Located in Southern Europe, Italy is an attractive tourism destination visited by people from all around the world. It’s among the most visited countries in the Schengen area. More than 1000 applicants applied for Italy Schengen Visa From Philadelphia.
Update : It is now mandatory to get COVID Insurance when you travel Abroad. Click the below link to get your COVID Insurance at cost price.
Being one of the most visited Schengen countries, getting an Italy visa is not easy.
Italy had one of the highest rejection rates in the year 2016 with almost 7%
It’s important that your visa application process is correct, to ensure that your visa application gets accepted.
Here is guide to tell you how to apply for Italy visa at the Philadelphia consulate. This is how I got my visa approved:
Apply for Italy Visa includes the following steps :
- Ensure that Philadelphia is the correct jurisdiction to apply for your Italian visa
- Schedule an appointment at the Consulate General of Italy in Philadelphia online ( Get Schengen visa appointment for $ 10 )
- Have all the required documents (original and copies) ready for the appointment
- Go to the interview and get your visa done.
Click to Book Italy Visa Appointment
Do I need to apply for Italy Schengen visa?
Do green card holders (permanent residents in the US) need a visa to travel to Italy?
US citizens who have full citizenship do not require a visa to travel to Italy or Schengen countries but the green card holders living in the US do require to get an Italian Schengen visa with the proof of a permanent residence or green card.
Whether you need Italy Schengen visa, depends on your nationality
Firstly, you need to find out if you’ll need a visa to enter Italy.
The Italian Consulate in the US provides an online website, where after filling your details, whether or not a visa is required will be answered. You have the liberty to choose from a number of preferred languages like Russian, English, Italian, ZH and AR.
Choose ‘EN’ from top and scroll down.
Enter the details asked and that includes:
- Nationality
- Residing country
- Reasons for your stay
- Length of your stay
Select “Go to answers” to get your response.
Click on “Go to Answers” . In this section you will know whether you need a visa and if so, what are the documents you will need for applying for your visa.
Also, you can see a list of general required documents for Schengen visa
But before we reach the documents assimilation stage, we need to make sure that you have an appointment.
How do you get an appointment at the Consulate General of Italy in Philadelphia?
The Consulate General of Italy in Philadelphia works only through online appointments. There are no walk-in appointments that take place. You can visit the website below to schedule an appointment.
Make Italy visa appointment at the General consulate of Philadelphia
Click on ‘New User Registration’ to begin your application.
This is one of the pivotal stages of application. The details you enter must exactly match the details with what is in your passport.
Once your account is created, you will get an email confirmation along with a username and password, for your account. This will be an automated mail.
Once your account is activated, you will be able to access the appointment system.
It might be such that you are not able to find a suitable appointment. The consulate requires that you check in frequently, every 12 hours or so, as cancelled appointments are fairly common.
If you don’t need the appointment, make sure to cancel it, so that others can take it. Once you’ve successfully made an appointment, print your Schengen visa application.
On the day of the appointment, carry this printout along with all the relevant documents, including your original passport before heading out for the Philadelphia visa office.
Note: In order to submit a visa application and scheduling an appointment, the applicant must reside in the consular jurisdiction.
But an exception is made for students who are residing outside the consular jurisdiction because of a study-abroad program but their US Academic Jurisdiction is located within the consular jurisdiction.
Documents needed for Italy Schengen visa at Philadelphia
- Passport
- Photographs
- Green Card or Permanent Residence Permit Card
- Print out of your Completed Schengen Visa Form
- Flight Itinerary
- Schengen Visa Insurance
- Hotel Booking
- Sustenance proof
- Cover Letter
- If you’re employed, you’ll need to bring an employment letter
- Company Registration (if self-employed)
- For students in college, a letter from the college or university
Please note that all the applications that do not meet the requirements are rejected. If that is the case, you need to make a new appointment through the system.
If you are not a citizen of the US, you need to provide a copy of the document proving your legal stay in the country like a U.S long-term visa but not B1/B2, 1-797, Permanent U.S resident card, resident alien card and I-20. All these documents should have a validity of at least three months from the date of your return to the US.
Passport: You need to submit your original passport to the Consulate in Philadelphia for them to process it. On the day of the appointment, you need to bring a prepaid envelope that will contain the required barcode and the tracking number or stamps as well as a xerox of it.
Photographs: You need to submit your photographs as per the specification in the visa application.
Permanent Residence Permit Card: If you are not a citizen of the United States, then you need to provide your permanent residence permit card or green card that verifies your stay as legal.
Proof of Sustenance: In order to prove that you can sustain yourself financially, you can prove it with your credit cards and travel cards.
Completed Schengen Visa form: The Schengen visa form should be filled with all the details before submission.
Flight Itinerary: It is the most preferred way of submitting a visa application since you do not have to buy actual flight tickets. There are chances of you losing a huge sum of money if your visa gets rejected.
Hotel Reservations: It is better to not make hotel reservations unless your visa is approved. Though there is cancellation option but they might charge a lot.
Employment Letter: If employed, you need to submit your letter of employment given by the company.
Personal Cover Letter/Travel Itinerary: Your cover letter can include your purpose of visit to Italy with your complete travel itinerary. Do not forget to mention the documents that you are submitting with the visa application at the San Francisco consulate.
Medical Insurance: Your medical insurance should cover a minimum of 43,00 EUR. For more detail, read through our travel-insurance-Schengen-visa.
Sustenance Proof: You can prove it with your credit card or travel card which confirms that you can financially sustain in Italy.
Can I apply via mail?
No, you cannot apply via mail. You must apply in person. On the appointment date, you need to bring a self-addressed, prepaid envelope that has a prepaid barcode or stamps with a tracking number along with a photocopy of it. Once the visa appointment is completed, the passport will be returned only via mail.
Can I apply for Italy Schengen Visa from US if I have a B1/B2 Visa?
Unfortunately No. If you are in the US, you cannot apply for an Italy Schengen Visa. You can do so only from the country whose citizenship you hold.
What are the Visa Charges?
The latest charge for a visa for a long stay (more than 90 days) is US $136.60 and for a short stay (less than 90 days) is US $60.60.70. A study visa is US $58.90.
All the fees paid are non-refundable and can be paid in money order only directly to the Consulate General of Philadelphia.
Why should I take Flight and Hotel Bookings from You?
Travel visa bookings helps you with virtual flight and hotel bookings that are accepted by all consulates. We have already done so for millions of customers and they have got their visa approved.
Check out our sale records of this month alone.
How do I know when my visa is ready?
The visa procession takes 2-15 days. The consulate will inform whether your visa gets approved or not.
Will my Visa be Granted by 90 Days?
No, most of the time you get a visa for the number of days that is present in your travel itinerary. If you aren’t sure of your travel plans then you can add a few days to your itinerary. Opt for all travel our plans for more details.
What are the Visa office hours?
Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 am to 12 am.
Can I pay in Check or Card?
The visa fee is accepted either by cash or by postal monetary order. The money order should be directed to the Consulate General of Italy in Philadelphia.
Italian Consulate in Philadelphia Information
Address: PA 19106, USA
Email: visti.filadelfia@esteri.it
Tel : 215-279-9573
Fax : 215 592 9808
References
https://www.vfsglobal.com/en/individuals/index.html
http://www.vfsglobal.com/Italy/USA/visa-fees-at-glance.html
http://www.consfiladelfia.esteri.it/consolato_filadelfia/en/i_servizi/per_chi_si_reca_in_italia/