The documentation required to travel to Italy varies depending on each nationality. The main differences are between the citizens of the European Union, those of countries with an agreement such as Argentina and countries without any agreement, as is the case of Bolivia. You also have to take into account other requirements, as well as know some tips to visit the country.

Below you have an index with all the points that we are going to deal with in this article.

Required Documentation

People from a country that is part of the European Union, such as Spain, can travel to Italy without a visa. They only have to present a document that identifies the person and informs about their nationality, that is, the National Identity (DNI) or Passport.



Citizens of states that despite not belonging to the European Union also only need an identity document. Schengen area. These countries are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

In the same way, you can go to Italy with your passport if you are a foreigner residing in a country of the Schengen area and you have a NIE or Foreigner Identity Number. If you want to know more about the member states of this treaty, we recommend you visit the following article: The Schengen area and the Member States of the European Union.

There is also a long list of other countries that, if the stay is less than 90 days, need passport but not visa. They are the following countries:

  • To: Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina and Australia
  • B: Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil and Brunei
  • C: Canada, Chile, Vatican City, South Korea, Colombia, Costa Rica and Croatia
  • E: El Salvador and the United States
  • G: Guatemala
  • H: Honduras
  • I: Israel
  • J: Japan
  • M: Macedonia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco and Montenegro
  • N: New Zealand
  • Q: Panama, Paraguay and Peru
  • S: Saint Kitts and Nevis, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles and Singapore
  • U: Uruguay
  • V:Venezuela

The passport they present must be valid for at least three months at the time they are going to enter the country, and in the case of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia it must be a biometric passport.

Once in Italy, the authorities ask the members of these countries for documentation that justifies the reason for their trip and the duration of the trip, showing the reservation of the return flight and the hotel reservation or the Letter of Invitation.

Una Letter of Invitation It is a report by which an Italian citizen confirms that you will stay in the place where he lives, whether it is a house he owns or where it is for rent.

Despite the earthquakes in Italy in 2016, the documentation and requirements necessary to travel to the country have not changed, since services and infrastructure there have been restored in a matter of days.

Visa

As we have explained, members of the European Union only need an identity document to travel to Italy, while other countries are required to present a passport but not a visa.

Tourist visa

The rest of the countries that we have not named previously do need visa, and among them are Bolivia, Ecuador, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. In these cases, the necessary documentation for the tourist visa is:

  • Visa application. In this link you can find the visa form
  • Recent passport-size photograph
  • Passport with a minimum validity of three months on the date you are going to travel
  • Return ticket to the country of origin
  • Some proof that the applicant has financial solvency, that is, the means of subsistence necessary to cover their stay
  • Documentation indicating the social and professional status of the applicant
  • Medical insurance that covers a minimum of € 30.000 for emergency hospitalization and repatriation expenses, valid throughout the Schengen area
  • Show that accommodation is available for the duration of the stay (eg hotel reservation)

This tourist visa allows the holder to stay in Italy for 90 days, and its price is 60€. If we want to be in the country for a longer time, we can apply for other types of visas.

Student visa

With the student visa you can stay for a maximum of one year, although it has the possibility of renewal. The requirements to be able to request it are the following:

  • Documentation of the course, professional training or cultural activity to be carried out
  • Prove that you have sufficient financial means
  • Medical coverage in the event that the foreign student does not have the right to healthcare in Italy
  • Be older than 14 years
  • If a health activity is to be carried out, recognition of the qualifying title by the Italian Ministry of Health to practice professionally

Family reunification visa

Another type of visa is that of reunification or family reunification. This is divided into two types: on the one hand, the one granted to reunite with family members, and on the other, with which you can enter Italy followed by the family.

In the latter case, family members benefit from access to health services, enrollment in courses or professional training, and enrollment in employment lists.



Soggiorno menu

La letter of soggiorno o residence permit it is another method to stay in Italy for more than 90 days. It must be requested during the first eight days of stay in the country and present the following documents:

  • Application Form
  • Passport and, when necessary, visa
  • Four recent passport-size photos
  • An electronic tax stamp worth € 14,62
  • The necessary documentation for the type of residence permit requested
  • A payment that can range from € 80 to € 200

There is no marriage visa, since if a person marries an Italian, they also acquire Italian citizenship.

Other documents

Apart from the necessary documentation that we have already explained, there are other situations in which other documentation must be presented if you want to travel to Italy.

Healthcare

If you are a citizen of a member country of the European Union, it is best to request the European sanitary card (TSE) before your trip. In this way, you will have free and free access to public health services in Italy. If you are from Spain, you can request it through this link.

If you come from a non-EU country, you will have to pay the corresponding fee for each health benefit you need. For this reason, it is highly recommended to take out travel medical insurance.

Vaccination

At present there is no mandatory vaccination to travel to Italy. Despite this, it is recommended to be immunized against the following diseases:

  • Measles
  • Parotitis
  • Rubella
  • Tetanus-diphtheria

Also, if you travel in winter, it is advisable to get vaccinated against the flu, due to the increase in this disease in the colder months.

Traveling with children

In the case of minors, children traveling accompanied by their parents need the same documentation as an adult to enter the country. They cannot appear in the documentation of their parents, but they will have to have his own, with the exception of people from Denmark, the United Kingdom and Ireland.

It is fully allowed to travel to Italy with a baby. The only thing that you should take into account, in addition to the documentation already indicated, are the special needs of it.

If, on the other hand, the minors do not travel with either of their parents, they must have a Passport or carry along with their DNI a authorization of their parents formalized before the authorities of the country of origin. It is a situation that happens frequently on end-of-year trips.

Travel with pets

Likewise, if you want to enter Italy with your dog or pet and you come from a country of the European Union, you must bring the Passport for Pets.

In addition to this, animals from the following countries need a certificate in which the validity of a rabies vaccine is registered:

  • Andorra
  • Vatican City
  • Iceland
  • Liechtenstein
  • Monaco
  • Norway
  • San Marino
  • Switzerland

On the other hand, you need a veterinary certificate confirming the good health of the animal, a rabies vaccination certificate and a clearly legible microchip or tattoo if you come from one of these countries:

  • To: Ascension, Antigua and Barbuda, Netherlands Antilles, Australia and Aruba
  • B: Barbados, Bahrain and Bermuda
  • C: Canada and Croatia
  • E: United States
  • I: Fiji Islands, Falkland Islands (Malvinas) and Cayman Islands
  • J: Jamaica and Japan
  • M: Mayotte, Montserrat and Mauritius
  • N: New Chalcedony and New Zealand
  • Q: French Polynesia
  • S: Singapore, St. Helena, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Pierre and Miquelon, and St. Vincent and the Grenadine Islands
  • V: Vanuatu
  • W: Wallis and Futuna

Finally, if the country of origin of the animal is not one of those mentioned above, it must undergo an identification test for rabies antibodies in a certified laboratory, with a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of three months before the trip (for so animals under three months will not be able to travel to Italy).

This article has been shared 646 times. We have spent many hours collecting this information. If you liked it, share it, please: