How to Obtain the Tourist Visa for Italy - Immigration Italy (2024)

The beautiful landscapes and rich cultural heritage makeItalyone of the most visited countries in the world, however, for some visitors,tourist visasare required before coming here. Even so, it is not hard toapply for a tourist visa for Italyfor those considering a vacation or a city break in one of Europe’s greatest countries.

Below, ourimmigration lawyers in Italyexplain the main steps forobtaining a tourist visa. If you are interested incoming to Italy as a touristor want to move here, you can rely on our help.

Preparations before traveling to Italy

Foreign citizens who want to travel to Italy for short periods should prepare ahead. The first thing to do is verify if they need to apply for a visa before leaving their home countries. If EU citizens do not need to apply for any type of visa, non-EU and non-EEA citizens must check the type of visas they need. Ourimmigration lawyers in Italyadvise non-EU citizens to also verify other aspects of their travel arrangements to this country.

With respect to non-EU citizens, these canapply for a tourist visaif they need to travel for short periods toItaly. Depending on their countries of residence, it is possible for other documents to be required when filing for an Italian tourist visa.

EU citizens visiting Italy

For citizens of the European Union and of the European Economic Area (EEA), there is no need toapply for a tourist visa for Italy. These enter Italy based on their identification documents or passports which do not require any stamp or sticker representing a visa. Italy is also a member of the Schengen area which is means that all citizens coming from other member states also have the right to free travel to Italy.

If you are an EU citizen and want toimmigrate to Italyfor another purpose than visiting, you can discuss your relocation options with one ofour lawyers.

Non-EU citizens visiting Italy

Forcitizens of non-EU and non-EEA countries, visitingItalyrequirestourist visas. These must be obtained with the Italian Embassy or Consulate in their home countries, however, the procedure is not complicated or lengthy.

The main documents required toobtain a tourist visa for Italyare:

• the visa application form which usually comes in an online form;
• the valid passport – usually a 6 months validity period is required in order to be issued the visa;
• proof of accommodation in the form of a hotel reservation must be presented;
• the airway ticket which will contain the flight number, the date of departure and return;
• travel insurance and proof of sufficient financial resources to suffice for the duration of the visit.

In some cases, an itinerary of the visit could be required. In it, the tourist must also provide information about the places the person will visit and if these places are located in another Schengen state. For those traveling under an organized tour, a letter from the tour operator will be required.

It is also possible toapply for an Italian tourist visafor coming here and seeingfamilyor friends, which is why for the citizens visiting for this purpose, a letter of invitation will be required.

The documents you will need to file in order to obtain thetourist visadepend very much on your reasons, which is why we invite you to discuss with ourimmigration lawyers in Italywho can provide the necessary support before traveling here.

An important aspect to consider for non-EU citizens who haveSchengen visasis that they do not need to apply for anothervisawhencoming to Italy for tourism purposes.

If you are consideringrelocation to Italy, however, do not doubt in asking for ourimmigration services.

Steps for applying for a tourist visa for Italy

Citizens who need toapply for touristvisas for Italyneed to consider a few important things. Among these, the application procedure which should begin no later than 2 weeks before the travel, however, we advise on applying for the required visa as soon as the flight was booked. This is because the processing time of the visa is particular for each country.

The steps that will be completed whenapplying for a tourist visa for Italyconsist of:

1. booking the appointment and completing the application form;
2. preparing the documents required for the visa (one should make sure all documents are in place in order to not delay the issuance of the visa);
3. filing the application form and the documents with the Italian Embassy or Consulate;
4. participating in the interview and paying the visa fees;
5. picking up the passport after the visa is issued.

If you need help in organizing the documents forapplying for a tourist visa, you can rely on ourexpat services in Italy.

The tourist Schengen visa for Italy

As mentioned above, theSchengen visacan also be used for traveling to Italy as the country is the Schengen area. This aspect offers a lot of benefits especially tonon-EU citizenswho are settled in one of these countries and want to come to Italy.

Whenapplying for atourist visa for Italyas a resident of a Schengen country, one must provide additional documents among which a bank statement that must indicate the financial status of the applicant for the past 6 months, the travel itinerary, and evidence on how the trip will be financed.

Traveling to Italy under organized tours

An important share of the foreign citizens who come to Italy based on tourist visas prefers organized tours. This option has the advantage of obtaining the documents related to the travel much faster, as the organizer can handle the process partially or totally. In certain cases, the tour operator can even handle the tourist visa application procedure.

When traveling to Italy with an organized tour, the visitor must obtain certain information from the travel agency, such as the flight ticket number and the itinerary.

The procedure of traveling to Italy based on a tourist visa has been simplified and the procedure can be completed in a matter of days, however, it is useful to know that one should start the process earlier in order to have all aspects covered.

If you want toimmigrate to Italyand need assistance, our lawyers are at your service with tailored support.

Insurance requirements when seeking to obtain a tourist visa for Italy

One of the main requirements associated toobtaining an Italian tourist visais having health insurance. Tourists, however, can also apply for travel insurance if they want to have extra protection in case of accidents or other unpredictable situations. The travel insurance is a good option for those who to practice various sports, as well as for recovering the amount of money paid for the vacation in case they cannot travel anymore.

With respect to the mandatory health insurance, the minimum services it can cover must be 30,000 euros. This requirement is available on the entire Schengen territory. Speaking of it, foreign citizens can alsocome to Italybased on theirSchengen visasif they are residents of member countries.

Funds for staying in Italy

Depending on the duration of stay, foreign citizens coming toItalybased ontourist visasmust also submit proof of sufficient funds. Those who want to stay in Italy for no more than 5 days, around 270 euros will suffice. For those planning to stay at least 10 days, the minimum amount of money to be secured per day is 45 euros, while for periods exceeding 11 days but no more than 20 days, foreign nationals must dispose of at least 52 euros per day.

If you plan on traveling toItaly, outimmigration lawyerscan offer various services depending on the duration of your stay and the type of visa you need.

Can a tourist visa be used for other purposes?

Even if the main purpose of theItalian tourist visais travel, it is useful to know that non-EU citizens can also use this type of visa to come here for business reasons. This means that if a non-EU national plans to start a business or is in the process of company incorporation and needs to travel toItalyfor various formalities, thetourist visacan be used for entering the country.

In this case, supporting documents should be prepared.

Ourlawyers in Italycan also help foreign investors who are interested inbusiness immigration. We remind these that Italy also has various programs dedicated to non-EU high net worth individuals who want to move here. TheGolden Visa Scheme in Italyis one of the most successful programs in the EU.

The tourism sector in Italy

Tourism is one of the most important economic sectors in Italy, which is why there are numerous agencies that promote it. According to recent statistics published bystatista.com:

• Italy is the 5^thmost visited country in the world and 3^rdinternational tourist attraction in Europe;
• in 2018, there were 94 million international tourists in Italy;
• out of the 94 million, 1,8 million were U.S. citizens who were accommodated in Rome;
• in 2019, Venice was one of the most visited cities in Italy with 4,77 million tourists.

If you want to visitItaly, you can rely on our assistance in obtaining atourist visa. You can alsocontact usif you are interested inimmigrating to Italy.

Please mind that the tourist visa can’t be used as a way to apply for citizenship in Italy. For this, you must be the holder of a long-term/permanent visa, and to have a valid permanent residence permit as well.

Being a permanent resident in Italy is a prerequisite for citizenship, and it is necessary when the foreigner will become a citizenship through naturalization.