After only three days of preparing the documents ourselves, we were granted visas to Italy without any problems, and we didn't have to pay for airfare or hotel rooms.
Reader Trinh Hang (over 40 years old, Hanoi), who has traveled independently to dozens of countries, shares her experience in getting a visa to Italy for her trip in early 2024.
Italy is part of the Schengen area and is one of the most visited countries in Europe. However, according to information on forums and travel groups, applying for an Italian visa has a low success rate. However, with the desire to spend all of our trip exploring Italy, we proactively applied for a Schengen visa to enter this country. As a result, we were granted a visa to enter Italy without any problems.
Read the instructions carefully, applying for an Italian visa is not difficult. Photo: Trinh Hang
Find out information , plan your trip
Information gathering is the most important task. To go to Italy, you should read the visa regulations on the official website of the Italian embassy in Vietnam and prepare your documents according to the instructions of VFS (the official contact point designated to receive and return the results of Italian visa applications) here. These websites are available in English and Vietnamese.
Next, take the time to create an itinerary. The itinerary is one of the most important documents in the visa application. The examiner will look at the itinerary and can assess your seriousness, whether the real purpose of the visa application is tourism or not. The more specific the itinerary is, the more it will be appreciated, Italy must be the main destination of the trip (time in Italy must be the majority compared to other countries, if any).
Our itineraries usually include a lot of information: which flight to Italy, which day, what time, where the hotel is, the hotel address, phone number, tourist attractions, website, ticket price, opening hours of each location, how to get there (train, bus, taxi or bicycle), which flight to return to Vietnam, which day, what time. You can also make a simpler itinerary, but the more detailed the more reliable it will be.
Of course, this schedule does not have to match 100% with the future trip, but it must be clear and feasible. For example, it is definitely not reasonable to plan to visit 2-3 cities in the same day, or between two cities 500 km apart or only spend an hour traveling, it is also not okay. You can refer to the schedules of experienced people and ensure the transparency and reasonableness of the plan.
Book rooms , buy airline tickets , notarize documents
Once you have created your itinerary, book your return flight tickets for the dates and times indicated on your itinerary. If you are traveling to other countries besides Italy, book your flight or train tickets for those trips as well. You do not need to pay for the flight tickets, just book and print the tickets in your English email.
Similarly, you buy travel insurance for the Schengen area that covers the number of days of your trip and the number of people applying for a visa with you, with a minimum coverage of 30,000 euros per person, and ask the insurance company to send you at least two copies of the certificate (usually bilingual).
Use popular apps like Booking.com, Agoda.com, Airbnb to book a hotel room where you will be visiting on your schedule. Choose a place that allows you to pay later and allows you to cancel your room for free. Make sure that your booking is reasonable: check-in and check-out times match your schedule, and the place you are staying is not too far from the attractions. You do not need to pay for the room, just print out the confirmation email.
For personal documents, please have them notarized and attach an English or Italian translation. The embassy will not accept documents that are not notarized.
Prepare a passport photo taken within 3 months according to the regulations on size and details. Passport photos are quite important in the application, if you submit a photo that does not meet the standards, VFS will ask you to take another photo.
Complete the application and schedule an appointment
Appointment information.
You complete the tourist visa application according to the requirements of the Italian Embassy according to the list on the official website, specifically as follows:
Visa application form: download the form on the VFS website and fill in all the information (can be handwritten or typed), attach a passport photo and sign the application, no need to stamp or notarize. For items that you are unsure how to fill in, leave them blank, VFS staff are ready to explain to you so that you can fill them in correctly when submitting your application.
Passport: original, valid for at least 3 months after the visa expires and with at least 2 blank pages; a photocopy of the passport (no notarization required). If you have old passports, please submit a photocopy as previous travel history is very important in assessing your credibility.
A photocopy of the Schengen travel insurance certificate you have purchased.
Two 4x6 cm passport photos according to ICAO standards (International Civil Aviation Organization standards) taken within the last 3 months.
Trip schedule.
Book round-trip air tickets, book hotel rooms. Please print the booking confirmation email in English, no need to stamp or notarize.
Proof of financial capacity: original (in English) bank account statement for the last 6 months and made close to the date of application submission, with red bank stamp. If you receive salary through an account, you need a statement of the salary account.
In cases where you do not receive your salary through your account but still submit a copy of your personal consumer account statement, it is acceptable. If you have other assets, please submit them to prove your financial capacity. You only need to prove that you are able to pay for your trip and have a stable financial life in Vietnam. It is not necessary to show that you are rich or have a high income.
Documents proving social background: notarized copy of social insurance book, original or notarized copy of labor contract, salary statement of the last 6 months, leave certificate, notarized copy of retirement decision, retirement card, pension book (for the elderly).
Social insurance book is an important document, but if you don't have it, you can still prove your social background with other documents. For students, the embassy requires a notarized copy of your student ID card, an original letter of confirmation with the school stamp (in English), and a letter of permission to leave school. If you cannot get these documents, include in your application all documents that show that you are studying in Vietnam for a long time, such as: union membership card, team membership card, membership card of the clubs you participate in, admission notice, admission confirmation, certificate of merit, and certificate of merit. If you are not studying, working at a fixed facility, or do not have a social insurance book, write a self-explanatory statement about your living situation and source of income.
Identity documents: notarized copy of household registration book with English translation. For children under 18 years old who are not accompanied by both guardians (father and mother), the guardian who is not participating in the trip must go directly to the embassy to sign a consent form allowing the child to travel, and submit a notarized copy of the child's birth certificate, a notarized copy of the guardian's ID card, and pay a fee of 550,000 VND for signing the consent form.
Write a letter of intent in English, explaining why you want to go to Italy and your intention to return home. You can also list the countries you have visited to increase your credibility. The content of the letter should be honest, concise, and consistent with your itinerary.
After completing the application, go to the VFS website to make an appointment. You can change the appointment if something unexpected happens. Italy allows applications to be submitted within 6 months before the departure date. The earlier you submit your application, the better because many tourist attractions in Italy are fully booked 1-2 months in advance. If you apply for a visa close to the date, it will be difficult to buy tickets. VFS currently has offices in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.
The current visa fee for Italy is 80 euros (about 2 million VND), and the service fee of VFS Global is 237,000 VND. If you choose the service of sending your passport to your home after receiving the visa result, the fee is 80,000 VND. The visa fee for children from 6 to under 12 years old is 40 euros, children under 6 years old are free.
The normal visa processing time is 15 days from the date of application.
Trinh Hang
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