based on the information published on the official website of the Italian Ministry for the Foreign Affairs

All foreigners intending to enter Italy must provide the documentation required to justify the reasons and duration of their stay as well as, in some prescribed cases, the availability of adequate economic means and lodging. In some cases you need a visa, application for which can be made at the Italian Diplomatic and Consular Representations in your country of residence.

Documents required for applying for a STUDY VISA
(technical and professional instruction beyond the level of compulsory education (over 18 years of age):

• visa application form
• recent passport-style photo
• passport or travel document valid for at least three months after visa expiry date
  proof of enrolment or pre-enrolment in course of study, indicating number of hours daily study and duration of course.
• documentation of educational history in Country of Origin.
• proof of available means of support for the stay in Italy of an amount not less than that established in Table A annexed to Ministry of Interior Directive 1.3.2000 (click here)
• declaration of the availability in Italy of appropriate lodgings as well as the funds necessary for repatriation, possibly to be demonstrated in the form of a return airline ticket
• insurance coverage for medical treatment and/or hospitalisation, to be demonstrated by means of:
  
• Consular declaration attesting to the applicant’s right to healthcare in the presence of specific agreements between Italy and the applicant’s country of origin;
  or:
• foreign insurance policy or one underwritten with Italian bodies or firms that must not include limitations or exception to the fees established for emergency hospitalisation.

Fees for the processing of visa applications (expressed in Euro):

• Single fee for all Schengen visas:€ 60
• Group visas (types A, B and C)€ 60 + 1 per persona
• National visas for long-term stays (type D)€ 75As per Community provisions, the previous fees – for type A, B and C visa only – will continue to be applied up until January 1st 2008 for citizens of the following countries:
  Ukraine, Russian Federation, Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania and Moldova.

Table for establishing the means of subsistence required for admission to Italy.

(for business, medical treatment - and an accompanying person in this case - sports competition, or for religious reasons, for transit, transport or tourism)

Visa System and the Entry of Aliens into Italy and the Schengen Area

All aliens who enter Italy legally, including those who are not required to hold a visa, must comply with the rules governing the stay of aliens in Italy, and are required to report their presence on Italian territory to the local Central Police Station ('Questura') of the province in which they are staying within 8 working days from the date of entry, and apply for a residence permit ('permesso di soggiorno') pursuant to article 5 of Law 286/1998. Aliens requesting this residence permit are required to be fingerprinted.

It is this residence permit ('permesso di soggiorno') alone, which is issued for the reason and for the period indicated on the visa, which authorises an alien to stay in Italy.


Under Schengen rules, the residence permit issued by the Questura police authorities (or the diplomatic or service identity card issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) to holders of a long-stay visa, permits aliens, unless express limitations are imposed, to enter and leave the Schengen area and travel freely for a period of not more than 90 days in any 6-month period within territories of the other Contracting States, provided that they hold a currently valid national passport or equivalent travel document. Nevertheless, all aliens are required to report their presence to the police authorities in the territory of any other Schengen states within 3 working days of entry

In view of the need to gradually harmonize the different national visa policies, the European authorities have adopted various measures including the Council Regulation 539 of 15.3.2001 containing the list of countries whose nationals are subject to the visa requirement.

Nationals bearing ordinary passports of the following countries are subject to visa obligations:
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belorus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central Africa, Chad, China, Colombia, Comoro Islands, Congo, Congo (Democratic Republic), Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican (Republic), East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Granada, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia (the Former Yugoslav Republic of), Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Northern Marianas, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Palestinian National Authority, Papua-New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tajikistan, Taiwan, (non-recognized territorial entity), Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Western Samoa, Yemen, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia-Montenegro), Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Nationals of the following countries do not require a visa for visits up to a maximum of 90 days, for tourism, on missions, business, invitations ought to take part in sports events:
Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Macao, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, South Korea, Singapore, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela.

Nationals of San Marino, the Holy See and Switzerland do not require a visas in any case.

The citizens of the following countries are required to obtain visas for transit through Italian airports:
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Colombia, Eritrea*, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal**, Somalia and Sri Lanka.

(*) exempt from obligation if the passenger holds a valid visa or residence permit from one of the EU Member States or one of the Parties to the European Economic Area Agreement of 2 May 1992, from Canada, Switzerland or the United States.

(**) exempt from obligation if the passenger holds a valid visa or residence permit from one of the Member States of the European Economic Area, Canada, or the United States of America.

For long stays (above 90 days) for whatever purpose all aliens are required to hold a visa, even if they are nationals of countries which do not require transit or short-stay visas.

The "Schengen Area" comprises the national territories of the countries that already apply the Convention: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Iceland and Norway.

The external border is the perimeter of the Schengen area which aliens may enter using the border crossing points: and means the Schengen Area Parties' land and sea borders and their airports and sea ports, provided that they are not internal borders.

Internal borders are the common land borders of the Schengen Area Parties, their airports for internal flights and their sea ports for regular - passenger - connections exclusively from or to other ports within the territories of the Schengen Area Parties.

Non-aliens are nationals of all the countries of the European Union and the European Economic Area: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom Cyprus, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Estonia, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Aliens are nationals of any other State.