Study Visa and Permit to Stay

Non-EU students who wish to study in Italy for a period longer than 90 days must ask for a Study Visa at the Italian Embassy in their country of origin. Documents normally requested are:

• The Certificate of Enrolment with a course of at least 20 hours a week throughout the time of stay.
• Evidence of total payment of the course.
• Accommodation, that is booking with a hotel or residence or the availability of a flat of one’s own or of a person ready to host the student. In the latter case, one must make out the Letter of Invitation form.
• A health care insurance policy covering the whole period of stay.
• Guarantee of availability of sufficient economic means throughout the duration of the stay in Italy (http://vistoperitalia.esteri.it/Moduli/it/Direttiva_MinInterno_1-3-2000.pdf): about € 1,000.00 per month. For example, for a 6 months stay, about 6,000 euros.We strongly suggest paying the course through the bank account of the student or his parents/tutors in the country of origin; the same for guarantees and bank surety made available for the guarantee of financial resources.
• Consulates often reject bank surety and guarantees provided by residents in Italy, on suspicion that the proposal to study in Italy is actually a pretext for other purposes.
• Evidence of purchase of the return aeroplane ticket.

Procedures for issuing the Visa may undergo variations depending on the Embassy or the Consulate located in different countries. We therefore advise you to seek information with the competent Consulate Office to see what supplementary documentation may be required. Generally speaking there are no problems with issuing long-term study visas in countries where no entry visa is required for staying less than 90 days in Italy. In countries where an entry visa for Italy is always required, one must request:

– a Tourist Visa for periods up to 90 days’ stay;

– a Study Visa for periods exceeding 90 days’ stay;

Consulates in such countries often demand accessory documentation: especially, they monitor the motivation to study on the part of the person requesting and consistency between study of the Italian language in Italy and previous studies in the country of origin. In these countries, special attention is paid to availability of financial means.

The Enrolment Certificate which will be issued by the school is only one of the documents needed to issue the visa, and does not guarantee issue of the visa itself.

Once the student has obtained the Study Visa, he may neither cancel nor change the dates of the course for which the Visa was granted.

Students who enter Italy with a Study Visa are obliged to attend and the schools are obliged to notify the authorities in case of unjustified absences of more than two days and abandonment of the course.

Once in Italy, students with a Study Visa are obliged – within 8 days after entering Italy – to submit a request for issue of the Permit to Stay at the Immigration Office of the local Police Headquarters (Questura).

Students with a Study Visa may work in Italy for a maximum of 20 hours a week, as long as work does not conflict with the timetable of the course and the work is not undeclared.

A Permit to Stay for reasons of study may be converted into a Permit to Stay for reasons of work, if the proper circumstances exist.

ASILS schools offer their students support in handling Study Visa and Permit to Stay procedures.

You can find more detailed information on entry visas to Italy here: http://vistoperitalia.esteri.it/

You can download the form to request a visa here:

http://vistoperitalia.esteri.it/Moduli/it/Formulario%20Visto%20Nazionale.pdf