APPLYING FOR YOUR VISA

Transcription

1 APPLYING FOR YOUR VISA The entry visa consists of a sticker placed on a passport authorizing its foreign bearer to set foot on the soil of the Italian Republic or that of another contracting Country for transit or stay. Visas issued by Italian missions abroad allow the owner to access, either for transit or for brief residence (up to 90 days) Italy or other Countries that apply the Schengen Convention, and is called a Uniform Schengen Visa (VSU). Likewise, a VSU issued by the diplomatic mission of another Schengen country allows access to Italian soil. The entry visa for longer stays (91 to 365 days) is called a National Visa (NV) and allows long-term residence on the soil of the State that issued it and, as long as it is valid, free circulation for a period of no more than 90 days per half-year on the soil of another Schengen State. This VISA Office operates by appointment only. No applicants will be received without an appointment You ll find the link to book an appointment at the end of these pages. However, please read carefully all the following notices: as Visas are issued upon fulfilment of prescriptions required by the Law. Requests which do not respond to the law will be rejected: please ensure that all documents are in order before applying for the type of VISA you wish to request.

2 All applicants must have their fingerprints taken when asking for their first Schengen Visa. Thus, their presence at this Consulate General is not required if: they have already applied for a Visa with fingerprints taken by a Schengen Consulate (including this one) within the last FIVE years. Thus, it is imperative to provide this VISA Office with a photocopy of the previous sticker if no longer present in applicant s passport. Please note that the VISA European System might loose previously stored fingerprints: you can be called to come in person and leave your fingerprints even if a Schengen Visa has been recently issued. Furthermore, the following applicants are exempt from the fingerprint requirement: - children under the age of 12; - persons for whom fingerprinting is physically impossible (injury, cast, etc.); - Heads of State and members of national governments with accompanying spouses, and the members of their official delegations when invited for an official purpose; All applicants who are not required to leave their fingerprints are kindly requested to read our FAQ section TRAVEL DOCUMENT REQUIREMENTS Before applying, please make sure your travel document has a validity of at least 3 months beyond the last day of your stay within the Schengen area and at least two empty `VISA` pages in the passport.

3 TYPES OF VISAs - SCHENGEN VISA (Type C - up to 90 days) The Schengen Visa is a short term VISA, valid for a maximum of 90 days, which allows the holder to travel in all European Countries that signed the Schengen Agreement, namely: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. If you intend to visit one or more Schengen Countries in the course of a single trip, you must apply for a Visa at the Consulate of the Country where you are planning to stay the longest. If you will spend an equal amount of time in different Countries, the Visa MUST be requested at the Consulate of the Schengen Country port of Entry. (Ex. : Air ticket from Montreal to Milan (round trip), 5 nights in Italy, 7 nights in France and 8 nights in Spain. The Schengen Visa application MUST be submitted at the Spanish Consulate; Air ticket from Montreal to Milan (round trip), 5 nights in Italy, 5 nights in France and 5 nights in Spain. The Schengen Visa application MUST be submitted at the Italian Consulate). - NATIONAL VISA (Type D 91 to 365 days) The National Visa is a long term Visa issued for various purposes (Elective Residency, Work, Study, Family reunification, Diplomatic Mission, etc.). This type of Visa allows a foreign national, whois awaiting a residency permit in Italy, to move freely within any other Schengen Countries for up to a maximum of 90 days within 6 months from the initial validity of the Visa.

4 A foreign national who has been granted an Italian National Visa must report to the Questura (Central Police Station) within 8 working days from the date of entry to apply for a Permesso di Soggiorno (Residence Permit). Please note that failing to report to the Questura can compromise your ability to legally reside in Italy. MINOR APPLICANTS: For minor applicants, we require all the documentation to produce for an adult s Visa request and: 1) Original birth certificate (and one copy). Please note that all foreign (i.e. non Canadian) documents must be translated into English or French and legalized by the Italian Consular Authority in the Country that issued the certificate. 2) A letter signed from both parents granting permission to travel and of the Financial Affidavit of the one who is assuming financial responsibility for the entire trip. If the parents (or one of the parents) live abroad, their signature must be legalized by the Italian Consulate of the Country of residence. At least one parent must be present at the Visa Office on the day of the appointment and, the parent who is assuming financial responsibility of the trip, must provide us with a letter of employment and his/her last three month s Bank Statements. LEGAL STATUS IN CANADA If you`re not a Canadian citizen and you need to apply for a visa, you must provide a copy of the permit allowing you to legally reside in Canada. The permit must be even valid after the date you came back from the Schengen Area.

5 PROCESSING TIMES Processing time generally varies from 5 to 25 days depending on the type of visa and citizenship of the applicant. Please be aware that it is not possible to rush processing time because the system is completely automated. You must apply for a visa not earlier than 90 days before the date of departure. Schengen rules impose VISA requests to be scheduled not earlier than three months before the planned departure date. DO NOT COME TOO EARLY: THE SYSTEM WILL AUTOMATICALLY REJECT YOUR REQUEST AND YOU WILL HAVE TO COME A SECOND TIME APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED TO THIS CONSULATE GENERAL AT LEAST 15 DAYS PRIOR TO THE PLANNEED DEPARTURE DATE Visas are issued upon fulfilment of all documents required by the Law. Requests which do not respond to the above mentioned prescriptions will be rejected. Applicants are therefore required not to discuss or try to negotiate visa s date of issue. Please, do not come to pick up passports if not advised to do so and outside Pick Up days and hours (Tuesdays h 15-16, Thursdays h 11-12)

6 You are entitled to apply for a visa at the Consulate General of Italy in Montreal if: - your residence is in Quebec, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland & Labrador, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nunavut. Please provide us with a copy of your driving licence or a utility bill with your name and address in order to certify your residence. AND - Italy is your main destination; OR - You are visiting different Countries in the Schengen area, but Italy is the Country in the Schengen area where you will be spending the higher number of days; OR - you are visiting different Countries in the Schengen area, but you are spending an equal number of days in each Country, and Italy is your first port of entry in the Schengen area; Applications MUST be received by this General Consulate at least 15 days prior to the planned date of the trip. USEFUL LINKS Visa Page of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs To find out if you need a Visa si_reca_in_italia/achiserveilvistoen.html IMPORTANT: 1 passport = 1 appointment

7 Please, do not ask this Visa Office to make a reservation, to cancel, or to confirm your appointments. All those action have to be accomplished through the same system for booking appointments. CANCELLING, CONFIRMING APPOINTMENTS If you cannot attend your appointment, you must cancel it. The Consulate has a limited number of appointments, so cancelling an appointment ahead of time means someone else will be able to use that time. Likewise, you have to confirm your appointment following instructions given by the system on the same day of reservation. MISSED APPOINTMENTS Due to the high number of appointments every day, we regret to inform you that we are unable to accommodate late arrivals. If you miss your appointment you will have to book a new appointment: you will not be received without an appointment. RECEIVING PASSPORTS ONCE VISA IS ISSUED Once a Visa is granted, we will contact you by it is therefore important to leave, on the Visa Request form, your address in order to receive communications from this General Consulate. Passports can be returned directly to the owner, picked up by a third party (upon written authorization stating the name of the person) or sent by regular or express mail. In the latter case, on the day of the appointment the applicant MUST bring a self-addressed, prepaid envelope from Canada Post. The Visa Office will accept only these prepaid priority envelopes (no FedEx, no UPS).

8 Applicants must also present a Declaration for Mailing Passports duly filled out. Please, do not come to pick up passports if not advised to do so and outside Pick Up days and hours (Tuesdays h 15-16, Thursdays h 11-12) Please click here to book an appointment Important Warning: there have been reports of unauthorized private agencies offering their services to book online appointments on our website. We wish to remind all of our patrons that the online booking procedure for visa applications is completely FREE OF CHARGE and must be personally carried out by the applicants. We will not respond to requests of appointment cancellations carried out by unauthorized third parties.

9 HOW TO BOOK AN APPPOINTMENT Welcome to the online appointment booking system of the Consulate General of Italy in Montreal. The system is to book appointments only for the following 10 weeks. In order to book an appointment you need to create a personal account, to fill the form on the right side of the page (be aware that first, last name and all personal information should correspond exactly to the ones reported on passport). After filling the form, the system will send you an with instructions on how to activate your account. Once your account is activated you will be able to access the appointment system with your username and password, and book your visit at the required Office. Select Make a reservation then select Office, then Visas and finally Confirm. A page with a calendar will then open: select a date, a time and click on the Confirm button. You will then receive another mail asking you to confirm the appointment. Please, follow all the instructions given by the system: do not ask to this Consulate General to make a reservation, to cancel or to confirm your appointment. Note that this system is managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome: we cannot give ANY OTHER information linked to the process of booking an appointment.

10 FORMS Schengen Visa Application Form (short stay = 1 to 90 days) National Visa Application Form(long stay = 91 to 365 days) Letter of Invitation Letter of Invitation for Business Purposes Consent for Minors Affidavit of Support Declaration for Mailing Passports

11 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Do I have to apply in person or can I apply by mail? All applicants must have their fingerprints taken when asking for their first Schengen Visa (Type C Up to 90 days) Thus, their presence at this Consulate General is not required if: they have already applied for a visa with fingerprints taken by a Schengen Consulate (including this one) within the last FIVE years. Thus, it is imperative to provide this VISA Office a photocopy of the previous sticker if not longer present in applicant s passport. Please, note that the VISA European System might lose previously stored fingerprints: should this occur, you will be called to leave fingerprints again. Applicants for a National Visa (Type D from 91 to 365 days) are not requested to come to this Consulate General in order to apply for a Visa. They can send all needed documents by mail. In case you do not wish to pick up your passport in person and the Visa has been granted, provide us with a self-addressed, prepaid envelope. The Visa Office will accept only prepaid priority envelopes from Canada Post (no FedEx, no UPS). Furthermore, all applicants who require their passport to be sent by mail must also duly fill out the Declaration for Mailing Passports. Can I provide copies of my passport? We do not accept passport photocopies. Applicants must apply with an original valid passport and photocopies of it. All the documentation must be produced in original and photocopy

12 Do I have to make an appointment? The Office operates by appointment only. What are your office hours? Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 9.00 am to pm. Tuesday from to the Office is open to the public only for Pick-Up. Please, pick your passport only if previously advised by our /telephone call. Be sure to leave all your contacts in order to be reached. We will not answer telephone calls enquiring about applications status. Can I pay with a personal cheque? No. Visa fees are payable only by cash or by money order. Make the money order payable to: Consulate General of Italy - Montreal. Fees must be paid when submitting the application and are non-refundable REGARDLESS if the VISA will be issued or not. Do I have to provide a photo? Yes. You have to provide at least 1 recent passport size photo (European size passport photo). The photo must: Show you looking facing-forward directly at the camera; be taken professionally, in high quality colour and printed on photoquality paper; show applicant alone (no other people or other objects in the background).

13 How can I prove my residency? You have to show your driver s license or a utility bill with your name and address written on it. How long will it take to get my visa? Since this matter is regulated by law, visa officers cannot intervene in the process. Generally, It may take between 5 to 25 days depending on the type of Visa required and applicant's nationality. Applicants are therefore required not to discuss or try to negotiate the date of issuance of the visa. Be advised that a rush fee is not applicable. During the months of: April, May, June, July, November and December the number of visa applications increases, it is therefore advisable to apply at least 3 weeks in advance. Note, however, that applications cannot be processed earlier than three months before your planned departure date. Can I check with you if my visa is ready? No, we will /call you My daughter is a minor traveling with her school. What is she required to bring? For minor applicants (under 18 years of age), the following certification is needed, in addition to normally requested documentation for a Schengen Visa: A letter from both parents granting permission to travel and, of the one who is assuming financial responsibility for the entire trip, a Financial Affidavit.is needed. The authorization to travel must be signed by both parents who should appear in person at this Consulate or, if they reside abroad, have their signature legalized by the competent Italian Consulate Office;

14 Birth certificate, original or a legalized copy; (All foreign documents MUST be translated into English and the translations must be legalized by the Consulate of the Country which issued the Certificate). Can I use my visa to make a side trip to another European country? Yes, you can. According to the present Regulation a Schengen Visa is also valid for the following countries: Austria, Belgium, The Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Providing that your stay doesn t exceed 90 days for every 180. Can I extend my VISA once I am in Italy? A Schengen visa allows stays in Italy or another Schengen country for a period of time not to exceed the length of the visa, except in the case of proven inability to leave or in other adequately justified special cases (e.g. business visa extension for negotiations, supplier contacts, etc.). In such cases only the local Police ( Questura ) decide on visa extensions. The long-stay visa permits entry into Italy, but once across the border a residence permit (Permesso di Soggiorno) is required and is the only document that allows aliens to reside legally in Italy. For more information visit the website of Polizia di Stato ( ), don t call this Consulate General: No visas (and no extension to previously issued visas) may be granted to foreign citizens who are already on Italian soil. My flight itinerary requires an overnight stay at an Italian airport. Do I have to apply for an airport transit visa or a regular visa?

15 Citizens of some nationalities may require a transit visa if they are planning a short stopover, waiting a few hours for their onward flight at the airport's international transit area. It is therefore advisable to check with us if you are required or not to have a visa. In order to apply for a visa how long should my passport be valid? Your passport should be valid for at least 3 months upon conclusion of your trip. I cannot get a national passport from my country of origin. Can I use the "Refugee Travel Document (Document de Voyage pour refugie) to travel to Italy? Yes, you can. Before applying check the expiration of the document. It should be valid at least 3 months upon conclusion of your trip. The use of a Travel Document might delay the issue of your visa. I plan to visit my family or my friends in Italy and I cannot provide a hotel reservation what should I do? Your family or friends can write a Letter of Invitation. The completed host s declaration (faxed or ed directly to the applicant) is required along with a copy of the host s ID (Permit of stay for non-european Union citizens). What do I need in order to apply for a visa as a family member of an Italian citizen?

16 Family members of EU and EEA citizens can apply for visas in accordance with Italian legislative decree 30/2007, art. 2. The required documentation includes: Visa application A recent photograph A valid travel document with expiration date of at least 3 months beyond that of the visa requested A marriage certificate or other adequate documentation proving familial relationship In the case of minors, written consent to the issuance of the visa by the other parent I have my own business and therefore cannot bring an employment letter. What documents should I submit? You can provide your business registration, your latest tax return and a recent company bank statement to complete your application. I am a student and the tourist visa requires proof of documentation of socio-professional standing, what should I bring? You have to bring a verification of enrolment, provided by your school. My wife and I are planning to travel together and she s not working. I will provide my bank statement as proof of financial good standing, but my wife s name is not mentioned in the bank account. What document should I provide with her application? You can provide a marriage certificate (All foreign documents MUST be translated into English and the translations legalized by the Consulate of the Country which issued the Certificate). I wish to enrol at an Italian university: where do I find out what documents I need to do so?

17 The new website Study in Italy ( ) is now on line and gives a wide range of information to international students who wish to study in Italy. Besides, visit the section Study Visa on our site to find all practical info in order to obtain such a Visa. Why am I required to have health insurance coverage for Italy? Schengen regulations require applicants to have health insurance coverage before departing. This is necessary in case you have an accident during your stay in Italy. Please check carefully whether your medical insurance will cover costs for medical treatment abroad (including emergency medical evacuation and repatriation of mortal remains). If it does not, you need to submit a health insurance covering your stay in Europe. The minimum amount covered must be of EUR. This must be clearly stated in your Insurance Contract. 21. My Canadian visa has expired. Can I apply for a Schengen visa? No, you cannot. We can process visa request only from legal residents of Canada. IF YOUR QUESTION HAS NOT BEEN ANSWERED YOU CAN SEND US AN AT visti.montreal@esteri.it