Obtaining visas

An application for a visa to Italy can be submitted to the Visa Application Centre: • Russian citizens; • foreign citizens, providing documents confirming legal stay in Russia.

A visa is an official document that authorises entry and temporary stay in a country. It can be short-term (e.g. tourist, up to 90 days) or long-term (for study, work, residence). A visa must be obtained before travelling to most countries.

Neither the consular nor the service fee is refundable in case of visa refusal.

Visas are needed to control migration and the security of the country. They allow the state to verify the purpose and duration of your stay and ensure your legal right of entry. A visa helps you avoid problems at the border and protects your rights while travelling.

It is possible to submit a hotel reservation from any booking site, indicating the name, address and telephone number of the hotel, length of stay, name and surname of each applicant. If you plan to stay in more than one hotel, you must submit the reservation of each hotel for each night of stay within the planned trip.

The passport must be valid for at least 3 months after the visa expiry date, contain at least 2 blank pages (spread) and be issued no more than ten years ago.

Only if the number of days of stay indicated on the visa is less than 90. 90 days in any 180-day period is the maximum possible stay in Schengen on a C visa. If all 90 days have been used, it is not possible to apply for a new visa until at least the expiry date of your existing visa.

It is possible to apply for a new visa if you have a multiple-entry Schengen visa in your passport, the validity period of which starts later or ends earlier than the visa you are applying for, provided that the 90 days/180-day period allowed has not been used up.

The visa should be applied for at the Consulate of the country where you intend to spend more days in one trip. If you plan to spend an equal number of days in different Schengen countries, you should apply for a visa at the Consulate of the country that will be the first country visited in the Schengen area.

The questionnaire can be printed using both single-sided and double-sided printing.

All applicants over 12 years of age requesting a Schengen visa must undergo a mandatory fingerprint scanning procedure and therefore must be present in person when applying. If the child is under 12 years of age, his/her personal presence is not required.

The original consent is required. A separate form must be filled out for each applicant, including a child. Consent must be provided in Russian only. Consent for minor applicants shall be filled in on behalf of the child by one of the parents or legal representative, indicating his/her details in the relevant paragraphs of the consent.

Visa application documents should be submitted to the Visa Application Centre not earlier than 6 months prior to the start of the planned trip; for seafarers on duty - not earlier than 9 months prior to the start of the proposed trip. If you are planning another trip to Italy before you leave for Italy or you need to leave earlier and need a visa by a certain date, be sure to attach to the main package documents confirming the urgency of your trip: a copy of the ticket, hotel reservation in the country of visit, etc.

Provided that the visa issued is a multiple-entry visa and the 90 days allowed per half-year have not been used up, you can apply for a new visa as normal.