PRELIMINARY CHECK-LIST BEFORE APPLYING FOR A VISA TO ITALY
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- Please check Italy is the country of main/principal destination for the purpose of your journey and the length of your stay
- We kindly suggest you to visit the website http://vistoperitalia.esteri.it/ where preliminary information concerning visa issuance to Italy is available
- Please double-check the type of visa you need. The SCHENGEN VISA (“VSU”) allows you to circulate within the Schengen area (Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland) and can be issued for a maximum of 90 days. Schengen visas (type “C”) can be issued for the following reasons: transit, business, tourism, study, religious purpose, invitation, mission, self-employment, employment, sport competitions, medical treatment (all “C” type).The NATIONAL VISA (“VN”) is valid only for staying and circulating in Italy up to 365 days. National visas can be issued for the following reasons: adoption, study, family reunion, accompanying relatives, religious purpose, medical treatment, self-employment, employment, job recruitment, diplomatic/assignment, mission, domicile of choice, re-entry, working vacation (all “D” types). Direct flight to Italy (without transit in any Schengen Country) is required for this type of visa.
- Please check that the Consulate General of Italy in Ho Chi Minh City (and not the Italian Embassy in Hanoi) is the right office to present your visa application. The Consulate General of Italy in Ho Chi Minh City is responsible for visa-applicants (Vietnamese and non-Vietnamese) permanently residing in the following 22 Vietnamese provinces: Thừa Thiên-Huế, Đà Nẵng, Quảng Nam, Quảng Ngãi, Bình Định, Phú Yên, Khánh Hòa, Ninh Thuận, Bình Thuận, Bình Dương, Đồng Nai, Hồ Chí Minh, Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu, Long An, Tiền Giang, Cần Thơ, Vĩnh Long, Bến Tre, Hậu Giang, Trà Vinh, Bạc Liêu, Cà Mau
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- Please be sure that your passport is valid for at least 3 months after the planned departure date from the Schengen area and that it was issued less than 10 years ago. The passport must have at least two consecutive blank pages for the visa and stamps, the photo on the passport must correspond to the current appearance. Photos for the visa application should not be altered by computer programs.
- Please take note that the visa application cannot be submitted earlier than six months before the start of the intended visit.
- Please check the departure date and kindly take into consideration that the processing time for the visa is 15 calendar days, extendable to 60 calendar days in particular cases. It is the applicant’s responsibility to take the necessary precautions in order to meet the time requirements. An application submitted less than 30 calendar days before the intended departure may be accepted, but the procedure could end up after the intended departure.
- Once you have checked the above list, please verify the necessary documents on this website or on the website of the outsourcing company VFS Global (http://www.vfsglobal.com/italy/vietnam/) and proceed.
Visa applications can be submitted
a) At the VFS Global – Italy Visa Application Centres:
All visa applicants can go to the Italy Visa Application Centre at VFS Global offices by making an appointment through their website http://www.vsfglobal.com/italy/Vietnam/index.html. VFS Global is located in:
HO CHI MINH CITY
Resco Building,
94-96 Nguyen Du Street
Ben Nghe Ward, District 1
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
T. + 84 28 3521 2002
Email: info.itvn@vfshelpline.com
Opening hours Monday to Friday: 8:00 – 12.00 and 13.00 – 15:00
DANANG
ACB Tower,
218 Bach Dang Street, Hai Chau Ward
Danang, Vietnam
Opening hours Monday to Friday: 8:30 – 15:00
Important notice: applications for National Visas (type “D”) and the E-@applications through the online platform http://e-applicationvisa.esteri.it (see below) can only be submitted at the Consulate General of Italy in Ho Chi Minh City
b) At the Visa Office of the Consulate General of Italy:
To schedule an appointment or to ask information, please write to hochiminh.visti@esteri.it. For information only, we answer by phone at +84.28.3827.5445 on Monday and Wednesday from 15.00 to 16.30 (Vietnam time).
The Visa Office is open on Tuesday, from 9.00 to 12.00 and on Thursday from 14.00 to 16.00. Access is restricted to applicants who have an appointment confirmed by the Consulate General or whose interview has been scheduled through the Visa Office.
Important notice: for those who wish to apply directly at the Consulate General, please note that usually the waiting time may be longer than the appointments made at the outsourcing company VFS Global.
RULES TO SUBMIT A VISA APPLICATION
Fee: The consular fee must be paid in cash and in local currency (VND). The amount may slightly change every three months and it varies according to the type of visas (see next webpage). In case the visa will be refused, the fee will NOT be refunded. The current exchange rate EUR/VND is published on the notice board of the Consular Office.
Documents: All the documents in Vietnamese language must be presented in authorised copy, translated into English or Italian. The documents will not be returned. The invitation letters from Italy, written using the included FORMS (tourism, business) should be sent in advance by email to the Visa Office – please use the email address hochiminh.visti@esteri.it (letters of invitation and all documents related to business visas, i.e. certificates of company registration and I.D. copies of the inviting persons, must be sent via email also to: hochiminh.commerciale@esteri.it). Applications without previous emailing of invitation letters and related documents from Italian counterparts will not be accepted.
Biometric data collection: all Schengen visa applicants are required to provide their biometric data (10 fingerprints and a photo) when applying for a Schengen visa. All applicants will have to apply in person when fingerprints have to be taken for the first time. Since biometric data information are stored for 59 months, in case of subsequent visa applications it will not be necessary to come again in person, unless specifically requested. Exemptions from the fingerprinting requirement are provided for a limited number of applicants, including children under the age of twelve and persons for whom the collection of fingerprints is physically impossible. Heads of State and members of the national government with members of their official delegation and spouses will also be exempted, if travelling for official purposes. For more information please read the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs webpage and the website of the European Commission. Italy does not require fingerprint capture for national visas.
E-@pplication
A dedicated software platform allows you to complete a visa application form for a Schengen visa (for a maximum stay of 90 days) online. It is available at the following website: http://e-applicationvisa.esteri.it/. You can complete a visa application online, but you can only apply for a visa at this Consulate General of Italy. To apply, please bring the visa E-@pplication form duly signed, all the necessary documents and the barcodes provided with your E-@pplication-encrypted data.
Holding a valid visa does not automatically give the right of entry to Schengen area
Please, be aware that holding a short-stay visa does not automatically entitle to enter the Schengen area. Once arrived at Schengen border control, or during other controls, travellers may be asked to provide information on means of support, on how long they intend to stay in the Schengen State, and why they are visiting the Schengen State.
It is therefore recommended to carry with you copies of the documents presented when you applied for the visa (e.g. letters of invitation, travel confirmations, other documents stating the purpose of stay). For more information, please refer to the Schengen Borders Code.
What happens if the visa is refused
Visa refusals are notified to the applicant. In the refusal letter reasons on which refusal decision was taken are clearly stated. Visa applicants whose applications have been refused can decide to apply again or to appeal. Appeals must be brought against refusal decisions directly at the Italian Regional Administrative Court (T.A.R. of the Latium Region), through a lawyer acting on applicant behalf, within 60 days of the serving of the decision itself. The appeal will have to be notified, under penalty of nullity (as per art. 144 of C.P.C. and art. 11 of R.D. no. 1611 of 1933), to the relevant “Avvocatura dello Stato”.
For family reunion visas only, appeals must be addressed to the ordinary court (“Tribunale ordinario”) of the place of residence of the family member living in Italy.
How to read a Schengen visa sticker and correctly use your Schengen visa
“Duration of stay … days” indicates the number of days you may stay in the Schengen area. The days should be counted from the date you enter the Schengen area (the entry stamp) to the date you exit the Schengen area (the exit stamp), i.e. both days included. The period of time between “From … until” is usually longer than the number of days printed in the “Duration of stay”. The difference in period is meant to give you flexibility to plan your entry into and exit from the Schengen area, but your stay in the Schengen area must never exceed the exact number of days in the “Duration of stay … days” filed. No matter how many days you have stayed in the Schengen area, you must leave no later than the date printed in the “Until” field.
Schengen visas entitle to one or two or multiple entries. Travelers who often need to go to Schengen area can apply for multi-entry visas up to 5 years. In case you are a multi-entry visa holder, please remember that for intended stays on the territory of the Member States duration of stay cannot be more than 90 days in any 180-day period, which entails considering the 180-day period preceding each day of stay. In order to avoid over-stay or to better know how many days you can still stay in Schengen territory, please check here.
How to correctly use your Italian national visa
All Italian national visa holders, once arrived in Italy must convert their visa into a residence permit (“permesso di soggiorno”) applying within 8 days from first entry in Italy. Applications must be submitted to relevant police authorities (“Questura”) of the Province of intended residence. Residence permit duration will be the same as indicated in the visa. Residence permits can be renovated or extended directly in Italy. To know the relevant police authority according to your destination, please check here.
Further information
For any further information, please read the website of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the website of the European Commission.