READ CAREFULLY!
Visa Applicants for SHORT term stay (from 1 to 90 days).
Students attending a program lasting less than 90 days must book an appointment through here for a STUDY VISA [PRENOT@MI]. Please ensure that the reason for your application is clearly indicated. If study is not the primary purpose of your trip, the appointment will be cancelled.
US citizens do not need a visa for short term study stays.
For short term stay the eApplication MUST be used.
The SHORT TERM STUDY VISA is FREE.
For any additional question please contact us at [visas.houston@esteri.it]
Starting in June 2025, U.S. citizens — as well as British, Japanese, and Canadian nationals — who either reside in our jurisdiction or are currently enrolled in a school within our jurisdiction (TX, LA, AR, OK), are allowed to apply by mail or drop off. As a result, please DO NOT make an appointment if you are a US citizen. Applications can be mailed to the Consulate General of Italy in Houston, Att. Visa Office.
Please be advised that incomplete applications will be returned unprocessed.
Visa applicants of other nationalities applying for a LONG-term stay (91 to 365 days) who reside in our jurisdiction or are currently enrolled in a school within our jurisdiction (TX, LA, AR, OK) MUST book an appointment through [PRENOT@MI]. Please ensure that you select the correct appointment type: “Study”.
Please see the required documents checklist: STUDIO. This is a general list of requirements, some STUDY programs may need additional documentation. The office will provide the proper list in cases where your programs warrant a different process. Please do not overlook the requirements and make sure you have each of it prior to applying.
Most students enrolled in Bachelor’s degrees, Master’s degrees, Specialization Schools, PhD programs, Advanced training courses, University Master’s programs, and individual university courses are required to register on https://www.universitaly.it/. Please confirm this with your university. Students must access the UNIVERSITALY portal and complete the pre-enrollment application online, following the procedures active on the portal and attaching the documentation required by the university institution. This procedure applies to the majority of academic institutions, with the exception of certain private universities. The deadlines for pre-enrollment procedures for study programs, except for those with limited enrollment, are set by each individual higher education institution and published on their respective websites. The Italian university to which the student is applying will validate the pre-enrollment application on the UNIVERSITALY portal. It will indicate whether the authenticity of the documents has been verified and for which ones, and whether the student needs a Declaration of Value for their diploma. Once the pre-enrollment is validated on the UNIVERSITALY portal, the student can apply for the VISA.
Regarding ITALIAN LANGUAGE COURSES, the required level of proficiency for application acceptance is B1 (intermediate level). Prior knowledge of the Italian language must be demonstrated by presenting appropriate language certificates.
Visa Application available here: NATIONAL VISA APPLICATION FORM
If you do not intend to obtain a valid health insurance policy prior to your departure, you must provide an AFFIDAVIT FOR MEDICAL INSURANCE stating that you will purchase an Italian insurance policy upon your arrival in Italy, before registering with the local police headquarters (Questura).
Students attending a program in Italy at a foreign University for less than 150 days are not required to apply for an Italian Residence Permit. In place of it, they will have to present a Declaration of Presence in the country at the closest local police headquarters (Questura).
Processing can take up to 90 days. Before scheduling other trips that may come in conflict with your application, please be aware of the processing time. We urge you not to request expedited processing of your VISA on the basis of other trips.
The Visa office handles many thousands of requests each year and we strive to process every application in time for the departure date, which means that applicants might receive their passports just few days before their departure. Please do not ask for updates about your visa status and do not inquire about the delivery of the envelope. This sort of inquiries will be disregarded.
The LONG TERM STUDY VISA fee is $ 58.40 Visa Fee (esteri.it). We accept ONLY CASH (Money orders are accepted only if properly authorized). Please provide the exact change. We do not accept cards.
Affidavit of support available here: AFFIDAVIT OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT
If you would like the passport/visa returned by mail you will need to provide a UPS or USPS EXPRESS PRIORITY prepaid mail envelope with tracking along with the application. If using FedEx, please ensure that the Consulate is not listed as the sender of the shipment. Other form of mailing will be rejected. Please take note of the tracking number before shipping it. If the application is missing the return envelope, the passport will not be shipped back but it will be picked up in person. Please provide the declaration for mailing your passport: Declaration for mailing.
There have been several issues with the mail service in the past, thus it is strongly recommended to pick up your passport in person when it is ready. In case of impossibility, please provide not less than a priority EXPRESS prepaid mail label, which is more trustworthy. If the passport gets lost in the mail, please do not inquire about it with the visa office but rely on the mail service that you used.
It has frequently occurred that, due to a delay in the delivery of the package, students — acting out of concern— have reported their passport as lost and requested a replacement. This is a practice we strongly discourage, as statistics show that the passport is eventually delivered, with the visa enclosed. Therefore, should you find yourselves in a similar situation, we strongly advise against taking such action and recommend that you patiently await the regular delivery of your passport.
Please address any question regarding the Declaration of Value to houston.education@esteri.it
Students who need a Tax Code for university pre-registration can obtain it automatically through the UNIVERSITALY portal during the pre-registration application. The Tax Code assignment can be completed at the Single Immigration Office or the Police Headquarters when applying for a residence permit by non-EU students; at the Agenzia delle Entrate by submitting the AA4/8 form for EU students.
Please check the General information page for other useful information.