Student visa to Italy

There are two types of student visas to Italy: short-term and long-term.

A short-term C visa is usually issued for the purpose of studying at language courses or short-term trainings for up to 90 days. 

A long-term national D visa allows you to study at an Italian university or language school for a year. After entering Italy on a D visa, a residence permit is issued within 8 days for the purpose of studying. The residence permit is extended annually until the end of the training. 

Requirements for obtaining a student visa

• Confirm knowledge of English or Italian at least upper-intermediate level;
• Take the preliminary distance exams. If the university requires to attend the exam in person, a short-term tourist visa is issued;
• Receive an invitation from an Italian educational institution;
• Confirm the availability of financial resources for living in Italy and for paying for the entire course of study or admission to the budget;
• Confirm the availability of a place of residence — a hostel, a private or rented apartment, an invitation to visit;
• Submit biometrics at the visa application center; 
• To be interviewed at the consulate (for a D visa).

Online registration of a student visa

From the 2020-2021 academic year, pre-registration for universities in Italy takes place online. The participation of the Italian Institute of Culture is not required — with the exception of studying at the A.F.A.M. (higher art, music and choreography education).

The student must get access to the UNIVERSITALY portal and fill out an application for pre-registration. After receiving the registration confirmation, it must be printed out.

Then you need to translate the documents into Italian and put an apostille on them. Translations of diplomas and other documents requested by the university must be made by translators accredited to the Italian Consulate. Documents that were originally issued in English do not need to be translated.

The stages of obtaining a student visa

1. Register on the UNIVERSITALY online portal;
2. Print the application;
3. To certify the documents with an apostille and make their translation; 
4. Legalize transfers;
5. To obtain a confirmation of the Dichiarazione di valore diploma, if this document is required by the university;
6. Prepare the remaining documents and apply for a student visa through the VMS Visa Application Center;
7. To be interviewed at the consulate in case of obtaining a D visa

For full information about higher education in Italy, visit the website of the Italian Ministry of Higher Education. The rules for admission, stay and enrollment of foreign students in Italy are described on the website in an official document (in English).

The standard procedure for obtaining a visa 

A student visa is issued according to the standard scheme (not online) for candidates who are going to enroll in the following higher education institutions:

• Institutions of higher artistic, musical and choreographic education A.F.A.M;
• Higher Schools of Linguistic Mediators SSML; 
• Specialized institutes of psychotherapy;
• Postgraduate courses in Higher Technical Institutes of ITS.

Higher Education in Art, Music and Choreography (AFAM)

To enroll in the Diploma accademico di primo livello or Diploma accademico di secondo livello courses offered by AFAM, the student must follow the standard pre-registration procedure by contacting the Italian Institute of Culture. Online applications for admission via the UNIVERSITALY website will be available from the 2021-2022 academic year. 

The list of available courses, the quota and the number of reserved places are available on the AFAM website.

Documents for a student visa

To apply for a D visa, you must provide two identical sets of documents. The applicant must pay a consular fee of 50 euros, as well as a visa application center service fee of 3,500 rubles. There is no consular fee when applying for a student visa.

• Questionnaire. For a C visa, the application form is generated automatically. Application for a D visa;
• An invitation to study from an Italian educational institution;
• A copy of the application for pre-registration from the UNIVERSITALY website or the “A bis” form with a signature for those who enroll in AFAM courses;
• A copy of the school certificate after 12 years of schooling or a certificate of substitution (Replacement certificate for all legal purposes) — a certificate of completion of the first year of study at the university;
• A copy of the diploma of previous education;
• Original and copy of consular declarations on the level of education received abroad (Dichiarazione di valore), on request;
• A bank statement or a scholarship award document with the amount necessary for living in Italy — 460 euros per month or almost 6,000 euros per year;
• Proof of residence — rent an apartment, own housing, accommodation in a hostel or on a visit;
• Medical insurance valid in Italy;
• Passport and a copy of the passport page with personal data and photo; 
• Passport of a Russian citizen and a copy of the pages with personal data, photo and registration; 
• 1 color photo measuring 35 by 45 mm;
• Air tickets or ticket reservations;
• Consent to the processing of personal data. 

Refusal to issue a visa

Refusals are rare, but they do happen. After the defects are eliminated, the visa documents can be submitted again.

The reasons for the refusal to issue a visa:

• The documents have expired; 
• Some documents are missing;
• Insufficient financial guarantees;
• Incorrect or deliberately false information is provided;
• Violation of visa rules by the applicant during previous trips to Italy.

Registration of a residence permit

A residence permit or permesso (Permesso di soggiorno) gives the right to legal residence in Italy for more than 90 consecutive days. You can get a residence permit based on studying at school, institute or Italian language courses if the duration of study exceeds three months.

Within 8 days after entering Italy on a student visa D, it is necessary to obtain a residence permit for the purpose of studying. The residence permit is valid for 1 year and is extended until the end of the study period. A residence permit for students gives the right to work in Italy on a part—time basis – no more than 20 hours a week.

A student residence permit is valid only for the duration of study, but then it can be transferred to a working residence permit and 5 years later to permanent residence status. This type of residence permit is considered one of the easiest to obtain.

The algorithm for obtaining a residence permit:  

• Within 8 days from the date of arrival, come to the post office and purchase a special envelope with forms and a questionnaire for a residence permit;
• Fill out the questionnaire “Module No. 1” and other documents;
• Pay the fees and show the receipt to the post office employee;
• Send the documents enclosed in the envelope to the mail employee;
• Get a business card with the appointed time and date of the visit to the migration service;
• Come to the immigration department for an interview and take your existing documents with you;
• Wait for the notification of the readiness of the residence permit and pick up the document.

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