This site uses technical (necessary) and analytics cookies.
By continuing to browse, you agree to the use of cookies.

Visa

Important disclaimer

  • All applicants must submit the visa application at the Italian Embassy/Consulate competent for the consular jurisdiction where they reside.
  • Every applicant is required to fulfill and sign the application form and is responsible for the truthfulness of all the documentation submitted. It is advisable not to share personal information and data with third parties.

 

1
Choose the correct visa type according to the purpose of your intended stay and check which documents you need in order to apply.

Please carefully read the information on visa types on the dedicated website.

Please remember that the General Consulate has the right to request further documentation in addition to that expressly indicated and that the submission of the supporting documents requested does not automatically imply the issuing of a visa.

 

Visa application forms:

VISA APPLICATION FORM FOR LONG TERM STAY (MORE THAN 90 DAYS)

VISA APPLICATION FORM FOR SHORT TERM STAY (UP TO 90 DAYS)

 

Checklists:

These checklists are also available on the IVAC (Italy Visa Application Center) website.

Please note that IVAC is an external service provider managed by a private company, authorized only to collect visa applications. The evaluation and decision regarding the issuing of visas only depends on this Consulate General.

 

2
Biometric data collection (visa information system)

All visa applicants are required to go in person to the Visa Center IVAC when applying for a Schengen visa in order to lodge the application form and provide their biometric data. It is a simple and quick procedure that only takes a few minutes. Biometric data information is stored for up to 59 months.

Exemptions from the fingerprinting requirement are provided for a limited number of applicants, including children under the age of twelve and persons for whom the collection of fingerprints is physically impossible. Heads of State and members of the national government with members of their official delegation and spouses will also be exempted, if travelling for official purposes.

Italy does not require fingerprint capture for National Visas.(type “D”)

 

3
Where to apply for a visa in the P.R.C. (schengen visa-C / national visa-D)

The visa application must be submitted to one of the Italy Visa Application Centers (IVAC) of this consular district located in: Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou.

➡ Visit the ITALY VISA APPLICATION CENTER website to make an appointment.

Italy Visa Application Centers in Eastern China

3/F, Jiushi Commercial Building, No. 213 Middle Sichuan Road, Huangpu District, 200002, Shanghai

Opening hours: 9:00 – 15:00 (Monday – Friday)

Call Center: 020-28292276 (Monday – Friday, 8:00 – 17:00)

E-mail: info.italychina@vfshelpline.com

12/F, Building 5, Wings City, No. 128 Hongtai Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China 310020

Opening hours: 9:00 – 15:00 (Monday – Wednesday – Friday)

Call Center: 020-28292276 (Monday – Friday, 8:00 – 17:00)

E-mail: info.italychina@vfshelpline.com

15/F, Jinchen Insights, 88-1 Yurun Avenue, Jianye District, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, PRC

Opening hours: 9:00 – 15:00 (Monday – Wednesday – Friday)

Call Center: 020-28292276 (Monday – Friday, 8:00 – 17:00)

E-mail: infonkg.italycn@vfsglobal.com

 

4
Who can apply

Visas applications can be submitted exclusively by Chinese citizens or citizens from other countries (check here to find out for which countries it is necessary) residing in this consular district for at least 12 months (Municipality of Shanghai and Provinces of Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang) The proof of residence can be demonstrated by showing a copy of the Hukou+ID card or Residence Card.

Chinese citizens residing in HONG KONG or MACAO must apply for a visa at the Consulate General of Italy in Hong Kong.

 

Visa applications at the Visa Office and fast track

Visa applications can also be forwarded by email to the Visa Office of the Consulate General of Italy in Shanghai at visti.shanghai@esteri.it – ​​please pay attention that the waiting time for arranging an appointment is usually around ten working days.

In order to support exchanges and promotional activities of Italian companies, the General Consulate of Italy in Shanghai has set up a fast track for the appointments of visa applications at the Italy Visa Application Centers (IVAC), for the exhibitors of exhibition or fair events in Italy.

A similar fast track dedicated to making appointment for study visa applications has also been established.

For further information click here.

 

ADS Tourism Groups

Chinese citizens who choose to travel to Europe for group trip with a certain itinerary can contact local tourist agencies to request an ADS visa. These agencies must be authorized by the “China National Tourism Association” (CNTA) and be accredited by an Embassy of the Schengen States. For information relating to the EU-CHINA ADS agreement, we suggest to visit the portal of the Italian National Tourism Board (ENIT) which also contains the updated list of accredited Italian travel agencies.

Travel agencies aiming to apply for accreditation (white badge) must follow procedures according to the Manual of Sanctions related to ADS.

 

Chinese Diplomatic, Service and Public Affairs passport holders

According to Chinese regulation, all diplomatic, service and public affairs passport holders must submit visa applications through the competent Chinese Foreign Affairs Office.

The competent Chinese Foreign Affairs Office will submit these visa applications directly to the General Consulate, after having approved the applicant’s mission abroad.

The Chinese Foreign Affairs Offices will be constantly updated with the requirements for visa applications and will provide assistance on preparing the visa applications.

Information regarding the visa applications already submitted can be requested from the same Chinese Foreign Affairs Offices where the visa application be submitted and passports can be collected from the same offices once the procedure of visa application has been completed.

 

EU/EEA citizens’ family members

EU/EEA citizens family members benefit of a privileged treatment accorded by law (Directive 2004/38/CE and Italian Legislative Decree 30/2007).

EU/EEA family members, as indicated by EU Directive 2004/38/CE (link), can submit visa applications directly to this General Consulate by making the appointment through email(visti.shanghai@esteri.it).

EU/EEA citizens’ family members benefit from a reduced list of documents. Please find here the documents you must submit for tourism and here the documents for family reunion (note: EU/EEA family member reunion applicants will be issued a short term tourism visa, once in Italy please go to relevant police authorities to convert your visa into residence permit).

Please, check here if according to your family relation with the EU/EEA citizen you do have the right of exemption from visa fees.

 

5
When to ask for a schengen visa from the italian embassy/consulate

Schengen visa applicants can apply to the Italian Embassy/ Consulate if:

  1. Italy is the sole destination of the visit
  2. or, in case visit includes more than one Schengen country if Italy is the main destination in terms of the length or purpose of stay
  3. or, in case no main destination can be determined if Italy is the external border where the applicant intends to enter Schengen territory.

 

6
Visa fees and how to pay

The amount to be paid for the visa, in RMB, is linked to the “Quarterly Consular Exchange Rate” – (refer to this link) and changes at the end of each quarter.

For Schengen Visas (Type “C”), payment is made directly to the IVAC Visa Center at the time of submitting the application (see amounts below).

For visas submitted directly at the Visa Office of this Consulate, the visa should be paid by POS (exclusively by QR code with Alipay) or in cash.

NATIONAL VISAS: 116 euros / NATIONAL STUDY VISAS: 50 euros

SCHENGEN VISAS (Type C): 90 euro – payment in RMB at IVAC – consult the website of Visa Center.

–      children from the age of 6 years and below the age of 12 years: 45 euro

–      nationals of countries with which the EU has concluded Visa Facilitation Agreements shall pay a fee of 35 euro. Please consult the list on the European Commission website to know if your country is one of them.

Visa fees are waived for applicants belonging to one of the following categories:

  • children under 6 years
  • school pupils, students, postgraduate students and accompanying teachers who undertake stays for the purpose of study or educational training
  • researchers from third countries travelling for the purpose of carrying out scientific research as defined in Recommendation No 2005/761/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 September 2005 to facilitate the issue by the Member States of uniform short-stay visas for researchers from third countries travelling within the Community for the purpose of carrying out scientific research
  • representatives of non-profit organisations aged 25 years or less participating in seminars, conferences, sports, cultural or educational events organised by non-profit organisations
  • EU/EEA citizens family members, when accompanying or joining the EU/EEA relative, falling under Directive 2004/38/CE and Italian Legislative Decree 30/2007:
    a) spouses;
    b) partner (in case of bounding civil union, compared by hosting Member State’s law to marriage and not in violation of hosting Member State law);
    c) direct descendants under the age of 21 or who rely on them and those of the spouse or partner;
    d) direct ascendants relying on them and those of the spouse or partner.
  • diplomatic passport holders

Applicants lodging the visa application at the Italy Visa Application Centre will also be asked to pay a service fee: 62 CNY for ADS visas and 78 CNY for all other visas.

 

7
Visa application processing time

According to the Schengen Visa Code all decisions must be given within 15 calendar days, extendable to 45 days (see art. 23). For national visas the processing time is of 90 days, shortened to 30 days for family reunion and salaried work, and lengthened to 120 days for self-employment work.

We do recommend submitting visa applications well in advance (at least 15 days prior to departure date). Applications cannot be submitted earlier than six months before the start of the intended journey.

Please pay attention to the expiry date of your passport, which determines the maximum validity date of your visa.

The General Consulate of Italy in Shanghai reserves the right NOT to accept visa applications for departures scheduled for less than 15 days.

 

8
Additional information

 

Holding a valid visa does not automatically give the right of entry to the Schengen area

Please, be aware that holding a short-stay visa does not automatically entitle to enter Schengen area. Once arrived at Schengen border control, or during other controls, travelers may be asked to provide information on means of support, on how long they intend to stay in the Schengen State, and why they are visiting the Schengen State.

It is therefore recommended to carry with you copies of the documents presented when you applied for the visa (e.g. letters of invitation, travel confirmations, other documents stating the purpose of stay). For more information, please read art. 5 of the Schengen borders code (link).

 

What happens if a visa is refused

Negative decisions on applications are notified to the applicant. In the refusal letter reasons on which refusal decision was taken are clearly stated. Visa applicants whose applications are refused can decide to apply again or to appeal. Appeals must be brought against refusal decisions directly at the T.A.R. of the Latium Region, through a lawyer acting on applicant behalf, within 60 days of the serving of the decision itself. The appeal will have to be notified, under penalty of nullity (as per art. 144 of C.P.C. and art. 11 of R.D. no. 1611 of 1933), to the relevant “Avvocatura dello Stato”.

For family reunion visas only, appeals must be addressed to the ordinary court (“Tribunale ordinario”) of the place of residence of the family member living in Italy.

 

How to read a Schengen visa sticker and correctly use your Schengen visa

“Duration of stay … days” indicates the number of days you may stay in the Schengen area. The days should be counted from the date you enter the Schengen area (the entry stamp) to the date you exit the Schengen area (the exit stamp), i.e. both days included. The period of time between “From … until” is usually longer than the number of days printed in the “Duration of stay”. The difference in period is meant to give you flexibility to plan your entry into and exit from the Schengen area, but your stay in the Schengen area must never exceed the exact number of days in the “Duration of stay … days” filed. No matter how many days you have stayed in the Schengen area, you must leave no later than the date printed in the “Until” field.

Schengen visas entitle to one or two or multiple entries. Travelers who often need to go to the Schengen area can apply for multi-entry visas valid up to 5 years. In case you are a multi-entry visa holder, please remember that for intended stays on the territory of the Member States duration of stay cannot be more than 90 days in any 180-day period, which entails considering the 180-day period preceding each day of stay. In order to avoid overstaying or to better know how many days you can still stay in Schengen territory, please check here the European Commission calculator.

 

How to correctly use your Italian national visa

All Italian national visa holders, once arrived in Italy must convert their visa into a residence permit (“permesso di soggiorno”) applying within 8 working days from their first entry in Italy. Applications must be submitted to the relevant police authorities (“Questura”) of the Province of intended residence. Residence permit duration will be the same as indicated in the visa. Residence permits can be renewed or extended directly in Italy. To know the relevant police authorities according to your destination, please check the following website.

 

Further information

For any further information, you can send an email to visti.shanghai@esteri.it or check directly the website of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the website of the European Commission.

Information on the protection of individuals with reference to the processing of personal data for the issuance of an entry visa in Italy and in the Schengen area

According to the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679, the subjects, owners and managers, who process the personal data, are required to inform the users in advance about the planned processing, in compliance with the principles of lawfulness, fairness and transparency. For further information, please check the notice (ITA/CHN– ENG).

General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679