Italy: a student visa, where it is applied for and what to check

What you need to do

The order in Italy is stricter than in many countries: first the pre-enrolment application for your chosen programme through the state portal, and only then the visa. Without it the consulate does not consider a study visa application, and letters from the university do not replace it.

The visa needed is a long-stay one, not Schengen: study longer than three months goes on a national visa. It is applied for at the Italian mission responsible for your place of residence. For Moldova that is the embassy in Chișinău, with its own appointment procedure and its own list of documents.

After arrival one step remains that is easy to forget: the residence permit is applied for inside Italy, within a set period from the date of entry. A visa gives the right to arrive, not the right to live — that right comes from the permit.

Where the official answers live

• The Foreign Ministry's visa portal — which type of visa is required, which documents, and which mission accepts your application.
• The Italian Embassy in Chișinău — appointments and documents for people living in Moldova.
• Universitaly — the state portal: the pre-enrolment application, without which a visa is not considered.

How to check that the requirement has not changed

The pre-enrolment window opens and closes anew every year, and last year's instruction is the worst adviser. Open the page for the current intake on the application portal rather than the one a search engine found.

Check the list of documents on the page of the mission you are applying to, on the day you apply. Where the portal and the consulate differ, the consulate's requirement is the one to satisfy: it decides your case.

Timings and fees for Italy are collected in the facts on the country page, each with a link to its primary source and the date it was checked. An expired fact is not shown at all.