In order to get to Italy, you must have a Schengen visa. It can be obtained only if you correctly collect all the necessary documents and fill out the necessary forms. As you know, Italy is one of the most popular resorts, where millions of people strive to get every year. Many, having visited this wonderful country, return there again and again to see all the sights and get to know the culture more closely. Especially popular is the magnificent architecture of Italy, which is worth only one Colosseum. In addition, the Vatican is the smallest state in the world in the capital. To see all this with your own eyes, you should prepare the necessary documents for an Italian visa. This will be discussed in this article.
Do I need a visa to travel to Italy?
If we talk about the citizens of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, then the answer will certainly be positive. You do not need to apply for a visa only if the person has a valid Schengen. For residents of other countries, the need for a permit is considered separately. To check this, first you need to go to a special site. A link to it can be found on the web pages of the Italian Visa Application Center or Consulate General.
Next, you will be asked to fill out certain data, including the country, citizenship, length of stay, and the purpose of the visit. After all the fields are completed, the following window will open. A list of all necessary documents will be indicated there, including the place of receipt of the Schengen. In most cases, they apply another sample of filling out an application for an Italian visa.
List of documents
As already noted, it will be simply impossible to obtain a Schengen visa without specific official papers. Each year, the list of documents that need to be collected and provided is changed. For 2017, this list is as follows:
- Identity document (original and copies of all pages).
- Foreign passport, there are certain requirements. Its validity period must be at least three months from the planned day of the end of the visit. A copy of the first page should also be attached.
- Photo (2 pcs.). They should be colored on a white background, made no earlier than six months before the filing of documents, size - 3 x 4.
- Profile. This is probably the most difficult stage, since many errors are allowed when filling out. We will consider this topic in more detail.
- Medical policy. The validity period should apply to all days of stay in a European country, the coverage amount is not less than 30,000 euros.
- Tickets They’re not picking much here, they’ll suit both tickets already bought and booked.
- An Italian visa is applied at the consulate of this country or a special center.
Additional Information
Above was a list of mandatory official papers. However, in practice, in order to provide themselves with some advantage, many people provide additional information about themselves.
Documents for obtaining an Italian visa, which anyone can attach at will, include:
- Old foreign passports, especially the embassy, are interested in those pages that contain information about previously issued Schengen visas. In this case, the chances of obtaining a permit are significantly increased, and there is a chance of opening an annual visa.
- Certificates of ownership of property in the form of an apartment, a car, a summer residence, etc. This is necessary so that the consular officer does not think that you are a possible illegal immigrant. Inquiries indicate that you have property in Russia, which means that you have an intention to return to your homeland.
Need to pay attention
This information is for those who decide to travel around Europe. The fact is that to get a Schengen you must provide your route for the entire trip. That is, when applying for an Italian visa, you should attach copies of tickets that will confirm your path in Europe. If a distance is covered by train, problems can arise. You can book and buy tickets only 45 days before the departure date.
Then, when applying to the Italian Visa Application Center, you must write a free application. It should indicate the reason for the impossibility of presenting tickets, and notify what type of transport and which way the movement will take place. Of course, obtaining permission to enter another state is not easy, but if everything is done correctly, you will have the opportunity to visit the most beautiful countries in the world.
What documents are needed for an Italian visa?
It would seem that we have already considered all mandatory official papers, as well as possible additional information, which is indicated on our own. However, there are some more references that will have a positive impact on the decision of the Italian consulate.
So, for this you need to submit:
- Information about the place of residence during the trip. This refers to a hotel, apartment, villa, etc. A tourist will have to submit a document confirming an advance payment for rental housing. If you are traveling to Italy on a purchased tour package, then the embassy does not need these data.
- Invitation letter. It is required if you stay with relatives or friends. It indicates the personal data of the person who invites you to come to him. The letter should also contain the degree of kinship, a mention of the fact that a relative or friend takes care of all expenses associated with housing.
- Help for an Italian visa (about the place of work). This should be taken very carefully, you need to ask the employee of the personnel department to use company letterhead with the seal and signature of the head. In the certificate it is necessary to indicate the position, the total length of service, the size of the average salary, as well as information that the applicant is given another vacation with the preservation of the position.
Profile
How to get an Italian visa? To do this, you need to submit all kinds of documents to the consulate and wait for an answer. In the set of official papers, a special place is allocated to the questionnaire. If errors or corrections were made during the filling process, a visa may be refused.
To get the form, you should contact the Italian embassy. They give out blank sheets, and briefly explain what needs to be filled. In addition, such forms can be found on the website of the Italian Visa Application Center. There you can see a sample of filling out an application form for an Italian visa. But even then, many make mistakes, and as a result they cannot go abroad.
Recommendations when filling out. Personal information
If you decide to manually fill out the questionnaire, you need to write in printed handwriting. If you need to issue in electronic form, it is better to use capital letters.
Now consider filling out a document, breaking the entire process into three blocks. To begin with, let's deal with personal information:
- name and surname must be deducted from the passport;
- if the surname has changed, this should be indicated;
- date of birth is recorded in a standard format;
- place of birth must be indicated as in the certificate;
- citizenship and country of birth is indicated in accordance with the year of birth, until 1991 the USSR must be entered;
- civil status is not indicated in the questionnaire for children;
- the item "identification number" can be skipped.
Passport and contact information
To apply for an Italian visa, you need to indicate your passport data in the application form. This should be done as follows:
- First, fill in the details of the number and type of passport.
- It is necessary to indicate the actual address of residence. Often it does not match the address of a permanent residence. In this case, an apartment rental agreement should be added to the list of documents for an Italian visa.
- Next is the name of the profession. It must be written in the same way as the entire questionnaire. If you have chosen English or Italian, then you need to complete the translation. When using transliteration, you do not need to change anything.
- If you are an entrepreneur, you need to indicate your home address.
Other trip information
Then it remains to fill out only information about a particular trip. This is done as follows:
- the purpose of the visit must be confirmed by additional documents (we will talk about this later);
- you need to specify the country of first entry - that is, the one you will cross the first on the journey;
- if Schengen visas have been previously obtained, you must definitely notify;
- when traveling by invitation, you need to fill out information about the person who called you;
- It should be noted who bears the costs of the trip;
- further, only European citizens are entitled to fill in a few points;
- at the end, as always, it should be noted the date and place of filling out the questionnaire, as well as a personal signature.
How to confirm the purpose of the trip?
You need to understand that the collection and submission of documents for an Italian visa is not an easy task. So, without confirming the purpose of your stay in the country, no one will let you in.
To avoid problems, you need to prepare documents such as:
- An invitation to persons who legally reside in Italy. This paper can be issued by persons who are citizens of a European country. In addition, legal entities can also invite for events.
- Booking a hotel or hotel, you can imagine a voucher for a travel company.
- Documents confirming admission to an educational institution in Italy.
- Documents on employment in an Italian company.
In addition to all these documents, you need to provide information about your financial security. In order to get to Italy, you need a certificate stating that you earn at least 70 euros per day. Only after consular officers are confident that a foreigner can live in their country for some time and return to their homeland, they will make a positive decision.
The photo
As noted at the beginning of the article, among the mandatory documents for an Italian visa a photo appears. New requirements were introduced in 2015. From that time to this day, people who want to get to Schengen countries must take fingerprints and take pictures. This led to the fact that now a person must personally submit all official papers, otherwise there will immediately be a refusal.
The requirements for the photo itself did not change. It should be made on a white or light background, 3 x 4 cm in size. The applicant's face should occupy 75-80% of the total area of the photograph. Sunglasses, hats, and hair that cover your face are not allowed. Photos can be taken in advance, but no more than 6 months before the day of application.
What documents do minors need?
A common situation is when parents, going abroad, take their minor children with them. Do not rush to prepare for the trip, first you need to get a separate visa for the child. The standard list of documents for an Italian visa is supplemented by a birth certificate or a passport (if any).
A minor may have his own foreign passport, or be inscribed in a parent's document. If the child is less than 6 years old, then you will not have to pay a consular fee. Accompanying parents will be a sufficient reason. There are situations when a child travels abroad with third parties, for example, to a sports competition. Then a personal passport is required, as well as the consent of the parents to the export of the child, certified by a notary.
The procedure for submitting documents
After all the necessary documents have been collected, you need to contact the consulate (located in Moscow and St. Petersburg) or the Italian visa center (located in many major cities of the country). When submitting official papers, an employee of the body to which you applied may ask a few clarifying questions. The term for consideration of the application is 5-7 business days.
Currently, the coveted permission can be obtained in many cities of the country: from Moscow to Vladivostok. If you doubt that you can correctly collect all the documents, you can contact any travel agency. For a fee, specialists will help in obtaining a visa. However, if you know the list of all the necessary documents, then contacting the agency is a waste of money. By contacting the visa center or consulate in person with a package of official papers and correctly completed forms, you are likely to receive a positive response.