How to Get an Italian Student Visa
Many universities in the United States have programs that encourage or facilitate study in Italy. Similar to visits to most European countries, those to Italy require a visa only if they last 90 days or more. Visas for longer visits can be obtained through correspondence with your local Italian consulate. Fortunately, there are dozens of Italian consulates throughout the United States that are able to guide you.
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Things You'll Need
- U.S. passport
- Additional passport-style picture
- Academic statement of purpose from an academic official
- Health insurance information and medical history (if applicable)
- Academic transcripts
- Visa application
Instructions
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Obtain a U.S. passport through the Department of State. If you already have a passport, make sure that it does not expire within three months of your planned final day abroad.
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Obtain a visa application online or through your local consulate. The visa application requires an additional passport-style photo, although it does not have to be identical to the one on your passport.
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Request a letter from a representative of your academic program stating the nature and purpose of your study in Italy. The representative can be a faculty member of your home university or an academic sponsor in Italy. The letter should include information about your planned number of daily hours of study and how long the program will last.
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Order official copies of your academic record. This should include transcripts of all universities you have attended for credit.
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Write a letter describing your plans for lodging while in Italy and your ability to travel back to the United states.
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Make a copy of your health insurance information and obtain copies of any pertinent medical documents that should be reviewed in case you have an emergency.
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Submit all of the documents to your local Italian consulate. The consulate will review your application and may discuss with you whether you will be eligible for Italian health care or will need additional coverage.
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Tips & Warnings
For the purpose of student visas, studying in the Holy See (Vatican City) and San Marino are processed as stays in Italy.
Your local consulates will issue a visa only within 120 days of your departure from the United States. However, you are welcome to submit your application prior to that time; it will be held until it is eligible to be processed.
While residing in Italy, you may travel to other countries within the Schengen Agreement without additional passport requirements. The Schengen Agreement includes most of Europe.
Passport applications may take several weeks or months to fulfill. If your intended departure date is soon, consider paying an additional fee for expedited service.
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