Applying for an Italian Visa in the United Kingdom - Italy VISA UK (2023)

Who Needs a Visa to Travel to Italy From the UK?

Any UK citizen who holds either a full UK passport or a BOTC, BOC, BPP or BS passport can travel to Italy visa-free. However, many non-EU nationals who reside in the UK are still required to get a Schengen visa to travel to Italy.

In recent years, following visa liberalization policies for non-EU countries, the number of countries whose nationals require visas to travel to Europe has slightly dropped.

Here is the list of nationalities that are still required to get a Schengen Visa to visit Italy and other Schengen states.

Below you can find more information on applying for a visa to Italy from the UK.

Who Can Apply for a Visa to Italy From the UK?

Citizens of these countries residing in the UK and planning to visit Italy are required to get an Italian visa in order to be allowed to enter Italy. The main requirement is that you must have a UK residence permit valid for at least another three months beyond the date you plan to leave Italy / the Schengen Area.

Use theSchengen visa eligibility checkertool to find out if you qualify to apply for a visa to Italy from the UK.

If you have a 3-month UK visa, you can extend it for three more months in order to be eligible to apply for an Italian Schengen visa from within the UK. You must apply for an extension before your visa expires and while you’re still in the UK. Find out moreon how to extend your UK visa.

You should apply for a visa at the Italian Embassy/Consulate or Italian visa application centre in the UK if:

• Italy is the only Schengen country you plan on visiting
• Italy is your main destination (the country you will be staying the longest in)
• Italy is the first Schengen country you are visiting (when spending an equal amount of days in Italy and another Schengen country)

If you plan on staying in Italy for more than 90 days, you must apply for a residency permit in Italy (National D visa), not an Italian Schengen visa (Short-stay visa C).

If you are not a resident in the United Kingdom you should apply at the Italian Embassy/Consulate or Italian visa application centre in your country of residence and not in the UK.

Italy Visa Application Documents and Requirements for the UK Residents:

The following documents are required in order to obtain a visa to Italy in the UK:

• A valid passport or Travel document. Please make sure that:
  • Your passport has been issued within the previous 10 years,
  • Your passport has 2 full blank pages, one for the visa stamp and an additional spare page,
  • Your passport will be valid for at least three (3) months after the date you exit the Schengen Area.
• A valid UK residency permit or other forms of Identity Card. The UK residency permit must be endorsed in the actual passport (or on a new biometric ID card)
• One application form is filled out completely and signed by the applicant (please read the explanations carefully).
• One passport format photo that has a light background, is brightly coloured and shows full facial features. The photo must be less than six months old and be glued to the application form. Applications with stapled photographs will be rejected.
• Travel medical insurance confirmation of minimum 30,000 € coverage within Italy and the entire Schengen area. The insurance policy can easily be purchased online from Europ Assistance.
• A cover letter stating the purpose of a visit to Italy and itinerary,
• Proof of travel arrangements:
  • Full travel itinerary
  • Proof of onward travel tickets.
  • If travelling by car:
    • Copy of your driver’s license
    • Car insurance
    • Car registration or car rental documentation
    • If applicable: Ferry tickets

• Proof of civil status (marriage certificate, birth certificate of children, death certificate of spouse, ration card if applicable).
• Proof of accommodation for your entire stay in Italy, such as:
  • Evidence of hotel reservations in Italy or rental agreement (with the applicant’s name on it) – Find and Book Cheap Hotels in Italy!, or
  • A signedletter of invitation from your Italian host and a copy of the host’s passport or Identity card andHost’s Residence Permit (Permesso di Soggiorno)
• Proof of financial subsistence:
  • A recent statement of the UK bank account for the last three months shows funds of at least 50.00 £ for each day spent in Italy and/or other Schengen states.
  • Cost of the itinerary (tickets and reservations).
• Proof of civil status (marriage certificate, birth certificate of children, death certificate of spouse, ration card as applicable). Certificates must be obtained within the last 6 months. If they are older, the Consular services will not accept them.

Important notes:

• Citizens of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine and Travel Documents holders (with the three letters code XXA or XXB appearing in the ICAO) must provide a birth certificate or Consular declaration containing the full names of their mother and father.
• Any certificates issued by a foreign authority (non-UK), have to be translated into English or Italian and legalised by either the Italian Consulate in the issuing country or by the Consulate of the issuing country that is located in the UK.
• If your certificates are issued by a Schengen country, then they will be accepted only if they are multilingual. Otherwise, they must also be translated and legalized accordingly.
• Starting from November 20, 2015 persons applying for a short-term visa to Italy are required to provide fingerprints (biometric data) as additional documents.
  • Children younger than 12 years of age and applicants who are not physically capable of providing fingerprints are exempted from this procedure.

For UK employees:

• Recent employee letter
• Payslips of the last three months
• Current bank statement of the latest 3 months

For the self-employed:

• A copy of your business license
• Company bank statement of the latest 6 months
• Income Tax Return (ITR)

For foreign students in the UK:

• Proof of enrollment at UK education institution,
• No-objection certificate from school or university in the UK

For retirees:

• Pension statement of the latest 6 months

If applicable:

• Refusal letters of previous Schengen visas, or
• A cover letter that explains the reasons for refusal

If unemployed and married to an EU/EEA citizen:

• A recent (less than 3 months old) Confirmation of Employment letter from their spouse’s employer stating the position held within the company as well as the starting date,
• Spouse’s valid passport
• An officially translated marriage certificate. The translation must be in English or Italian and must be certified as a true copy by the Embassy of the country where the marriage took place or by the Legalization Bureau of the Foreign Office in the UK

Note: Full birth certificate and a marriage certificate issued outside the EEA countries must be duly translatedinto English andcertifiedeither by the Embassy/High Commission/Consulate in London of the country that issued the certificate/ortranslatedinto Italian andcertifiedby the Italian Consulate in the country of issue

Requirements for children under the age of 18:

Underage children must be accompanied by parents or an adult guardian at the application centre at the Italian Consulate General. Also, minors who are granted an Italian visa are not allowed to travel to Italy by themselves. They should be accompanied by an adult during their stay in Italy.

Required documents for visa application for underage children

• Birth certificate
• Signed travel permission from both parents
  • If one parent is not located in the UK they should submit their signed consent to the Italian Embassy/Consulate of their residing country
• A recent school attendance letter signed by the Head of School.

How to Apply for an Italy Visa From the UK?

The application procedure for an Italian visa in the UK is pretty similar to that in every other country in the world.

In order to apply for a visa to Italy in the UK you must follow these steps:

1. Figure out which Italian short-stay visa type you need. There aredifferent Italian Schengen visa types depending on your purpose of travelling from the UK to Spain.
2. Find out where you need to apply for an Italian visa in the UK.
3. Decide when to apply for an Italian visa in the UK. The earliest time you can lodge your Italian visa application in the UK is 3 months before your planned trip while the latest time to is at least 15 working days before you intend to travel from the UK to Italy.
4. Collect the mandatory Italy visa documents for UK Residents.
5. Appoint an interview at the Italian visa application centre in the UK. You may make an Italian visa appointment online, through phone, or in person. Below in this article, you can find more information on how to make an Italian visa appointment.
6. Attend the interview on the day of your appointment. Show up on time and try not to be nervous. Remember that the interview is a crucial part of your visa application.
7. Pay the Italy visa fee.
8. Wait for the processing of your Italian visa.

Booking an Italian visa appointment in the UK

To apply for an Italian visa in the UK, you must book a visa appointment with the Italian Consulate General in London, Manchester or Edinburgh.

This can be done in three ways:

• You can apply in person only by prior appointment directly with the Consulate General of Italy in London (for all types of visas)
  • The Consulate works Monday to Friday from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM except on holidays

• Through the VFS Centres in London, Manchester and Cardiff (for tourism and business visas only).

The Consulate informs that 10 days prior to your scheduled appointment they will notify you via email to confirm your appointment. You must reply within 7 days or else the appointment will be cancelled 3 days before the scheduled day.

Note: All applicants, including children, are required to be present during the visa interview.

At which Italian consulate in the UK should I apply for a visa to Italy?

• If you are residing in England or Wales then you should apply with the Italian Consulate General in London or Manchester.
• If you are residing in Scotland or Northern Ireland then you should apply with the Italian Consulate General in Edinburgh

Schengen Visa Types for Short-Term Visits in Italy

You need to apply for an Italian Schengen visa if you intend to travel from the UK to Italy for the following reasons:

• business purposes.
• visiting friends and family.
• tourism and holidays.
• cultural and sports events.
• airport transit and transit for seafarers.
• official visit.
• medical reasons.
• short-term study purposes.

Depending on your reasons for visiting Italy and the frequency of your visits, the Italian consulates in London, Manchester orin Edinburgh can issue you asingle-entry visa,double-entry visa, or amultiple-entry visa.

Italy Visa Application Processing Time

You can apply for an Italy visa six months before your planned trip. Depending on the nationality of the applicant, the processing time may take 2 to 10 working days from the day of your application,

For better convenience, you are advised to submit your application at least three weeks before you plan on leaving the UK.

Italy Visa Fees for UK Residents

An Italian Schengen visa fee is the same as all the fees to any of the member states. If you are in the UK, and you are applying for a visa to Italy, the fee prices are as following:

Despite the fact that these fees are static and unchangeable until the Schengen members decide otherwise altogether, there are some categories exempt from paying this amount.

The visa fee may also be waived for participants aged 25 years or less in seminars, conferences, sports, cultural or educational events, organized by non-profit organizations. The decision will be made case by case according to the relevance of the event.

Note: Keep in mind that these fees may change depending on currency fluctuations and can be paid only in UK Pounds. Payments can be made in cash, by credit or debit card. If you pay with a debit card there will be a fee of 1£ for each payment. Remember that a visa application fee is not refundable and does not guarantee that you will be granted a visa.

VFS Italian Visa Application Centres in the UK

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I do if my visa is refused?

In case your visa is refused, you can either you can re-apply immediately or at any other time that you want. Pay attention to the reasons your visa was refused in order to improve chances of a positive answer

How long can UK residents stay in Italy?

UK residents can only stay up to 90 days in Italy within a period of 180 days.
You can check the number of remaining days through the 90/180 rule calculator.

Do I have to provide biometric data (fingerprints) every time I apply for an Italian visa?

For every application submitted within 59 months after your fingerprints were collected, you are not required to provide fingerprints. Once this period has passed your fingerprints will be collected again.

Do I need a visa to visit San Marino and/or Vatican City?

Although San Marino and Vatican City did not sign the Schengen agreement they are considered part of the Schengen area. If you have an Italy visa you are not required to obtain a specific visa for San Marino or the Vatican. You can travel freely to either of these microstates as no border control is performed when entering Italy.

Related visa information for the UK Residents:

• Schengen visa UK
• French visa UK
• Spanish visa UK
• Dutch visa UK
• Portuguese visa UK
• German visa UK
• Swedish visa UK
• Norwegian visa UK
• Greece visa UK

Other related information

• Italy Visa Application Requirements
• Italy Travel Restrictions Due To Coronavirus

Embassy & Consulates of Italy inthe United Kingdom

• Embassy of Italy in London, England
• Consulate General of Italy in London, England
• Italian Consulate General in Edinburgh, Scotland
• Italian Consulate in Manchester, England