Italy visa guideThe Italy family and friends visit visa is a Schengen short-stay visa (type C) for staying with relatives or friends who live in Italy, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Applicants from Punjab file at VFS Global in Chandigarh, Jalandhar or New Delhi, and the Embassy of Italy in New Delhi decides, usually within 15 working days by VFS's count and up to 45.
The host's papers carry the file: a signed invitation, an ID or passport copy, the Italian residence permit if the host is not an EU citizen, and proof of relationship through apostilled Indian certificates and Italian ANPR certificates with a QR code. Close family of Italian or EU citizens pay no visa fee.
Do Indians need a visa to visit family in Italy, and which one?
Yes. Parents visiting a son in Brescia, or a sister going to a niece's wedding in Latina, need a Schengen short-stay visa, type C. It allows up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area, and there is no e-visa. What changes is the category you pick at VFS, and that depends on who your host is.
Italy family visit visa: the two categories
- Host is a non-EU resident of ItalyFor example a son or daughter living there on a residence permit
- Visiting Family and Friends
- Host is an Italian or EU citizen, you are a friend or wider relativeStandard €90 visa fee
- Visiting Family and Friends
- You are the spouse, child under 21, or dependent parent or in-law of an Italian or EU citizenVisa issued free of charge
- Visiting Family EU
- Decided byFor residents of Punjab and the rest of North India
- Embassy of Italy, New Delhi
- TimeItalian certificates may be checked with Italy
- 15 working days, up to 45
VFS Global Italy India and Embassy of Italy New Delhi, checked 14 Oct 2026
Two rules decide the rest. First, holding an invitation takes you out of the tourist category: VFS tells applicants with an invitation from an EU or non-EU national to use one of these family categories. Second, this is a visit. If a husband, wife or child wants to live with the family in Italy, that is family reunion on a national (type D) visa, covered in our Italy family reunion visa guide.
Where do applicants from Punjab apply?
Through VFS Global, at the Chandigarh, Jalandhar or New Delhi centre. Every file from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Chandigarh is decided by the Embassy of Italy in New Delhi. Where you live counts, not the city printed in your passport. VFS will not process an appointment booked at a centre outside your jurisdiction, so a family in Amritsar or Hoshiarpur should not book in Mumbai.
The Embassy says family members of Italian and EU citizens get a preferential channel to apply directly at VFS. If the Italian relative is registered at the consulate in New Delhi and already has a consular appointment, the family's visa request can be lodged at the Embassy by booking through email.
For elderly parents, a few practical points:
- Each person goes in. VFS states that the applicant must attend and cannot send someone in their place.
- A helper may come inside. Only applicants, caregivers and people accompanying children under 18 may enter, so an older parent can bring a caregiver.
- Fingerprints. All 10 fingers are scanned. VFS advises waiting until temporary finger injuries heal, and anyone who physically cannot give prints must bring a medical certificate.
- Photo. A turban or head covering worn for religious reasons is allowed; the face must be fully visible.
You can move an appointment once, at least 48 business hours ahead. See how slots are opening on our Italy appointment availability page.
Which documents depend on your situation?
On a family file, half the papers come from Italy. The New Delhi checklist for visiting family and friends asks your host for:
- An invitation letter, filled in and signed by the host. The signature must match the one on the host's ID or passport.
- Proof of the host's status. An EU citizen sends an ID or passport copy, signature page included. A non-EU citizen sends a passport copy with the signature page and a copy of the Italian residence permit.
- Italian certificates requested online on the ANPR portal, with a QR code. The checklist asks for the online version, so a plain photocopy is not enough.
- A bank surety (fidejussione), in original, from an Italian financial institution, if your own finances are not enough and the host is sponsoring you.
VFS also publishes the Embassy's "proof of sponsorship and/or private accommodation" form. On it the host declares where you will stay, that they can bear your living costs, and that they know Italian law requires them to tell the local police you are staying with them within 48 hours of your arrival in Italy.
Proof of relationship needs the most care. The checklist says the birth certificate including the parents' names, the marriage certificate, and the Stato civile and Stato di famiglia are mandatory, and that Indian documents must be duly apostilled. The Embassy's legalisation page names the Ministry of External Affairs as the authority that apostilles certificates issued in India.
What you add from India depends on who you are:
Employee
- What the checklist asks of you
- Original approval letter on company headed paper, latest 3 months of payslips, latest 3 years of income tax returns
Self-employed
- What the checklist asks of you
- Full business certificate of incorporation, last 3 months of business bank statements, latest 3 years of income tax returns
Student
- What the checklist asks of you
- Original school or college letter dated within 30 days of submission, signed by the Head of Department
Retired parent
- What the checklist asks of you
- No separate line; show pension credits in your personal statement, and lean on the host's sponsorship form or bank surety
Spouse, child under 21 or dependent parent of an Italian or EU citizen
- What the checklist asks of you
- An invitation issued no more than 6 months before you apply, and for dependants, proof that the EU citizen has sent money over the last 12 months
Minor travelling alone
- What the checklist asks of you
- Both parents are summoned to the Embassy to sign the consent letter
Your own bank statement has rules of its own on this route: the last 6 months, updated to no more than 1 month before submission, in the same name as your passport, positive balance only, and no business accounts. Add papers that show you will return, such as an employment contract, proof that you are studying, your children's school records, or proof that you look after someone at home.
How much is the Italy family visit visa fee?
€90 for adults and €45 for children from 6 to under 12, which VFS's New Delhi fee tab showed as ₹9,910 and ₹4,960 on 14 October 2026; children under 6 pay nothing. The spouse, a child under 21, and dependent parents or in-laws of an Italian or EU citizen pay no visa fee at all. Everyone pays VFS's service charge of ₹649, and neither that nor the visa fee is refunded after a refusal or withdrawal. Our filing fee is shown at the top of this page.
How long does it take, and when should you apply?
VFS gives 15 working days, which can be extended up to 45. The Embassy's page puts most C-visa decisions at 15 calendar days. Plan with the longer figure, because the EU family checklist warns that certificates issued by an Italian municipality are verified with the competent authority in Italy, which can stretch processing to 45 days.
Timing your papers matters as much as timing the trip:
- Earliest: six months before travel. The Embassy does not accept applications lodged earlier.
- Latest: VFS gives a window of 15 to 180 working days before departure for this category, so 15 working days is the floor.
- Bank statement: it must be updated to within 1 month of your appointment, so print it last.
- EU family invitation: it must be issued no more than 6 months before you submit.
The Embassy invites applicants to look for refundable tickets and hotel bookings, and says it is not responsible for money lost if a visa is refused or late.
Why do Italy family visit visas get refused for Indian applicants?
The refusal form lists the EU's standard reasons. On family files they usually trace back to one of these.
The relationship is not proved
A birth certificate without the parents' names, an Indian certificate with no apostille, or Italian certificates without the ANPR QR code leave the officer unable to confirm who is who. Spellings must match across passports, certificates and the host's papers.
The host's papers do not hold up
The invitation signature does not match the host's ID, the residence permit copy is missing or expired, or the signature page is left out. Ask the host to sign the way they sign their passport, and to send a permit valid beyond your visit.
Money on the wrong account
A business account, a negative balance or a statement older than a month does not meet the checklist. If your own money is thin, the route the Embassy offers is the host's original bank surety from an Italian financial institution.
No reason to come back
Parents with married children abroad are asked, in effect, why they will return. Answer with documents: property papers, pension records, a business you run, other children or grandchildren you look after in India.
A doubtful certificate
The checklist warns that a forged or fake certificate, affidavit or passport will not be returned and that the applicant might be prosecuted in both Italian and Indian courts. Never use a certificate you have not checked yourself.
A refused visitor can apply again or appeal. For a visit visa, the Embassy says the appeal goes to the T.A.R. of the Latium Region through a lawyer within 60 days; refusals of family reunion visas go to the immigration section of the ordinary Court of Rome instead. Our Schengen refusal reasons page explains each reason on the form.
Tips for a stronger file
- Start with the certificates. Apostilles in India and ANPR downloads in Italy take time to line up. Get them first, then book VFS.
- One spelling of every name. Check the passport, the birth certificate, the marriage certificate and the host's Stato di famiglia letter by letter.
- Insurance with a stamp. The family checklist asks for an insurance certificate of at least €30,000 for urgent hospitalisation or repatriation, with the insurer's stamp and signature. Buy from an insurer on the Schengen-approved list.
- A round-trip ticket. The checklist lists a round-trip flight ticket. Keep it refundable until the visa is stamped.
- Original and copy of everything. The checklist asks for all documents in original and copy.
- A cover letter from the parents. Say who invited you, how you are related, where you will stay, who pays, and the date you will fly home.
- Tell the host about the 48 hours. Under the sponsorship form, the host must report your stay to the local police within 48 hours of your arrival in Italy.
Visit visa or family reunion: which one fits?
A visit visa is for a stay of up to 90 days, after which the visitor goes home. A spouse or child who intends to live in Italy needs a national visa: the Embassy says long-stay visas are issued mainly for study, work and family reunion, and that their processing takes longer. Applying for a visit visa when the plan is to stay is the clearest way to get a refusal for doubts about return.
Spouses and children of Italian or EU citizens have both options. A short visit uses the free Visiting Family EU category. Settling in Italy uses the EU family reunion route, also listed on VFS's New Delhi page. Our Italy family reunion visa guide explains the long-stay route, and the Italy tourist visa guide covers trips with no host. For everything else, start at the Italy country page.
Official sources
- Visas, Embassy of Italy in New Delhi
- Translation and legalization of documents, Embassy of Italy in New Delhi
- VFS Global Italy India: New Delhi jurisdiction visa types, fees and processing time
- VFS Global Italy India: what happens at the centre
- VFS Global Italy India: book an appointment
- Applying for a Schengen visa, European Commission
