Here’s our SCHENGEN VISA guide for applicants wishing to get one from the embassy OF ITALY in the Philippines (through the PIASI through Center). It includes a total listing OF demands and the step-by-step APPLICATION process based on our personal experience. This is for Filipinos applying in Manila or Cebu for a short-term traveler VISA only, and not for long-term, work, reunion, research study or company visa.
When we very first explored Europe, we went to 16 different countries with a Germany-issued Schengen visa. however to our surprise, there was one destination that completely captivated us — ITALY. This boot-shaped Mediterranean specify spoiled us with its delectable cuisine, jaw-dropping architecture, amazing sights, and enlightening history. We stayed in Italy for two weeks, however we understood from Day 1 that it would not be sufficient and that a return trip was bound to occur sooner or later.
Sooner, it turned out. just a couple of years later, we discovered ourselves collecting all the files needed to total another Schengen Visa application. however this time, we were praying to the visa gods of Italy.
This wasn’t the very first time we used for a Schengen visa, however of all our visa applications, this made us the most nervous. Italy is notorious within my travel circles as one of the strictest when it concerns evaluating applications. I can only assume that the primary reason is the sheer number of Filipino workers in Italy, around 170,000 documented OFWs plus tens of thousands undocumented. If on the internet sources are to be believed, Italy has one of the greatest rejection rates, together with France and Spain. however our plan included staying in Italy the longest so we had to try.
We’re thankful that we did. As we began preparing, we realized that — yes, it is strict — however the process is also a great deal simpler and much more straightforward. We used through the PIASI through center (Visa info and Application Center). No prior appointment needed and no soul-crushing interviews. It was quite quick too. I was given a visa after only 4 days!
Anyway, here’s exactly how to apply for an Italian Schengen Visa.
WHAT’S covered IN THIS GUIDE?
WHO CAN apply FOR AN ITALY-ISSUED SCHENGEN VISA?
LIST OF ITALIAN SCHENGEN VISA REQUIREMENTS1. Valid Passport
2. Accomplished Application Form
3. recent Photo
4. introduction Letter
5. proof of available Accommodations
6. Photocopy of Passport Pages
7. proof of Employment
8. proof of monetary Means
9. travel insurance
10. identity Documents
11. total Itinerary
12. flight Reservations
13. Visa Fee
HOW TO apply FOR AN ITALIAN SCHENGEN VISA1. total the needed documents.
2. submit the demands to the through Center.
3. insurance claim your passport and visa.
ITALIAN VISA often ASKED QUESTIONS1. exactly how long does the entire Italian Visa Application process take?
2. exactly how early ought to I apply for an Italian Schengen visa?
3. exactly how long is the validity of the Schengen Visa?
4. ought to I apply for a single-, double-, or multiple-entry visa?
5. exactly how much money ought to I have in the bank to get approved?
6. What are the reasons why my Schengen visa application would be denied?
7. Do I truly requirement flight tickets before applying?
8. Do I requirement to submit the original copies of the documents?
9. I’m applying with a group/family. Do I requirement to offer a copy of every file for every member?
10. Is personal appearance required?
11. I am going to European countries outside the Schengen zone and then re-entering the zone after. What ought to I answer to the “Indicate number of days” field on the application form: the overall number of days in Europe or just the number of days within the zone?
12. On the Schengen info section (Page 5) of the through on the internet application form, what if I have much more than one visas?
13. On the Fingerprint info section (Page 6) of the through on the internet application form, what am I expected to answer?
14. What to answer to the permit info section (Page 7) of the through on the internet application form?
15. On the members info section (Page 9) of the application form, there are tick boxes that checked out “by a applicant”, “by a sponsor”, and “means of support”. What are these?
16. What does an Italian Schengen Visa look like?
17. I make this much per month, have this much funds in my bank account, have went to these countries and have these supporting documents. will my application be approved?
18. What other countries can I go to utilizing an Italian Schengen visa?
For much more Schengen Visa often Asked Questions, inspect out this post: Schengen Visa for Filipinos
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WHO CAN apply FOR AN ITALY-ISSUED SCHENGEN VISA?
Apply for an Italian Schengen Visa only if one of these apply to you.
You’re going to Italy or Vatican City only and will not go to any other country.
You will go to two or much more Schengen countries however you will stay the longest in Italy.
You will stay in several Schengen countries for precisely the exact same number of nights, however Italy is your point of entry (first in your itinerary) in the Schengen area.
I discovered that Schengen embassies count the number of nights when identifying where the applicant would be staying the longest.
LIST OF ITALIAN SCHENGEN VISA REQUIREMENTS
1. Valid Passport
Current passport and previous passports
Must have at least 6 months validity (as needed by Philippine Immigration)
Must have at least 3 months validity staying from the target end of the trip or target visa expiry (as needed by Italian Embassy)
2. Accomplished Application Form
You can do it on the internet or by hand.
If online, you can fill it out here.
If by hand, you can download from here.
Make sure that you don’t leave blanks. If the field does not apply to you, compose NA or N/A.
For minors, the type should be signed by BOTH parents.
3. recent Photo
Both passport-size and 2×2″ pictures are accepted. I submitted 2×2; Vins submitted passport-size. They accepted both.
Colored ICAO basic picture with white background
Ears ought to be visible. Lips should be closed.
You should be using collared t-shirt or blouse.
4. introduction Letter
This is extremely encouraged. because there is no interview with the consul or visa officer, you won’t have a possibility to discuss your function of travel in detail or clear up things you believe they may discover confusing. having a cover letter can assist your case.
Here’s a sample:
5. proof of available Accommodations
IF TOURIST
Hotel booking under the name of the applicant. You may book from hotel booking sites and select properties that allow totally free CANCELLATION so you can cancel quickly in situation the application is denied.
IF INVITED BY somebody IN ITALY
Letter of invitation. I believe the letter has a basic format, however we don’t have a copy.
Proof of citizenship or permit of stay of the inviting party
PSA/NSO files to show relationship, if the inviting person is a relative. These may be birth certificates, a marriage certificates, or combination of them.
6. Photocopy of Passport Pages
Photocopy of the bio page (page 2) and last page (In situation of emergency page) of the valid passport
Photocopy of previous visas and immigration stamps on present and previous passports
7. proof of Employment
IF EMPLOYED:
Certificate of Employment
Approved Leave of Absence
Latest earnings tax Return (ITR)
Approved travel Authority (For government workers only. disregard if not applicable.)
Professional permit Card (PRC Card, only if applicable. disregard otherwise.)
IF SELF-EMPLOYED:
Business license/permits
BIR Plate
BIR Registration
SEC Registration (corporation) / DTI Registration (sole proprietor)
Financial statement with business earnings tax Return
GIS (General info Sheet of company, if corporation)
Articles of Incorporation (if corporation)
Professional permit Card (PRC Card, only if applicable. disregard otherwise.)
The copies of GIS, BIR Plate, and Articles of Incorporation are not in the official checklist, however we were told that they are also required. Thankfully, we had a soft copy of the docs they desired so we just printed them out at a close-by computer shop and submitted the lacking docs that exact same afternoon.
IF STUDENT:
Certificate of Enrolment
Approved Leave of absence (if traveling within institution months)
8. proof of monetary Means
Bank certificate supported by corresponding statement of account or passbook, showing 6 months of account history
International credit rating card statements
Land titles or copy of proof of genuine estate residential or commercial property
For minors, proof of monetary implies of parents or legal guardian
9. travel insurance
Minimum protection of €30,000 (with additional 15-day allowance beyond your travel dates).
Must be valid and accepted throughout the Schengen area.
Must be bought from an certified company.
Our travel insurance coverage was from basic Insurance, which we also bought through Gazelle travel and Tours. You can get travel insurance coverage here: travel INSURANCE
10. identity Documents
PSA/NSO-issued birth certificate
If married, PSA/NSO-issued marriage certificate
If minor or student, notarized Affidavit of support signed by BOTH parents
If minor and not traveling with parents, DSWD Clearance
11. total Itinerary
Your schedule should show the dates you suggested when you accomplished the application form. below is a sample. This is the style I followed. You can also download an editable version here.
12. flight Reservations
Including outside and return flights. We also submitted all the flights we plan to take within the Schengen area. Make sure your file has a traveler Registration Number (or booking number).
To avoid wasting money, DO NOT purchase TICKETS up until your visa is approved. You just requirement to reserve.
Find a travel agency that can reserve flights for you. In our case, we got all our flight reservations from Gazelle travel and Tours. You can reserve flights here: exactly how TO get flight RESERVATIONS
13. Visa Fee
Here’s the expense of short Term Visa (Tourism/Visit) when I applied:
12yo or older = 60€ (P3519)
6-11yo = 35€ (P2053)
5yo or younger = FREE
However, there is a report that visa charges across all Schengen embassies have enhanced to EUR 80 per applicant.
In addition, you also requirement to pay the P1450 dealing with charge charged by through PIASI. According to their site and the matrices on site, the dealing with charge is only P1350, however we were charged P1450. I’m not sure if we were charged an additional P100 for something else.
Anyway, that’s a overall of P4969.
You can get flight RESERVATIONS, hotel RESERVATIONS, and travel insurance coverage online! We got in touch with Gazelle travel and Tours, a DTI-registered DOT-accredited travel agency so they might quickly offer these services to our readers.
For the rates and much more info, read: FLIGHTS and hotel RESERVATIONS
Read: FLIGHTS and hotel RESERVATIONS
HOW TO apply FOR AN ITALIAN SCHENGEN VISA
1. total the needed documents.
Gather all the demands as noted above. You may also want to download this checklist, so you have an simple reference.
For simpler processing, arrange your files according to the purchase above. We also organized the photocopies of our stamps and past visas according to exactly how they appear on our passports.
Although there is no specified paper size, we chose to print all our docs on A4-size paper because it is the European standard.
2. submit the demands to the through Center.
Here are the addresses and company hours of the PIASI through center in Makati and Cebu.
VIA center Makati
3F Allegro Center, Chino Roces Ave, Makati,
2284 Metro Manila, Philippines
Phone: +632-845-9200 / +632-845-9215
Email: ita_inquiry@via.ph
VIA center Cebu
1004 Keppel Bldg, Cardinal Rosales Avenue Cor Samar Loop,
Cebu City, 6000 Cebu, Philippines
Phone: +63-32-412-7447
Email: ita_inquiry@via.ph
You can routine an appointment or you can just walk in.
If you desire to book an appointment, you may protected a slot by phone. right here are the details:
Appointment Hotline: (02) 845 9200
Call hours: Monday to Saturday, 8am-6pm
Closed: Sundays and public holidays
But an appointment is OPTIONAL. You can just show up at through Center. That’s what we did. We just walked in! They accept visa applications in the complying with times:
VISA APPLICATION HOURS
Monday to Thursday, 8am to 2:30pm
Friday, 8am to 1:30pm
Closed: Saturdays, Sundays, Public Holidays
If you’re applying in Makati, go to the second floor. Although the primary office is on the third floor of Allegro Center, their getting area for walk-in applicants is on the second floor. Here’s our experience.
Approach the very first counter best after the door. The personnel will briefly inspect your application type and photo.
Register on their logbook.
Get a queue number and info form. This short type will ask you about your application and exactly how you want your passport to be returned: by pickup or by delivery.
Take a comfortable seat and wait on your turn. utilize this idle time to fill out the info sheet.
Once your number is called, approach the counter and submit your documents. They will inspect each file carefully so it will take some time. If you select to have your passport delivered, you will have to take care of it right here too. You will be asked to go back to your seat and wait on the Biometrics collection.
Once called, approach the Biometrics counter where a personnel will take your fingerprints.
Climb to the third floor and discover the cashier.
Make payment! money only. Don’t fail to remember your acknowledgement receipt and official receipt.
That’s it! You’re done! through center will then ahead your application to the Italian Embassy, which will be the one evaluating it.
In my experience, the whole processing took 3 hours. It ought to have been 2 hours, however they stated we were lacking a couple company files so we had to go out, print out those docs, and wait on our turn again.
3. insurance claim your passport and visa.
When the results are in, you will get a