ITALY VISA

IMPORTANT NOTICE (North India)

For Applicant applying for Visa from Delhi, Jalandhar, Chandigarh and Kolkata
•	New Criteria For Acceptance Of Attestation Of Public Documents Effective From 01 August 2011:
	A: Birth , Marriage & Death Certificates : According to the Italian Law, certificates have validity of 6 months from their date of issuance. And they should have appropriate authentications by the designated Indian Authorities and the Appostille issued by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
	Date of Issuance: The date of issuance of each certificate must be printed within the text of the certificate. In exceptional cases the hand written issuance dates will be accepted if they are clear, legible and complete in all respect. If the date of issuance doesn’t conform to the above rules it will not be valid for acceptance.
	Particularly, a marriage certificate issued without an issuance date will also not be accepted.
	B: Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)
	The PCC should be issued on the official letter head containing the logo and the address of the office of the SP or Sr. SP.
	The validity of the PCC follows the same rules as that of certificates mentioned under A. However, in addition, it would only be accepted if the date of issuance is printed as a part of the text.
	C: Affidavit The attestation of Affidavit undergoes different evaluation criteria depending on its content. The Embassy will accept Affidavits only in the form of self-declarations having appropriate authentications by the designated Indian Authorities the and the Apostille by the Indian MEA.
	NB: Embassy of Italy reserve the right to verify any public document presented to this Embassy.
•	A New EU-Regulation about Visas from April 5, 2010
	In addition to this the Visa Codex will involve many changes compared with the previous regulations. In connection with the introduction of the Visa Codex a new Schengen Visa application form will replace previous Schengen Visa application form. Application can be submitted only three (3) months prior to departure. From April 5, 2010 only passports issued within the previous ten (10) years will be accepted. Passport must have minimum two blank pages. Passport should be valid for at least three (3) months longer than intended stay
•	Effective 04th April 2011 - Applicants applying at Delhi and Jalandhar:
	Applicants will have to take a prior appointment for submission of visa application. Appointments can be taken online at www.vfs-italy.co.in or by telephoning the Italy Visa Call Centre (Phone number: +91 120 6641090)
	The Internet facility is available 24x7 while the phone-in facility is available 08:00am - 17:00 hours Monday-Friday.
•	Important notice for long term (Family reunion/Work visa Applicants) of North India:
	Appointment for Employment and Family Reunion visa applications for Italy must be taken by applicants only through contact centre number 0091 1206641090. All the Employment and Family Reunion applications must be submitted in person to VFS. Applicants are adviced not to engage themselves with unauthorized travel agents or touts in their own interest. Call centre can, NO MORE take request for Nulla Osta/ Protocol number check or verifications. Applicant has to come personally to VFS Centre (Delhi, Chandigarh & Jalandhar) to verify the Nulla Osta/Protocol number or verify the same NO agency or middlemen or relatives is authorized to verify the Nulla Osta/Protocol number or verify the same. The Nulla Osta/Protocol number will not be updated on basis of fax, phone call and e-mail. It has to be done through VFS only. In order to determine if the applicant making the query at the centre is a genuine applicant, it will be mandatory for the applicant to produce his passport as his identity proof.
•	Processing time
	We have been informed by the Consulate General of Italy, Mumbai that all applicants applying for a Business visa and Tourist visa need to apply minimum 15 days respectively prior to their travel dates. Kindly note that the Consulate does not guarantee any issuance of visa if the same is not followed. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
•	Please note that original insurance will be seen by the submission officer at the time of submission of visa application form. Online insurance should be certified by the insurance company.
	This is to inform you that w.e.f. July 13, 2007 applications will only be accepted from intending travelers or from immediate members of their family along with authority and photo proof identification establishing their relationship proof with the applicant or through Tour Operators and Travel Trade Members duly authorized for this purpose by The Embassy of Italy until further notice. Representatives of Corporate Institutions can submit applications with Proof of Identity (photo ID issued by their organization and a letter of authority on the company letter head signed by the authorized signatory). Other applicants have to submit their application in person at the VFS Italy Visa Application Centre.