Planning to visit Italy? We recommend that you do it yourself. Stop paying tour operators money for "air services". You can book flights and accommodation yourself. It is worth remembering that to visit Italy you need to apply for a visa. Do you think it's difficult? Nonsense! You will have to collect references anyway. The difference between self-registration and through a tour operator is where you take the documents - to their office or to the Visa Application Center of Italy. Take to the Visa Application Center or Consulate and save money. Why spend extra? Our life hack will help you.
Where to apply
You can apply for an Italian visa at the address: Moscow, Maly Tolmachevsky lane 6s1. Branches are located in 20 cities of Russia. A complete list and contacts can be found on the off-site (italy-vms.ru/kontakty).
How to get to Italy on your own - read our life hack.
In the center, tourist, business, transport, student, work, transit and other types of visas are issued. In a life hack, we will take a closer look at the rules of self-registration of a tourist visa.
Important! You can submit an application only after making an appointment on the website (italy-vms.ru/zapis-na-podachu-dokumentov). This must be done by every applicant, including a minor. If you did not have time to make an appointment for the dates you need, you can try to get an appointment on a first-come, first-served basis (only in Moscow) from 9 am 12 noon. Do not ignore pre-registration, it will save time and hassle.
It is prohibited to use a mobile phone in the building of the visa center. Be prepared to be asked to disable it upon login.
Visa cost
If you are applying for a type C visa and are a citizen of the Russian Federation, then you pay the consular fee - 35 €. For urgent processing 70 €. Applicants under 12 years of age, close relatives of EU citizens, people with disabilities are exempted from payment (original + copy of confirming certificates). You also need to pay for the services of the Visa Application Center. In Moscow, they will cost 1,450 rubles (the price is valid at the time of publication) for each traveler. Payment is made at the checkout.
Working hours
By appointment, visitors apply on weekdays from 9 am to 4 pm, but you should not do this if there are more than 90 days before the trip. You can get passports from 4 pm to 6 pm. Important! The applicant is obliged to provide a signed and completed in Russian consent to the processing of personal data.
List of documents
1. Reservation of a hotel, hostel, apartment or other accommodation. The booking sheet contains the contact information of the hotel, the length of stay, the names of tourists.
If you are flying by invitation, you must provide a copy of the inviting person's passport. The invitation must match the template (see section Forms). One form for one tourist.
If you are planning to visit not only Italy, but also other European countries, then present hotel reservations for each of them.
2. Tickets (round trip) for plane, train, bus. Prepare copies + original. Those who drive "on their own" in a private car provide:
- Certificate of registration of the vehicle (original + copy)
- insurance policy of international standard (original + copy)
- driver's license (original + copy)
- vehicle rental agreement (only if you rent it for the duration of the trip)
- if you are planning a euro tour, then you need a detailed route of your movement in Europe
3. Medical insurance for a tourist, the minimum amount of coverage is 30 thousand € (original + copy). You can apply online on the website of the insurance company or at the Visa Application Center.
4. A copy of the spread of the foreign passport (personal data + photo).
5. Application form (fill in in English or Italian, in block letters) + one photo of the established sample (3.5x4.5). If you are flying with children, then for each minor applicant, the application form is filled out separately. Both parents are obliged to sign it, unless other circumstances are provided. If you need a form, you can download it on the website, section Forms.
6. Original certificate from the place of work (required on the letterhead). The contacts of the organization, the position of the applicant, the length of service, the size of the salary are indicated. The certificate must be issued no later than 30 calendar days at the time of submission to the Visa Application Center. If you are an individual entrepreneur, you will need to provide a certificate of registration in the USRIP. If your employer is an individual entrepreneur, then you must also provide this certificate. Pensioners must provide a copy and original of the pension certificate. Pupils of schools and students a certificate from the educational institution.
7. Financial guarantee. This can be a bank statement on the availability of funds in the account, issued no later than 30 calendar days at the time of the application for a visa. You can provide an original + a copy of a savings book, traveller's checks or a credit card (copy + a receipt with information about the balance of funds on the card). The check must be made no later than three days before the submission of documents. A sponsorship letter can be provided only for close relatives. A document confirming the relationship is attached to it.
8. Foreign passport. The validity period must exceed 90 days from the date of return from the trip. If you have previously been issued visas, then provide copies of passport pages that would confirm this.
9. Receipt for payment of consular fees. Payment is made at the offices of Banca Intesa. The bank charges an additional commission.
10. Passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation.
11. The form of consent to the processing of data, which we wrote about above.
Important! After all the certificates are accepted and checked by a specialist, you will no longer be able to provide others.
You must apply for a tourist visa yourself. It can also be done by a close relative in the presence of confirmation (birth certificate, marriage) or a representative under a power of attorney issued by a notary.
If you need to make a copy of the document, then at the Visa Application Center in Italy this service will cost 25 rubles per sheet. In addition to photocopying, the center provides other additional services - courier delivery of ready-made documents, SMS notification of visa readiness.
Documents for underage applicants
- Form, signed by parents
- A copy of the spread of the foreign passport (personal data + photo)
- Birth certificate (original + copy)
- An exit permit if the child leaves the Russian Federation with only one of the parents (original + copy). The document must be certified by a notary.
- A copy of the passport page with an open visa of the parent (s). If there is one.
- Accommodation and air reservation, railway tickets (round trip).
- Russian passport, spread with personal information, photo + registration (original + photocopy).
- Sponsorship letter from parents.
We recommend that you familiarize yourself with our guide "On your own to Milan: life hack and guide" and the article What to bring from Italy before the trip.
