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Getting your Student Visa
Student Visa Information
PLEASE NOTE THAT U.S. AND CANADIAN CITIZENS STUDYING IN ITALY FOR LESS THAN 90 DAYS FOR THE SUMMER I OR SUMMER II SESSION DO NOT NEED A STUDENT VISA.
Once you have paid the Tuition Deposit and/or Housing Placement Fee, we will send you the Visa Request Letter written in Italian and titled “Al Consolato Di Competenza” at the top of the page. You will need to take this Visa Request Letter and the Acceptance Letter (previously sent to you when you were accepted and written in English) to your local Italian Consulate to apply for your student visa.
For a fee, Platform3000 can assist you in applying for the student visa. For more information, please go to Platform3000.com. If you choose Platform3000 to apply for your student visa you can save time and money in the student visa process.
The Visa Request Letter is written in Italian, states the dates you will attend JCU, that you have satisfied all academic requirements to study at JCU, your Private Health Insurance coverage is valid abroad or you will purchase the Italian INA Health Insurance policy upon arrival (see below). It will also state that you have a place to live while at JCU as well as proof of sufficient financial support during your stay in Italy. This may be bank statements or other proof (call ahead to your local Consulate to verify).
All non-EU citizens who have been accepted to John Cabot University must obtain a visa for study in Italy before leaving their country of origin.
Students from nations other than members of the European Union are required to have a Student Visa before entering Italy. Obtaining a student visa is MANDATORY by Italian law and MUST be obtained BEFORE you arrive in Italy. Applying for a student visa is completely exclusive from applying to John Cabot University. As an accepted applicant at JCU, it is your responsibility to apply for a student visa. You must plan accordingly as it takes approximately one month to obtain a student visa. This also means you must give your passport to the Italian Consulate at the time of application.
See the following website for further information on obtaining a student visa to find out if you need a visa or not, how to apply and the addresses of the Diplomatic/Consular Representations where you can file your application: Ministero degli Affari Esteri - Visti.
Choose the following on this web page: duration of stay is more than 90 days and Reason for Visit is Study and Application to Italian Universities.
Although JCU is here to assist you in any way possible, we are unfortunately unable to assist you in the visa process or do it for you. It is your responsibility to contact your local Italian Consulate and confirm the required documents needed in order to apply for a student visa and start the application process. You can find a list of Italian Consulates in the USA by visiting Embassy of Italy in Washington.
In order to obtain a student visa, the applicant must present the Italian Consulate in his/her place of legal residence with a Visa Request Letter provided by the Admissions Office and proof of a health insurance policy which will cover the student’s stay abroad at the University. The Visa Request Letter will be sent to all students for whom a visa is required, once they have been accepted to the University and have paid the Tuition Deposit and/or Housing Placement Fee. This Visa Request Letter is a legal document. This original letter will then be returned to the student by the consulate (either attached to the passport or to the documentation filed) upon issuance of the student visa. This original letter is needed to obtain a Permit to Stay in Rome upon arrival. Therefore, you must remember to bring it with you to Orientation. All students, including E.U. citizens, must obtain a Permit to Stay (Permesso di Soggiorno per Studio), which is issued by the local authorities (Questura). We assist you in obtaining the Permit to Stay during Orientation week.
The student visa generally takes at least one month for the Italian Consulate to process upon receipt of a completed student visa application. You must plan accordingly as it cannot be obtained at the last minute!
Again, for a fee, Platform3000 can assist you in applying for the student visa. For more information, please go to Platform3000.com. If you choose Platform 3000 to apply for your student visa you can save time and money in the student visa process.
See the following link if you are NOT American as to where you apply for the student visa: http://www.esteri.it/visti/rilascio_eng.asp.
If you are American applying from the US click here to find offices in the US.
Below is a list of documents that are generally needed in order to apply for a student visa. However, you must contact your local Italian Consulate to make sure that no other documents are needed, as each Consulate has different requirements.
1. Visa application form
2. Recent passport-style photo
3. Passport or travel document valid for at least three months after visa expiry date
4. Proof of means of support in Italy of not less than €350.57 for each month of the academic year This availability can be proven through:
- proof of personal or family resources
- guarantee of financial resources by accredited Italian institutions or agencies, local governments, or foreign institutions or agencies considered trustworthy by the Italian Diplomatic Representation
5. Declaration of the availability in Italy of appropriate lodgings as well as the funds necessary for repatriation, possibly to be demonstrated in the form of a return airline ticket.
6. Insurance coverage for medical treatment and hospitalization, to be demonstrated by means of:
- Consular declaration attesting to the applicant’s right to healthcare in the presence of specific agreements between Italy and the applicant’s country of origin;
- foreign insurance policy or one underwritten with Italian bodies or firms that must not include limitations or exceptions to the fees established for emergency hospitalization.
***IF YOU COME TO ITALY WITHOUT A STUDENT VISA YOU ARE AN ILLEGAL ALIEN. THIS MEANS THAT YOU CANNOT ENTER THE COUNTRY AND WILL BE DEPORTED. YOU WILL HAVE A CRIMINAL RECORD FOR UP TO FIVE YEARS AND WILL NEVER BE ALLOWED TO COME TO ITALY AGAIN.
Students who are not 18 years old when applying for their Student Visa might not be able to obtain one unless they have a person residing in Italy who can function as legal guardian. Please contact your local Italian Consulate for further information.
PLEASE NOTE: All students, including E.U. citizens, must obtain a Permit to Stay (Permesso di Soggiorno per Studio) which is issued by the local police (Questura). It is the individual student’s responsibility to fulfill all Italian legal requirements. JCU Student Services arranges for meetings between Platform3000 and newly arrived students, as well as current students looking to renew the permesso, during Orientation Week. |