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Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs:

 

  1. Do I have to apply in person or can I apply by mail?
  2. Can I provide copies of my passport?
  3. Do I have to make an appointment?
  4. What are your office hours?
  5. Where can I find the visa application form?
  6. Can I pay with a personal check?
  7. Do I have to provide a picture?
  8. When the visa is ready, may I have my passport sent by mail?
  9. When can I apply for a Schengen visa?
  10. How long will it take to get my visa?
  11. How do I check to see whether my visa is ready?
  12. I have a U.S. Alien Registration Card. Do I still need to apply for a visa to enter Italy?
  13. My daughter is a minor traveling with her school. What is she required to submit?
  14. Once I get my visa, am I guaranteed entry into the country?
  15. Can I use my visa to make a side trip to another European country?
  16. My flight itinerary requires an overnight stay at an Italian airport. Do I have to apply for an airport transit visa or a regular visa?
  17. My passport will expire in a few months. Can I still apply for a visa?
  18. I cannot get a national passport from my country of origin. Can I use the “U.S. Re-entry Permit” to travel to Italy?
  19. I cannot get a national passport from my country of origin. Can I use the “U.S. Refugee Travel Document” to travel to Italy?
  20. I plan to visit my family and/or friends in Italy and I cannot provide a hotel reservation confirmation. What should I do?
  21. I have my own business and therefore cannot bring an employment letter. What documents should I submit?
  22. I am a student. The tourist visa requires proof of documentation of socio-professional standing. What should I bring?
  23. I am a student. My parents will pay for my expenses while in Italy. What should I bring as proof of financial means?
  24. My wife and I are planning to travel together. I will provide my bank statement as proof of good financial standing, but my wife’s name is not on the bank account. What document should I provide with her application?
  25. Why am I required to have health insurance coverage for Italy? What do I need to provide as evidence of insurance coverage?
  26. I do not have health insurance coverage in the U.S. How can I find insurance to cover my stay in Italy? Do you sell medical insurance?
  27. My U.S. Resident Alien Registration Card expired and I have not yet received the new one. Can I apply for a visa using the Advance Parole document issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)?
  28. My U.S. visa and my I-94 have expired and they cannot be renewed here in the U.S. Can I apply for a Schengen visa?
  29. When I received my visa, I noticed that my name was misspelled. What should I do?
  30. How can I determine from which Schengen member state I should apply for a visa?

 

 

ANSWERS:

 

  1. Do I have to apply in person or can I apply by mail?

Applicants are required to apply in person.

  1. Can I provide copies of my passport?

We do not accept passport photocopies. Applicants must apply with an original valid passport.

  1. Do I have to make an appointment?

Yes, an appointment is required. You can schedule an appointment here.

  1. What are your office hours?

Monday to Thursday, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.

  1. Where can I find the visa application form?

Click here to download a Schengen visa application (up to 90 days)

OR

Click here to download a national visa application (more than 90 days).

  1. Can I pay with a personal check?

We do not accept personal checks. The visa fee is payable by money order, cashier’s check or, in exceptional cases, by cash. Make the money order or cashier’s check payable to: Embassy of Italy – Washington DC.

  1. Do I have to provide a picture?

Yes. You have to provide one recent passport-size photograph (download from this link all required specifications).

For the picture:

    • Front face looking directly at the camera (no half-face pictures);
    • Be professional high quality color photographs on photo-quality paper;
    • Show only the applicant (no other persons or objects in the background).
  1. When the visa is ready, may I have my passport sent by mail?

Applicants can retrieve passports only at this Office during the normal business hours. Passports may be retrieved by a third party with legal authority to do so and cannot be returned by mail.

  1. When can I apply for a Schengen visa?

You must submit your application to the consulate at least 15 days before your intended journey and no earlier than 6 months beforehand.

  1. How long will it take to get my visa?

It may take between 7 and 15 days, depending on the applicant’s nationality. Since this matter is regulated by law, visa officers cannot intervene in the process. The applicants are therefore advised not to discuss or try to negotiate a date. Rush processing is not available for visa applications.

Visa applications are higher during the months of May, June, July, August, September, and December. You are advised therefore to submit applications at least 2-3 months in advance.

  1. How do I check to see whether my visa is ready?

The Visa Office will inform you on the day of the appointment when you can come back and pick up your visa. You do not need to check again.

  1. I have a U.S. Alien Registration Card. Do I still need to apply for a visa to enter Italy?

It depends on your nationality. To check if you need a visa click here.

  1. My daughter is a minor traveling with her school. What is she required to submit?

The following is required for minors (under 18):

    • Authorization to travel signed by both parents. Parents can either appear before the visa attaché or transmit a notarized consent. (form here)
    • Birth certificate, original or a notarized copy (all foreign documents MUST be translated into English and the translations legalized by the competent Consulate);
    • Notarized copies of picture IDs of both parents.
    • Documentation required for tourist visas here.
  1. Once I get my visa, am I guaranteed entry into the country?

The visa does not guarantee entry into the country. Additional controls by Immigration Officers at the borders may lead to a refusal. Travelers are advised to carry copies of documents submitted with the visa application and to provide them to the Immigration Officers if requested.

  1. Can I use my visa to make a side trip to another European country?

Yes. According to current regulations, a Schengen Visa is valid also for the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

  1. My flight itinerary requires an overnight stay at an Italian airport. Do I have to apply for an airport transit visa or a regular visa?

Citizens of some nationalities may require an airport transit visa if their travel envisions a short stopover at the airport’s international transit area in the meanwhile of a connecting flight or for a tourist visa if the travel envisions an overnight stay in a hotel. Please check to see whether you should apply for a visa (click here).

  1. My passport will expire in a few months. Can I still apply for a visa?

Your passport should be valid for at least 3 months after the established return date of your travel.

  1. I cannot get a national passport from my country of origin. Can I use the “U.S. Re-entry Permit” to travel to Italy?

No.

  1. I cannot get a national passport from my country of origin. Can I use the “U.S. Refugee Travel Document” to travel to Italy?

Yes. Before applying, check the expiration of the document. It should be valid for at least 3 months after the established return date of your travel.

  1. I plan to visit my family and/or friends in Italy and I cannot provide a hotel reservation confirmation. What should I do?

Your family or friends may provide you with a letter of invitation. For the form click here.

The completed letter of invitation should be brought to the appointment.

  1. I have my own business and therefore cannot bring an employment letter. What documents should I submit?

You will need to submit your business registration number, the most recent company tax return, and a recent company bank statement.

  1. I am a student. The tourist visa requires proof of documentation of socio-professional standing. What should I bring?

A proof of enrollment as a full-time student from your school or a J1/F1 visa.

  1. I am a student. My parents will pay for my expenses while in Italy. What should I bring as proof of financial means?

Your parents can prepare an affidavit of financial support (for the form click here) and provide the most recent bank statement or a formal letter from the bank confirming good financial standing.

  1. My wife and I are planning to travel together. I will provide my bank statement as proof of good financial standing, but my wife’s name is not on the bank account. What document should I provide with her application?

You can provide an affidavit of financial support (for the form click here) along with your most recent bank statement or a formal letter from the bank confirming good financial standing.

  1. Why am I required to have health insurance coverage for Italy? What do I need to provide as evidence of insurance coverage?

Current legislation requires all applicants to have health insurance coverage prior to their departure, in case of a medical accident or emergency during their stay in Italy.

Please check carefully whether your medical insurance covers costs for medical treatment abroad. If it does not, you are required to obtain health insurance coverage for your stay in Europe. Generally, all major U.S. health/travel insurance companies cover costs for emergency medical treatment abroad.

To prove coverage, you must provide a letter from your insurance company confirming that your health insurance policy is covering a minimum of Euro 30,000.00 for emergency hospitalization and repatriation expenses, valid throughout the Schengen area and for the whole length of your stay.

We do not accept insurance cards or insurance booklet information.

  1. I do not have health insurance coverage in the U.S. How can I find insurance to cover my stay in Italy? Do you sell medical insurance?

We do not sell medical insurance. Please ask your travel agent or find information online on international medical insurance or international travel insurance. You may also contact your credit card company and request information on travel insurance coverage they may be offering.

  1. My U.S. Resident Alien Registration Card expired and I have not yet received the new one. Can I apply for a visa using the Advance Parole document issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)?

Yes. But in the Notice of Action it must be written that your resident status is extended for a period of one (or more) years. During the one-year extension, you are authorized employment and travel.

  1. My U.S. visa and my I-94 have expired and they cannot be renewed here in the U.S. Can I apply for a Schengen visa?

No. We can process visa requests only from current legal residents of the United States.

  1. When I received my visa, I noticed that my name was misspelled. What should I do?

You can bring the passport back so that the misspelling can be corrected.

  1. How can I determine from which Schengen member state I should apply for a visa?
  • Application for a uniform visa for a single entry
    • If the travel destination is one Member State, the Consulate for that specific Member State is responsible for the application.
    • If the travel itinerary includes more than one Member State, the application is the responsibility of the Consulate of the main destination. The main destination is understood to be the destination where the applicant intends to spend the longest period of time or where the main purpose of the intended travel is conducted.
  • Application for a uniform visa for multiple entries
    • The Member State responsible for applications for a uniform visa for multiple entries should be the Member State that constitutes the usual main destination; i.e. the Member State that is the most frequent destination; if there is none, the Member State that is the first intended destination.

 

Contact Information

IF YOUR QUESTION HAS NOT BEEN ANSWERED, PLEASE EMAIL THE VISA OFFICE AT visti.washington@esteri.it

The office is open for visa pick-up from Monday to Thursday from 10:00 am to 11:30 am