Visas

ARE YOU TRAVELLING TO ITALY? DO YOU NEED A VISA?
Please click here to verify if you need a visa: Il visto per l’Italia 

 

IF YOU ARE TRAVELLING TO MULTIPLE SCHENGEN COUNTRIES, AT WHICH SCHENGEN COUNTRY DO YOU HAVE TO APPLY?

You must lodge the application for a Schengen visa at the Consulate of the country you intend to visit.

If you intend to visit more than one Schengen States, you should apply at the Consulate of the country of your primary destination (i.e. main purpose of stay or longest stay). If you intend to visit several Schengen States and the stays will be of equal length, you must apply at the Consulate of the first country you will visit.

As a general rule, you must apply for a Schengen visa at the Consulate with territorial competence for the country in which you legally reside.

The Consulate General of Italy in Johannesburg issues Schengen visas for Italy and for Malta for stays of a duration of no more than 90 days to applicants legally residing in the its consular jurisdiction (Provinces of Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West and KwaZulu-Natal) and Botswana.

 

WHERE TO APPLY

All visa applications must be lodged at the VFS Global Visa Application Centres dedicated to Italy.

Please visit the dedicated VFS’s website (https://visa.vfsglobal.com/zaf/en/ita) to book your appointment, to track your application and for information.

You can also contact the VFS’s helpline by phone (+ 27 12 4253048 for South Africa, +267 3733400 for Botswana) or via email (info.itza@vfshelpline.com for South Africa, info.itbo@vfshelpline.com  for Botswana).

Please, do not use the emergency phone of the Consulate General for visa-related queries. The Consulate General of Italy in Johannesburg does not disclose details on visa applications over the phone nor gives information on their status, nor provide answers to questions whose content is already covered by the websites of the Consulate General and of VFS Global.

Please find below the addresses of the VFS’s centres dedicated to Italy:

 

PRETORIA
Capital Junction, 1st Floor
1226 Francis Baard Street
Hatfield, Pretoria, Gauteng
MAP

 

JOHANNESBURG
Rivonia Village Office Block, 2nd floor
Cnr. Rivonia Boulevard and Mutual Road,
Rivonia, Johannesburg, 2196, Gauteng
MAP

 

 

DURBAN
21 Aurora Drive, Liberty Life Building, Second Floor
Umhlanga, Durban
MAP

 

GABORONE
Plot 544367 Unit 3, Wing 3, 4th Floor,
Mogobe Plaza, New CBD,
Gaborone, Botswana
MAP

 

MBOMBELA
2nd Floor, The Pinnacle Building,
1 Parkin Street, Mbombela
MAP

 

 

BLOEMFONTEIN
Ground Floor , PHG Building / Noble House, 196 Nelson Mandela Dr,
Brandwag, Bloemfontein
MAP

 

 

WHEN TO APPLY?

The application must be submitted to the VFS Visa Centres dedicated to Italy at least 10 working days before the intended journey and cannot be lodged earlier than six months prior to the start of the intended journey.

The normal processing time of a visa application is 15 days. This period may be extended to up to 45 days, if a more detailed examination of the application and/or additional documents are required.

Processing times for National (D) visas might be longer.

 

BIOMETRIC DATA COLLECTION (VISA INFORMATION SYSTEM)

All applicants must present themselves in person at VFS application centres in order to have their fingerprints taken. Exemptions from the fingerprinting requirement are provided for a limited number of applicants, including children under the age of twelve and persons for whom the collection of fingerprints is physically impossible. Heads of State (South Africa and Botswana), members of National, Provincial and Local governments and members of their official delegation will also be exempted, provided that they hold official passports and are travelling for official purposes.

 

FAMILY MEMBERS OF EU/EEA CITIZENS

Under certain conditions, family members of EU or EEA citizens falling under the Free Movement Directive are exempted from visa fees.

 

REFUSAL OF A VISA APPLICATION

The decision to refuse a Schengen visa and the reasons for the refusal are transmitted to the applicant using a standard form. The decision to refuse the issuance of a visa includes the reasons on which the refusal was based, and the procedures and deadlines for submitting an appeal.

According to the Italian law, an appeal can be lodged directly to the T.A.R. Tribunale Amministrativo Regionale (Regional Administrative Court) of Lazio (Latium Region), through a lawyer acting on behalf of the applicant, within 60 days of the serving of the decision itself. The appeal must be notified, under penalty of nullity (as per art. 144 of C.P.C. and art. 11 of R.D. no. 1611 of 1933), to the relevant “Avvocatura dello Stato”.

For family reunion visas only, appeals must be submitted to the “Tribunale ordinario” (Ordinary Court) of the place of residence of the family member living in Italy.

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE

• The issuing of the visa is at the discretion of diplomatic and consular missions.
• The staff of VFS Global Application Centres does not have the authority to assess visa applications nor to take decisions on them.
• The Consulate General of Italy in Johannesburg is not liable for any financial loss incurred by applicants whose visa application was finalised later than expected or unsuccessful.
• In order to prevent and contrast fraudulent activities, please be informed that:

1. 1. agencies/agents/brokers/translators/any person offering visa facilitation services upon payment of additional fees ARE NOT ALLOWED to deal with VFS. Please report any such case and/or the name/s of the person/s to the Consulate General of Italy in Johannesburg by writing an email to johannesburg@esteri.it;
   2. VFS Global is the only company authorised by the Consulate General of Italy in Johannesburg to receive visa applications on behalf of Italy;
   3. The visa fees for each type of visa as well as the service fees applied by VFS are indicated in the relevant section on VFS’s website;
   4. Except for VFS Global, the Consulate General of Italy in Johannesburg entertains no relation with companies or individuals (including agents, brokers, translators) who may offer visa facilitation services upon payment of additional fees;

• The short-stay visa does not automatically entitle you to enter the Schengen area. At border (or during other controls) you may have to show the visa but also provide additional documentation, for example information on that you have sufficient means to cover the stay and the return trip. It is therefore recommended that you carry with you copies of the documents which you presented when applying for the visa (e.g. letters of invitation, travel confirmations, other documents stating the purpose of your stay).
• How to read a Schengen visa sticker and correctly use it: “Duration of stay … days” indicates the number of days you may stay in the Schengen area. The days should be counted from the date you enter the Schengen area (the entry stamp) to the date you exit the Schengen area (the exit stamp); both days should be included. The period of time between “From … until” is usually longer than the number of days printed in the “Duration of stay”. The difference in period is meant to give you flexibility to plan your entry into and exit from the Schengen area, but your stay in the Schengen area must never exceed the exact number of days indicated under “Duration of stay … days”. No matter how many days you have stayed in the Schengen area, you must leave no later than the date printed in the “Until” field. Schengen visas entitle to one or two or multiple entries. Travelers who often need to go to Schengen area can apply for multi-entry visas up to 5 years. In case you are a multi-entry visa holder, please remember that for intended stays on the territory of the Member States, duration of stay cannot be more than 90 days in any 180-day period, which entails considering the 180-day period preceding each day of stay. In order to avoid over-stay or to better know how many days you can still stay in Schengen territory, please check the European Commission calculator.
• How to correctly use your Italian national visa (D): all Italian national visa holders, once arrived in Italy must convert their visa into a residence permit (“permesso di soggiorno”) by applying within 8 working days from the day of first entry in Italy. Applications must be submitted to the relevant police authorities (“Questura”) of the Province of intended residence. The duration of the residence permit will be the same as indicated in the visa. Residence permits can be renewed or extended directly in Italy.

 

FURTHER INFORMATION
For any further information, please visit the following websites:

The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation: https://www.esteri.it/it/servizi-consolari-e-visti/ingressosoggiornoinitalia/

Il visto per l’Italia: https://vistoperitalia.esteri.it/home.aspx

European Commission: https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen-borders-and-visa/visa-policy_en.