Most Prominent Guide on Italy Tourist Visa For Indian Citizens

Italy is the destination of choice for millions looking for a picturesque country to spend their vacation in. Art, history, food, culture, shopping, and architecture, it is the perfect blend of a perfect travel getaway. You can visit Europe’s top destination alone or combine it with other destinations.

The only thing you need to become a tourist in Italy is a Schengen visa. Read this blog to know how to get an Italy tourist visa for Indian citizens.

What is an Italian Schengen Visa?

The Italy Schengen Visa is the tourist visa for Italy. Through this, you can visit Italy for leisure, site seeing, vacation, and others. Under this visa, you can also visit Italy for short business trips. However, you are not allowed to work in the country with this visa. Business purposes that come within its limit are attending meetings, meeting clients, etc. Italy Schengen Visa is also referred to as the Italy Tourist Visa and short-stay visa.     

Do you need a Schengen Visa?

Yes, being an Indian citizen, you need a Schengen Visa to travel to Italy as a tourist. Although, if you have a Schengen visa from any other European country, you need not apply for it separately for Italy.

Eligibility requirements for Italy tourist visa for Indian citizens

To get an Italy tourist visa for Indian citizens, you need to fulfill the following requirements-

Complete Travel Itinerary

In this, you need to submit documents related to the date and time of entry and exit to and from Italy along with the flight numbers. You need to mention the places you will be visiting when in Italy or any other Schengen area. Only the proof of flight reservation needs to be added.

Letter from your tour organizer

This needs to be added if you are going to travel with a tour agency.

Proof of accommodation

In this, you need to provide the details of the place you will be staying at when in the country. This can be a hotel/hostel booking or a rental agreement.

Proof of sufficient funds

You have to provide evidence of enough finance that you use at the entire time of your stay.

Although, if you are planning on visiting a relative or friend in Italy, the following documents need to be submitted-

Letter of invitation from your host

Your host is the family member or friend you are planning to visit in Italy. He/she can be an Italian citizen/ a PR holder (in this case you need to provide the residence status document). The letter needs to state information about the dates you are visiting them on and your relationship with the host.

Proof of family relationship

In case of your host is a family member, you need to provide proof of your relationship with your spouse, child, parent, etc. It may be a marriage certificate, birth certificate, or certificate of registered partnership. This is to be included with the letter of invitation.

Proof of sufficient financial means

You need to provide proof of adequate funds depending on how your trip will be funded-

1. Your past 6 months’ bank statements if you are funding your trip yourself.
2. Letter of sponsorship from your host as well as their bank statements. This is in case your trip is being funded by others.

Proof of accommodation

You need to submit the following to prove your area of accommodation-

1. Your host’s address of his/her apartment/house
2. hostel/hotel booking or home rental agreement. In this case, you would also need to show that you are actually visiting the host.

In addition to the above, a set of standard documents also need to be submitted.

Italy tourist visa Application Process for Indian citizens

Here’s the outline of the whole process-

• Book your appointment
• Fill in the Italy Visa Application Form with all the necessary details
• Compile the necessary documents in one place
• Submit the application with the necessary documents physically
• Complete the visa interview
• Pay the required fees and finally wait for it to process

When should you submit the application for the Schengen visa?

You can apply for the visa–

• At the latest: two weeks before you plan your trip
• At the earliest: six months before you plan your trip

It is advisable to apply early as the time taken for processing is a maximum of 3 weeks or 15 working days. It may be more or less depending on the country you are applying from.

Also, if some document is missing, your application may be sent back. Moreover, booking an appointment can also cost you time depending on the time of the year you are applying.

Where should you submit the Italy tourist visa application?

You need to apply to the appropriate location to get your Italy tourist visa for Indian citizens. This can be one among the following-

• Italian Representative in India (an Italian embassy or consulate)
• A visa application center, such as COX, Kings, VFS Global, etc. to which the Italian government has sourced their applications. 
• Representation of another Schengen country to which the applications have been outsourced.

Another important thing to note here is that you need to have a prior appointment. Without an appointment, you cannot submit the application.

Fees for Italy tourist visa for Indian citizens

Fees for Italy tourist Visa for Indian citizens are as follows-

• EUR 80 in the case of adults
• EUR 40 in case of children aged 6 and above
• Free for children below 6 years of age

An additional VFS Service Charge needs to be paid including CGST and SGST of 9%. A convenience fee is also applicable to avail of multiple payment options.

Note- There are cases when the fees can be waived. You need to check the main website for information on this.

Conclusion

Italy is a beautiful country to spend your vacation in. However, trying to get a visa can be a tiring process. Read this blog to save you some time and get all the information on Italy tourist visa for Indian citizens.

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