Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

STUDYING IN ITALY

Italian student visa: Five things you need to know about applying

If you’re planning to move to Italy to study, you may know you'll need a visa. But how does the application process work? Here's what to be aware of before you start.

Published: 19 April 2022 17:28 CEST
Updated: 15 March 2023 09:19 CET

Every year, thousands of students relocate to Italy – not simply because it’s an attractive country to live in, but because of the quality of its higher education system and its relatively low tuition fees.

But moving to Italy isn’t always a smooth process, especially for non-EU students.

Ranked: Italy’s best universities and how they compare worldwide

While EU citizens enjoy freedom of movement across member states, international students need to obtain a student visa before entering the country. If you’re not familiar with Italian bureaucracy, the ins and outs of the application process can be a headache.

So, to help you out, here are five things you need to know prior to applying.

What type of visa do I need?

This is entirely dependent upon the length of your chosen course and, in turn, of your stay in Italy. There are two types of student visas: a type-C visa and a type-D one. The former is for short stays (a maximum of 90 days), whereas the latter is for long ones (anything over the 90-day mark).

Given that most Italian academic courses last longer than three months, the majority of foreign students are required to obtain a type-D visa. As a result, that is going to be the subject of this guide.

If you do require a type-C visa to enter the country, you can find details on the Italian foreign ministry’s website here.

Where do I need to apply?

All applications for a type-D visa must be submitted to the Italian embassy or consulate of your own home country. Should you not know where your nearest Italian consulate is, filling out this online questionnaire will give you the answers you seek.

Before you do go ahead and start applying for an Italian student visa, you should make sure you have proof of pre-enrollment on an Italian university course. This can be easily requested and downloaded through the Italian universities’ official online portal Universitaly (a close relative of the British UCAS, if you will).

The moment you get the above-mentioned document, you can start filling out your application.

What will I need to apply?

Unfortunately, you’ll need a whole lot of things, including the pre-enrollment paper we’ve just touched upon. 

Here’s the full list according to the Italian foreign ministry: 

  • Visa application form;
  • Recent passport-size photograph;
  • Travel document expiring at least three months after the expiry of the applied-for visa;
  • Proof of pre-enrollment in an Italian university course;
  • Proof that you have any type of accommodation in Italy (proof of a hotel booking is sufficient in this case); 
  • Proof that you have financial means which are sufficient to support your livelihood for the entire length of your stay (the Italian government sets the bar at 467 euros per month and bank statements are generally accepted as evidence);
  • Insurance coverage for medical treatment and hospitalisation (unless your home country has relevant ongoing agreements and/or conventions with the Italian government).

Find further details about the required paperwork on the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website here and here.

You may notice that the ministry hasn’t provided an English-language version of the application form online (you can find the form in Italian here). Your best bet is to reach out to the Italian consulate in your own home country and request the latest English-language version of the form.

How much is the visa going to cost?

You’ll be charged 50 euros for “the administrative costs of processing the visa application”, the foreign ministry states.

Except in as-yet-unspecified “special cases”, fees are to be paid in the local currency (ie. euros).

Is a type-D visa the only thing I’ll need to enter Italy?

Yes… and no.

No document other than a type-D visa (or type-C one for shorter stays) is required to simply enter the country.

But in order to lawfully remain in Italy for the entire length of your stay, you will have to apply for a residence permit (‘permesso di soggiorno’ in Italian) within 8 days of your arrival. The length of time this document will remain valid depends on the type of visa you have.

For more information about visa applications, see the Italian Foreign Ministry’s visa website, or contact the Italian consulate in your country.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

VISAS

How to apply for Italy’s notoriously difficult self-employment visa

A self-employment visa is one of the options available to non-EU freelancers looking to move to Italy. But getting one is not known to be easy.

Published: 16 August 2024 16:45 CEST
Updated: 19 August 2024 14:47 CEST
How to apply for Italy's notoriously difficult self-employment visa

Italy’s self-employment visa (or visto per lavoro autonomo) allows non-EU citizens to legally reside in Italy while working for themselves. It’s one option that many people consider along with the new Italian digital nomad visa.

While the self-employment visa comes with numerous benefits, getting one isn’t straightforward – in fact, Italian visa experts tell us that the process is “extremely hard and uncertain”, with a slim chance of success.

READ ALSO: What work visas can you apply for to move to Italy in 2024?

This is partly because there are so few of these visas available. Of the 151,000 work permit slots available in Italy for non-EU citizens in 2024, only 700 were open to those with self-employment visas.

But that’s not to say it’s impossible. We heard in July from Lazio-based couple Zeneba Bowers and Matt Walker, two ex-Nashville musicians who told us of their shock and excitement at being successful in their application for the self-employment visa.

After finding out their visa had been approved, “we went down to the street and did a lot of power breathing to try and keep from passing out from excitement. I will never forget the tourists going to the Duomo in Florence and looking at us,” said Zeneba.

If you want to give it a try yourself, here’s a look at what exactly is involved in applying.

Who can apply?

According to Italy’s labour ministry, people looking to apply for the self-employment visa under the quota system must fall under one of the following categories:

1) Entrepreneurs who carry out “activities of interest to the Italian economy”, who invest at least €500,000 in the business and create at least three new jobs in Italy.

2) Freelancers in regulated professions (those you need a degree or qualification for), or unregulated but “nationally represented” professions (those you do not need a degree or qualification for).

3) Holders of corporate offices, such as a managing director, as set out by Ministerial Decree N.850.

4) “Reputable” artists hired by public or private bodies.

5) Foreign nationals who want to establish “innovative start-up” companies.

The minimum income requirement for all applicants is a yearly gross sum of at least €8,400, with evidence of this required from the previous tax year.

For more details of whether and how these requirements may apply in your situation, it’s advisable to speak to your nearest Italian consulate or seek advice from a qualified Italian visa expert.

How to apply

The first thing to consider is when to start the application: you’ll need to make your initial application for a work permit online via the Italian interior ministry’s website – but this can only be done on certain days of the year.

In Italy, this is known as a “click day”, so you may want to type this term into the interior ministry’s website to search for updates. The last “click day” was in March 2024, and they tend to be around the start of the year, with the dates announced in December or January. Your local consulate may also be able to advise on upcoming dates.

You’ll need to be prepared for this step, as applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis, and every year the interior ministry reports that its quota is vastly oversubscribed.

Once you find out when you can apply for the work permit, you’ll need to request two documents from Italian authorities: a statement from the local Chamber of Commerce describing the parameters of your business, and a Nulla Osta (a security clearance) from the police headquarters (Questura) from the province you intend to live in.

READ ALSO: ‘How we quit our jobs in the US and moved to Italy on a self-employment visa’

Other documents needed at this stage include a copy of your passport and suitable accommodation, either rented or purchased.

Be prepared for the fact that you’ll need to visit Italy at some point in the application process: the Italian government specifies the need to get the original Italian documents, such as the Nulla Osta and the statement from the local Chamber of Commerce in person.

For some applicants, this trip may be a large extra expense that you’ll need to factor in.

When you have all of this, you then need to start your application for a self-employment visa at the nearest Italian embassy or consulate in your country of origin or residence. You must do this within 90 days of getting the original documents from the Italian authorities.

What documents will you need?

As with any type of Italian visa application, some of the requirements can vary depending on which consulate you apply at.

We’ve put together a general outline of the requirements below, but before compiling your application it’s advisable to contact your nearest Italian consulate for confirmation of exactly what they’ll want from you and the timeframe you’ll need to keep in mind.

For example, here are the requirements listed by the consulate in Chicago:

1)  An application form. These are for short-stay applications for visas of up to 90 days or long-term applications for visas up to one year. Please note the self-employment visa lasts one year maximum.

2) A recent passport photograph on a white background.

3) A valid passport plus one copy, with two blank pages for the visa. The passport or travel document must be valid for at least three months after the visa expiration date. 

4) Proof of income from the previous tax year.

5) The Nulla Osta issued by the Questura.

6) Proof of suitable lodgings during your stay in Italy.

7) A round-trip reservation if you are applying for the short-term visa of up to 90 days.

8) The visa fee, which is currently €116.

On top of this, there are specific requirements depending on which type of freelancer you are, as detailed by the Italian Consulate in Chicago. Your original passport will be taken at this stage, so the Italian authorities can stamp the visa in it if you are approved.

The visa should then be either issued or refused within 120 days.

What should you do upon approval?

After you get accepted, you have 180 days to use your visa and enter Italy. Failing to do so will make your visa void. 

Within eight days of arriving in Italy, you must apply for a residency permit. To register as self-employed, you must obtain an Italian tax code (codice fiscale), open up a VAT number (Partita IVA) and register with social security agency INPS.

An accountant will more than likely be needed for this process, so be sure to have one in place before moving.

Is it possible to renew the self-employment visa?

It is possible to reapply for the self-employment visa upon expiry provided that you still fulfil the financial requirements set out above.

It may also be possible to convert other types of visa into a self-employment visa once you are already in Italy.

Please note that this is intended as an overview of the visa system and should not be taken as a substitute for legal advice. For more information on how the Italian immigration rules may apply in your situation, consult the Italian consulate or embassy closest to you. 

SHOW COMMENTS