Below you will find a list of the most frequently asked questions related to Schengen and National Visas.
6. I am in Canada as a tourist or on an eTA, can I apply for a visa to Italy?
9. Can you help me fill out the Application Form?
1. I am a foreign national (Canadian or any other non-EU citizen). I am already in Italy and I found out that I need a visa to stay for more than 90 days and acquire a Residence Permit (for work, study, elective residence etc.). What can I do?
If you reside in the consular jurisdiction of the Consulate General of Italy in Toronto (click here to know more about our jurisdiction), you must return to Canada and apply for a visa at our Consulate. We CANNOT receive or process your application while you are in Italy. If you need to stay in Italy for more than 90 days, as an example for study reasons, you should apply for a National Visa. Applications for national visas are processed by mail (not e-mail). You do not need to book an appointment. Click here to learn more about how to apply for a National Visa and please note that you must include your passport in the application (not a copy, we need your very passport as the visa will be affixed on it).
2. I am an EU/Italian National and my spouse or registered partner (in a Civil Union or same-sex marriage) is a Canadian national. We live in Canada but we want to relocate to Italy. Does my spouse/registered partner need a visa to travel with me to Italy and move our residence there?
No, your Canadian spouse/registered partner does not need a visa in this case. He/she can travel with you to Italy without a visa, as Canadian citizens are exempt from the requirement of a short-term Schengen visa. Within three months of your arrival in Italy, your spouse/registered partner must register their presence with the Italian Municipality of choice, where you decide to have your residence, and must apply for a “Carta di soggiorno” at the Italian Questura (Police Headquarters). Click here to learn more about the “Carta di soggiorno” (residence card for non-EU family members of an EU citizen). Please note that this Consulate is not able to answer questions related to matters that fall under the exclusive competence of the Italian Questura.
3. I need to apply for a National Study Visa to stay in Italy more than 90 days, as I am in the process of enrolling in an Italian University for my Bachelor’s Degree/Master’s Degree/Ph.D. I am not sure when I will be travelling back to Canada or to my Country of origin. Can I apply for a visa if I do not book a return trip just yet?
Yes, you can apply. Since you are applying for a National Study Visa, we understand that you may not know exactly when you will be travelling back to Canada. Make sure to have all documents required and submit your application, alongside your passport and an XpressPost pre-addressed and pre-paid envelope, by mail (not e-mail). If you are applying for a National Study Visa, remember that you will have to apply for your first Residence Permit within 8 days of your arrival in Italy, at the relevant Italian Questura (Police Headquarters). BEWARE: if you travel back to Canada before obtaining your first Residence Permit for Study, in order to re-enter Italy you must apply for a Re-Entry Visa.
4. I would like to travel to Italy for an extensive period of time and I am not sure what visa I could apply for. Can you assist me?
We DO NOT provide consultancy services. If you are a Canadian national, you do not need to apply for a short-term Schengen visa for stays up to 90 days in 6 months. If you wish to spend more time in Italy, you must plan ahead and know in advance what you will be doing in Italy. Visa categories and documents needed to apply for each visa category can be found on the web portal “Il Visto per l’Italia” or on our website. If you are not a Canadian National and you are not an EU National, you will need to apply for a short-term Schengen Visa. If you do not know what type of visa you should apply for, visit the web portal “Il Visto per l’Italia”.
5. I am trying to book an appointment on the web portal Prenot@mi to apply for a Schengen Visa (short-term visa, for stays up to 90 days) but every time I log in, there are no appointments. What can I do?
You must keep trying. Appointments are made available every day, around 6.00pm Toronto time. If you receive a message saying that no appointments are available, this does not mean that the calendar is fully booked until the end of the year. In fact, our calendar is open for 8 weeks on a rolling basis. Therefore, if you log in today and no appointments are available, tomorrow you may find new availabilities.
While trying to book, please consider that there are hundreds of people trying to log in and book for the same service.
You should always carefully plan your trip well in advance, if you need a visa.
If you face a proven emergency (tourism is NOT an emergency, even if you have already purchased flight tickets), you may send an email to toronto.visti@esteri.it. Please attach any documents proving the emergency. Emergency appointments cannot be guaranteed.
If your trip is in 30 or less than 30 days and you have repeatedly tried to book an appointment on Prenot@mi in the previous weeks, send an email to toronto.visti@esteri.it with subject line “Trip in 30 (or less than 30) days”. Please note that we cannot guarantee that we will be able to accommodate your request.
6. I am in Canada as a tourist or on an eTA, can I apply for a visa to Italy?
In order to apply for a visa to Italy at the Consulate General of Italy in Toronto, you must be a legal resident in our jurisdiction. If you are in Canada on a Tourist Visa or on an eTA, you do not qualify as legally resident. Only under absolutely exceptional circumstances, a person who is legally present in our consular jurisdiction, even though not a resident in Canada, might be allowed to submit their application. In this case, the reason to travel to Italy must be of the utmost urgency and the applicant must demonstrate beyond doubt that he/she could not have applied in the Country of origin prior to travelling to Canada.
7. I am currently in Canada for work/study, although I am not a Permanent Resident. My Canadian work permit/Canadian study permit/Canadian visa in general expires prior to the last day of my planned trip to Italy or the Schengen Area. Can I still apply at your Consulate?
In order to apply for a visa to Italy at the Consulate General of Italy in Toronto, you must be a legal resident in our jurisdiction. If your permit/visa expires before the end date of your trip to Italy or the Schengen Area, you must provide the Consulate with proof that you will not be returning to Canada and that you will fly back to your Country of origin instead, or to any other Country that could grant you access based on other valid visas/work permits/study permits. As an example, if you plan on travelling to Italy from June 15 to July 10, 2024 and your work permit in Canada expires on July 1, 2024 and you will not be renewing it, you must provide us with a flight ticket from the Schengen area to a destination other than Canada (i.e. your Country of origin).
8. I am a refugee or a stateless person. I do not have a Canadian passport but I hold a Certificate of Identity issued by Canada or a Blue Canadian Travel Document for refugees issued on the basis of the Geneva Convention of July 28, 1951. Do I need to apply for a visa to travel to Italy?
1. Holders of a (blue) Canadian Travel Document for refugees issued on the basis of the Geneva Convention of July 28, 1951 (note that this is not a regular blue Canadian passport for Canadian citizens) and
2. Holders of a Canadian-issued Certificate of Identity who are stateless persons or refugees
Do not need a visa to enter Italy for transit and or short term stay (e.g. for tourism or business purposes for up to 90 days).
It is up to the applicant to check with other relevant Schengen Countries if the above documents are accepted, even for transit purposes.
PLEASE NOTE: since the Certificate of Identity does not indicate the reason for its issuance, holders who are stateless persons or refugees must travel with documentation to prove their status as a stateless person or as a refugee in Canada. For example: as proof of statelessness status, Canada refers to the document at the bottom of the following page The humanitarian and compassionate assessment: Statelessness – Canada.ca , while for refugee status, the “refugee protection claimant document” (https://www.irb-cisr.gc.ca/en/applying-refugee-protection/Pages/index.aspx) can be used as proof of the holder’s refugee status in Canada.
If you are not a refugee or a stateless person and you hold no travel document other than a certificate of identity, you should apply for a visa.
9. Can you help me fill out the Application Form?
No, we cannot. Please, fill out the form to the best of your ability. If we deem that important information are missing, we will let you know on the day of the appointment for your Schengen Visa, or by email, if you are applying for a National Visa. Please, note that the application form must be signed by hand, we do not accept electronic signatures.
If you cannot fill out the form, due to a disability or to the temporary unavailability of printers or other IT tools and equipment, and if no relatives or friends can help you, do let us know by sending an email to toronto.visti@esteri.it.
10. I sent my application for a National Visa by mail. I tracked the shipment and saw that it was delivered to your Consulate. Can you confirm that you have received it?
The tracking should suffice. If you have a delivery confirmation, do not send us an email asking if we received your shipment. We cannot give confirmation of reception as we receive and process dozens of applications per day.
11. I have sent my application for a National Visa and I have not heard back. How long will it take for you to process the application?
It depends on a number of factors. In any case, bear in mind that we have up to 90 days to process National Visa applications for study, subordinate work, re-entry, elective residency; and up to 120 days for autonomous work.
12. I am planning on travelling to Italy and another Schengen Country (for instance France, Spain, Germany). I am going to stay in Italy for 3 days and I will spend another 10 days (this is just an example) in the other Schengen Country. Can I submit my application at the Consulate General of Italy in Toronto?
You must lodge your application with the Consulate that represents the Country which is your main destination. If Italy is not your main destination, please contact the Consulate representing the Schengen Country where you will spend most of your time when in the Schengen Area.
13. Youth Mobility Agreement – (formerly Working Holiday Visa): I entered Italy on a Visa issued under the Youth Mobility Agreement between Italy and Canada and I applied for a residence permit for study/working holiday. My period of study/working holiday is over but I wish to stay as I received a job offer in Italy. Can I apply for a new residence permit for work, without travelling back to Canada?
Please, address your query to the Italian Questura (Local police headquarters) competent based on your place of residence/domicile.
As a rule of thumb, if you entered a Country on a certain visa category, you should leave it and apply for a different type of visa if you wish to obtain a residence permit for different reasons. Nonetheless, this matter does not fall directly within the competence of the Consulate.
The addresses and contact information of the various “Questure” are available at: http://questure.poliziadistato.it/.
14. I am an EU/Italian national and I reside in the consular jurisdiction of the Consulate General of Italy in Toronto. I will be travelling to Italy with my spouse/registered partner, who is not a Canadian or EU/Italian national. Based on their nationality, my spouse/registered partner needs a visa to enter the Schengen Area. How can they apply?
Spouse/registered partner of an EU/Italian national as well as core family members as identified pursuant to art. 2 of Italian Legislative Decree no. 30/20073 are entitled to an expedited application, which is also free of charge. For information on the definition of “core family members” and their rights in the European Union, please visit Travel documents for non-EU family members – Your Europe (europa.eu).
In order to apply for a visa if you are a spouse/registered partner/family member of an EU National, contact toronto.visti@esteri.it and mention in the subject line: “Spouse/Registered Partner/family member of an EU/Italian national”.