Italy Visa for Indians 2026: Types, Fees and How to Apply

This page reflects the Embassy of Italy in New Delhi, the Italian consulates, VFS Global India and the European Commission, as published on the official sources, checked on 15 October 2026. For the country hub with all routes, see our Italy visa guide for Indian passport holders.

Which Italy visa category fits your trip?

Indian passport holders need a visa for any stay in Italy; there is no visa on arrival and no eVisa. The application form is signed on paper and lodged by appointment at VFS.

• Schengen C visas (up to 90 days in any 180): Tourist, Business, Visiting Family and Friends, Invitation, Study, Sports, Religious, Research C, Transit, Internship, and Visiting Family EU for relatives of EU citizens.
• National D visas (over 90 days): Study, Employment, Self-Employment, Family Reunion, Family EU Reunion, Research D, Internship, Religious, Re-Entry and Accompanying Spouse or Parents.

Tourists choose between 'Tourism - first issuance' and 'Tourism - Holding previous Schengen visa'. If you hold an invitation from someone in Italy, apply under Visiting Family and Friends instead. Frequent travellers can ask for multiple-entry visas: the Embassy says Italy issues them for up to 5 years, and under EU rules from 18 April 2024 Indians with two Schengen visas lawfully used in the previous three years can be issued a two-year visa, normally followed by a five-year one if the passport allows.

Where do you apply, and does your address matter?

Yes. You must apply where you have continuously lived for the last 6 months, and the checklist asks for proof of that residence. The Italian mission for your state decides the visa.

First-time applicants attend in person for fingerprints. If your biometrics were given after 2 November 2015, you may use a VFS postal drop box instead, with a separate VFS charge.

What are the Italy visa fees in rupees?

Pay the visa fee by demand draft favouring 'VFS Global Services Private Limited' or in cash at VFS. The rupee amounts are adjusted periodically with the EUR-INR rate; the current figures apply at Ahmedabad, Cochin and Pune from 27 March 2026 and at Mumbai from 30 March 2026. The fee is not refunded if the visa is refused.

What documents do Indian tourists need for Italy?

• Application form printed back-to-back, signed, with your own working phone number (not an agent's).
• One recent passport-size photo on a white background.
• Passport issued within the previous 10 years, machine-readable, with at least 2 blank pages; VFS asks for at least 6 months' validity from your travel date for short-term visas. Add copies of the passport and previous Schengen visas.
• Cover letter and travel itinerary with dates, including a return flight reservation or ticket.
• Confirmed hotel bookings, which are mandatory for the Tourist category.
• Overseas medical insurance of at least EUR 30,000 from the approved list of Indian insurers.
• If employed: company letter, latest 3 months' pay slips and latest 3 years' Income Tax Returns. If self-employed: Certificate of Incorporation, 3 months of business bank statements and 3 years of ITR. Students: an original letter from the school.
• Financial means: ITR with barcode and Income Tax Challan receipts for the last 3 years, plus a personal bank statement for the last six months stamped by the bank.
• VFS-format declarations on processing time and travel health insurance, and proof of residence in the jurisdiction for 6 months.

If your own funds are short, the Embassy tourist checklist accepts a bank guarantee ('fidejussione bancaria') from a sponsor in Italy, with your personal bank statements.

How much money do you need per day in Italy?

Italy's minimum means of support for tourism come from an Interior Ministry directive of 1 March 2000, as notified to the European Commission in June 2026. The amounts are per person:

You can show these means by currency, bank guarantees, insurance policies or prepaid services. You must also show accommodation and the sum needed for your return.

What are the processing time and refusal rate in India?

VFS lists 15 working days for short-term Schengen visas, extendable up to 45. The Embassy says decisions on C visas are generally reached within 15 calendar days. You can apply up to six months before travel; for business trips the Embassy checklist says at least 15 days before.

The European Commission's consulate-level data show a refusal rate of 12.7% for short-stay Schengen applications lodged at Italian consulates in India in 2025 (6,810 visas not issued out of 53,423 applications), up from 11.3% in 2024. The figures cover all applicants in each year and are not a forecast for any individual file.

What has changed, and what are your options after a refusal?

• 4 July 2025: the European Commission revised the supporting documents for Schengen applicants in India. A cover letter and copies of the passport biodata and last pages are now required, and business owners add GST registration, business bank statements and barcode-verifiable tax returns.
• 11 January 2025: Italy started collecting fingerprints for national D visas too.
• 10 April 2026: the EU Entry/Exit System became fully operational, replacing manual passport stamping for Indian short-stay visitors.

Indian ordinary-passport holders need no airport transit visa to stay inside the international transit area of an Italian airport. If refused, the letter states the reasons. You may reapply, or appeal through a lawyer to the T.A.R. of Lazio within 60 days.

Since hotel bookings and a return flight reservation are on Italy's tourist checklist, Yatra For Fun's India office in Gurugram can prepare them, along with an itinerary and cover letter. Prices run from INR 1,000 for a flight reservation to INR 3,000 for the full package. WhatsApp +91 95230 91018 or contact us through the contact page.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply for an Italy visa in Mumbai if I moved there recently?

Only if you have lived there continuously for the last 6 months. Italy asks you to apply where you have lived for that period and asks for proof of residence in the jurisdiction; otherwise you apply under the mission covering the state where you lived before.

Is a sponsor allowed for an Italian tourist visa?

Yes. The Embassy tourist checklist accepts an original bank guarantee ('fidejussione bancaria') from a sponsor in Italy covering the stay, along with your personal bank statements. The original guarantee is returned with your passport.

Do spouses of Italian citizens pay the visa fee?

No. Spouses, registered partners, children under 21 or dependent, and dependent parents or in-laws of EU or Italian citizens are exempt from visa fees for the Visiting Family EU and Family EU Reunion visas. The VFS service charge of INR 631 still applies.

What photo size does Italy want for a visa?

VFS India asks for one recent passport-size colour photo, not more than 6 months old, on a white or off-white background, full face with 80% zoom. The self-employment checklist specifies ICAO format of 4.0 x 3.5 cm, and VFS centres have a photo booth.