permit duration will be the same as indicated in the visa. Residence permits can be renovated or extended directly in Italy. To know the relevant police authority according to your destination, please check the following website.

Re-entry

The holders of a the ‘permesso di soggiorno’ can exit and reenter in Italy, even if the ‘permesso di soggiorno’ has already expired, as long as the person concerned has already submitted the renewal application to the police Authority. The receipt of the submitted renewal application as well as the receipt of the sent post of this request, should be presented at passport control (immigration) upon leaving Italy.

In such a case, the concerned person can only reenter in Italy and not any other Schengen country.

In those cases provided for by the existing national legislation, a re-entry visa can be requested (please visit page ‘Other visas’).

NOTE: The attention of visa applicants is called upon the fact that the Embassy is obliged by law to report to the relevant Italian authorities those who provide false or falsified documentation.

USEFUL DOCUMENTS AND INFORMATION LINKS

TYPE “C” VISA (SCHENGEN) APPLICATION (for less than 90 days stay)

TYPE “D” VISA (NATIONAL) APPLICATION (for more than 90 days stay)

FAQ

SCHENGEN HARMONIZED LIST

LIST OF ACCREDITED INSURANCE COMPANIES FOR THE PHILIPPINES by EU

LIST OF COUNTRIES SUBJECT TO PREVIOUS CONSULTATION

RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF VISITOR IN ITALY

FAC-SIMILE INVITATION LETTER FOR RELATIVES

FAC-SIMILE INVITATION LETTER FOR BUSINESS-WORK

EMBASSY HOLIDAY

Further Information