Italy Schengen visa for Indian passport holders

Italy Schengen visa (type C): quick answers

Do Indians need a visa for Italy? Yes. Indian ordinary passport holders need a short-stay Schengen visa (type C) for tourism, business, visiting family or friends, conferences and medical visits of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The visa issued by Italy is valid across the 29 Schengen states, and Italy must be the main destination or the first point of entry when stays are equal. Stays over 90 days, study, work and family reunification need a national type D visa.

What does it cost? EUR 90 per adult and EUR 45 for children aged 6 to 11, free for children under 6, paid in rupees at the VFS counter at the embassy's exchange rate (about INR 9,600 in 2026). VFS adds its service fee of roughly INR 2,000 plus optional courier and SMS charges. The fee is not refunded on refusal. Vistolane charges the EUR 90 fee at the official rate and shows its service separately.

How long does it take from India? The Visa Code allows 15 calendar days from lodging, extendable to 45 when more scrutiny is needed; the Italian missions in India run at 10 to 20 days in winter and 20 to 35 days from April to July. Appointments at VFS can take two to four weeks to find in peak season, so start six to eight weeks before travel and no earlier than six months.

At a glance

Who qualifies, and how Italy assesses a tourist file

Any Indian passport holder with a passport valid three months beyond the return date, issued within the last ten years, with two blank pages can apply. The consulate assesses purpose, funds and intention to return: confirmed flights, hotel bookings for every night or an invitation from a host in Italy (with their ID and a dichiarazione di ospitalità), travel insurance with EUR 30,000 of medical cover, and evidence of ties in India such as employment, business, property or family. Visiting relatives, business meetings, trade fairs, conferences and medical treatment use the same type C visa with different supporting documents.

Italy's Ministry of the Interior publishes the funds table every applicant should meet: for stays of 1 to 5 days a fixed EUR 269.60 per person; 6 to 10 days EUR 44.93 per day; 11 to 20 days EUR 51.64 fixed plus EUR 36.67 per day; over 20 days EUR 206.58 fixed plus EUR 27.89 per day, shown with three months of bank statements, the last three salary slips and the latest income tax return. A sponsor in India or a host in Italy covering costs adds their own documents and a signed guarantee.

Under the Schengen cascade for India (in force since 18 April 2024), applicants who have used two visas in the previous three years can be granted a two-year multiple-entry visa, followed by a five-year visa, at the same EUR 90 fee; first-time travellers usually receive a visa matching their itinerary. Fingerprints are stored for 59 months, so repeat applicants within that window may lodge through a VFS representative.

Fees and what they cover

Fees follow the EU Visa Code and rose from EUR 80 to EUR 90 on 11 June 2024. Vistolane charges the EUR 90 fee at the official rate, books the VFS appointment and shows its service separately.

How the application runs, step by step

1. Check the funds table and build the itinerary. Flights, hotels or a host's invitation, insurance; Italy as the main destination.
2. Complete the form on vistoperitalia.esteri.it. Select the purpose and jurisdiction (New Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata); print the form.
3. Book VFS and lodge the file. Biometrics (unless taken within 59 months), form, photo 35 by 45 mm, passport, documents; pay EUR 90 and the VFS fee.
4. Decision in 15 calendar days. Up to 45 in peak season; the consulate may ask for more documents or an interview.
5. Collect the passport and travel. Enter through Italy or declare Italy as the main destination; keep bookings and insurance for the border.

Timeline for an Indian traveller

Summer and the Christmas period are the slowest; Indian school holidays in May and June coincide with the Italian peak, so book VFS early.

At the border and during the stay

Border officers at Rome Fiumicino and Milan Malpensa check the passport, the visa, the return ticket, accommodation and funds, and stamp the entry; from the start of the EU Entry/Exit System the stamp is replaced by a biometric record. The 90-in-180 count covers every Schengen state, so trips to France or Switzerland on the same visa count against the total.

Visitors may attend meetings, conferences and trade fairs but may not work or be paid in Italy. A type C visa cannot be converted to a residence permit inside Italy except in narrow cases; students, workers, families and remote workers apply for type D visas in India, covered on the other Italy route pages.

Document checklist: identity and forms

Trip

Funds and ties

Why applications on this route get refused, and the fix

Official sources

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Visto per l'Italia (visa wizard and fees)
• VFS Global Italy (India): centres, fees and processing
• Embassy of Italy in New Delhi: visas

Questions, answered