What comes to your mind when you think of Italy? Cobble-stoned roads, scooters, roadside restaurants and how can we forget the humble pizza which has carved a place for itself even in the Indian cuisine. Apart from being a famous tourist destination, Italy is also home to some of the well-reputed universities in the world. According to the QS university list, Italy has close to 90 universities which are well-ranked for subjects ranging from engineering and science to arts and music. In order to be able to study and work in Italy, aspirants are expected to possess a student visa for Italy. Let us take a look at the different stages of the process to obtain an Italy study visa, Italy student visa requirements, Italy student visa checklist, Italy residence permit, and many more. 

Apply to a University and Get an Enrollment Letter

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, Italy is home to several universities which have a good, overall ranking in academics. Some of the popular academic disciplines offered by Italian universities include:

  1. Masters in Design
  2. Masters in Architecture
  3. Masters in Humanities
  4. Masters in Engineering

Although the universities in Italy which offer postgraduate courses in various fields of the Engineering discipline are few, they fall in the list of well-ranked universities of the world. The very first step towards securing a student visa for Italy is to enrol in a university of your choice. An enrolment letter from the university is one of the primary documents mentioned in the Italy student visa checklist.

Find Out the Type of Italy Study Visa Applicable in Your Case

The Italian immigration department has specified four different visa categories for international students depending on the nature and duration of the courses offered by universities located there. Students who plan to travel to Italy for the following purposes are eligible to apply for an Italy study visa:

  1. Exchange & mobility programmes
  2. Postgraduate programmes
  3. University enrolment
  4. University single course
  5. Apprenticeship

Depending on the nature of your visit, the Italy student visa requirements may vary.

Let us take a look at some of the Italy student visa requirements specified by the embassy/consulate for international students.

Italy Student Visa Requirements

Before commencing a student visa for Italy, it is important to have sufficient information about the Italy student visa requirements. Documentation is the biggest concern for a lot of students who wish to study in Italy. The Italy student visa requirements differ depending on the nature of the course being pursued by a particular candidate. The Italian embassy has released student-visa related information for four different kinds of courses which students are likely to be enrolled in.

  1. Students must possess an enrollment letter from their respective universities
  2. Students must have all the documents necessary mentioned in the Italy student visa checklist.
  3. Students must not have had any previous criminal records registered in their name in their country of residence.
  4. The student must be of sound health and produce the necessary documentation supporting this claim.
  5. The student must not have been denied entry to Italy in the past.

Read about  Student Visa Application: Things to Do Before Applying

Documents To Be Submitted For an Italy Student Visa

Documentation is an important part of the student visa for Italy. If you plan on pursuing your higher studies in Italy, you may need to go through the following checklist of documents and keep them handy for a hassle-free study visa for Italy. 

  1. A duly filled entry visa application form
  2. A recent passport-size photograph (take out multiple copies for future use)
  3. A valid passport with two extra empty visa pages.
  4. Proof of enrolment
  5. Proof of accommodation such as a printout of the hotel booking details, a declaration of hospitality if you plan on staying in places other than hotels.
  6. Financial proof which reflects that you have the economic means to stay in Italy.
  7. Students must submit financial proof showing that they possess sufficient money to sustain in the country. The expenses could roughly amount upto 459.83 Euros per month or a sum of 5,977.79 Euros per year, for the entire course duration.
  8. Students may show the availability of funds by submitting copies of their bank statements or if they are being supported by their parents, their bank statements can be submitted. If you are borrowing an education loan to study in Italy, then a sanction letter from the lending bank can also be submitted as a proof of funding for an Italy student visa.
  9. Proof of residence is to be submitted
  10. An adequate insurance cover for medical expenses and hospital stays for the duration of your stay in Italy
  11. A consular declaration which demonstrates the right for healthcare cover due to an agreement between the government of Italy and your native country.

Now that you have taken note of all the student visa documents for Italy, let us take a look at the next stages of the Italy student visa process.

Apply At the Nearest Embassy/ Consulate & Schedule an Appointment

If you are travelling from India, it is recommended that you start your application process at least three to four months before your date of travel. The application process for an Italy student visa for Indian students will take at least three weeks or longer to be completed. Once this step is completed, you may schedule an appointment for the visa interview. It is recommended that you schedule an appointment for the interview at least 4 weeks in advance. 

Students who plan to apply for an Italy student visa from India may approach any of the consulates/embassies within India.

Consulate General of Italy in KOLKATA

5G, Rev. Lalbehari Shah Sarani (formerly New Road), Ali
00913324792414 | 00913324792426
www.conscalcutta.esteri.it
consolatogenerale.calcutta@esteri.it

(Consular district: the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Sikkim and Tripura, the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands , as well as Nepal.)

In order to facilitate the submission of visa applications, see also the site of the external service provider agreement:  http://www.vfs-italy.co.in/

Consulate General of Italy in MUMBAI

Kanchanjunga Building, 72 G. Deshmukh Road, Mumbai 400 026
00912223804071 | 00912223804073
www.consmumbai.esteri.it
visamumbai@esteri.it

(Consular district: the states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, as well as the territories of the Union of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Laccadive and Puducherry.)

In order to facilitate the submission of visa applications, see also the site of the external service provider agreement:  http://www.vfs-italy.co.in/

Embassy of Italy in NEW DELHI

50, Chandra Gupta Marg Chanakyapuri - ND 110021
00911126114355
www.ambnewdelhi.esteri.it
visas.newdelhi@esteri.it

(Consular Chancery with constituency: the States of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu-Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, as well as the Union Territories of Delhi and Chandigarh.)

Italy Study Visa Cost and Other Expenses

The embassy/consulate responsible for processing an Italy study visa cost for Indian students charges 50 Euros as processing fees.

Steps to be Taken After Arriving in Italy

If you have completed all of the steps mentioned above, managed to get that elusive student visa for Italy and think that you are done with the formalities, here’s a small twist. Although you may have secured the student visa for Italy, you still need to possess a residence permit in order to be able to stay for your entire course duration in Italy. However, the procedure to apply for the residence permit begins once you enter Italy.

Candidates must place a request for a residency permit within eight working days after arriving in Italy.

  1. They are required to submit a request for a residency permit to ‘STUDY’ to their nearest police headquarters after their arrival.
  2. Students can also submit their residence permit applications to the nearest post office if a police station is not located in their vicinity.
  3. Post submitting their applications, the post office will issue a receipt acknowledging the request.
  4. Post submitting the application, candidates will be provided with an appointment for an interview. Fingerprints and photographs will also be taken on this scheduled date.
  5. The residence permit will be issued once all of the above formalities are completed successfully.

Renewal of an Italy Residence Permit

If your course duration is longer than six months or a year, you will be required to renew your Italy residence permit. For this purpose it is recommended that you submit the application for the same at least 60 days prior to the expiry of your old permit.  

At the time of submission of your application for renewal, you are expected to possess the same amount of funds as you did while applying for the Italy student visa. It is important to note that a progress review is conducted every year for international students who are in Italy for courses which last longer than a year. This progress review plays a crucial role in determining whether your stay will be extended further. Universities conduct this review with the help of the credit system. For eg, 25 hours of work earns you 1 credit point.

So that was pretty much about the process of finding the right Italy student visa, applying for one, documentation and the procedure for a residence permit to stay in Italy. Hope you find the information provided here to be helpful. All the best for your higher studies!