Long term (National Visa, Type D, more than 90 days)

Long-stay visas are valid for a period exceeding 90 days and for one or multiple entries into Italy and may include transit through the territory of the Schengen States (the length of transit may not exceed 5 days). 

National visas entitle the student to stay for a long period only in the country that has issued the visa and to travel within the Schengen Area for up to 90 days, even if the student is still waiting for the issue of the residence permit.

Visa applications must be submitted in writing, giving all the details required on the special visa application form which must be signed by the applicant and accompanied by one passport-size photograph and a valid travel document on which the visa can be affixed. Applicants are obliged to state:

1. the purpose of the visit
2. means of transport and return
3. means of support during travel and sojourn
4. accommodation arrangements.

Documents required to obtain the visa (for study) to be admitted to Italian Higher Education Institutions:

• visa application form
• recent passport-style photo
• passport or travel document valid for at least three months after visa expiry date
• proof of means of support in Italy of not less than € 429,00 for each month of the academic year. This availability can be proven through:
• proof of personal or family resources;
• bank or insurance warranty or equivalent credit document (bank letter of credit applicable in Italy) or traveler’s cheques or other documentation proving the availability of sources of income in Italy (by means of bank transfer or deposit from abroad);
• guarantee of financial resources by accredited Italian institutions or agencies, local governments, or foreign institutions or agencies considered trustworthy by the Italian Diplomatic Representation;
• declaration of the availability in Italy of appropriate lodgings as well as the funds necessary for repatriation, possibly to be demonstrated in the form of a return airline ticket;
• health insurance: insurance coverage for medical treatment and/or hospitalization, to be demonstrated by means of a Consular declaration attesting the applicant’s right to healthcare in the presence of specific agreements between Italy and the applicant’s country of origin or a foreign insurance policy or one underwritten with Italian bodies or firms that must not include limitations or exception to the fees established for emergency hospitalization. You will have to take out a private health insurance policy when you apply for a study visa which must cover expenses in the event of emergency treatment and/or urgent hospitalization (admission via the hospital casualty ward) and cover the entire duration of your stay in Italy (i.e. the policy validity should be extended over the entire period of your stay in Italy). It has to be valid for the territory of all Member States that fully implement the Schengen Treaty; ensure the policy-holder's repatriation in case of serious illness; be translated into Italian and authenticated by the Italian Embassy/Consulate.

Documents required to obtain the visa for study in case of study grants

• visa application form
• recent passport-style photo
• passport or travel document valid for at least three months after the visa expiry date
• proof of having been awarded a study grant by the Italian government, recognized foundations or cultural institutes, international organizations, foreign governments or universities. Where the amount of the grant is in need of supplementation to satisfy the required amount of means of support, economic resources can also be demonstrated by proof of available means of support for the stay in Italy of an amount not less than that established in Table A annexed to Ministry of Interior Directive 1.3.2000 or by a proof of personal or family resources (bank or insurance warranty or equivalent credit document - bank letter of credit applicable in Italy - or traveler’s cheques or other documentation proving the availability of sources of income in Italy  - by means of bank transfer or deposit from abroad;
• declaration of the availability in Italy of appropriate lodgings as well as the funds necessary for repatriation, possibly to be demonstrated in the form of a return airline ticket;
• health insurance: insurance coverage for medical treatment and/or hospitalisation, to be demonstrated by means of a Consular declaration attesting to the applicant’s right to healthcare in the presence of specific agreements between Italy and the applicant’s country of origin or a foreign insurance policy or one underwritten with Italian bodies or firms that must not include limitations or exception to the fees established for emergency hospitalisation.

Documents required to obtain the visa for study in case of single courses 

• Entry visa application form 
• recent passport-size photograph
• valid travel document whose expiry date is three months longer than that of the visa requested
• proof that the applicant has accommodation in Italy: hotel booking, declaration of hospitality
• proof that the applicant has sufficient means of subsistence for their stay in Italy, for an amount not lower than that specified in Table A annexed to the Directive of the Ministry of the Interior dated 1st March 2000 
• enrolment (according to the timetable established by the MIUR) in one or more individual courses or "internships" at a public or private University authorised to award qualifications having legal value
• health insurance, if the foreign national is not entitled to health care in Italy by virtue of agreements or conventions in force with their country.