• Nearly all students going to Rome for a semester need to secure an Italian student visa. The only exceptions are students with a valid passport from a country in the Schengen Area.

• A visa is applied for through the Italian consular offices located here in the United States.  The visa is a consular stamp/sticker that will be affixed to a blank page in your passport.

• Your name on ALL documents must match your legal name on your passport.

• The Italian government has the right to change their requirements or request additional materials at any time.

• The Italian government has the right to deny any visa application it deems insufficient.

• The information in this packet has been gathered from the Italian Consulate websites, direct communications with the NYC Italian Consulate and many years of experience with the Italian visa process.

• International Students that are required to obtain an Italian National visa must apply for their visa in the United States based on their address in the US. Depending on your nationality, the Italian Consulate may require additional documentation with your application (EX:  Valid U.S. long term visa, I-20 with updated travel signature, and in some cases, full names and birth certificates of parents). These requirements may be different at each Italian Consulate so please refer to your regional Italian Consulates requirements.

There are two processes in which you can apply for your Italian visa: 

1. Batch Visa Process is an option Trinity College and the NYC Italian Consulate provides to students studying at the Rome Campus. This process allows the study away advisor for the Rome Campus to collect students' visa application documents by a specific date then travel to the Italian Consulate in NYC to submit the application.  

• Batch Visa Process Eligibility:  If ANY of the following scenarios apply to you, you are NOT ELIGIBLE for the batch visa process and will need to obtain your visa independently. 

• You are an international student with a passport from a country outside of the United States or the Schengen Area. 

• Your permanent address AND your school address are BOTH outside of CT, NY, or NJ. For example, you live in Massachusetts and go to school in Maine. 

• You will be traveling outside of the United States anytime between April 1st and August 1st, 2026, requiring the use of your passport.

2. Independent Visa Process: This process will be required for students who are ineligible for the group process. You will submit your visa application on your own directly at an Italian Consulate. 

What is an Enrollment Letter?

An enrollment letter should verify that a student is enrolled at their home institution; it should include when they enrolled (started at school there), their major, and their anticipated date of graduation. If possible it should also include when the students will be returning back to their home campus from their time abroad. 

What if I do not have the required amount of money in my bank account?

All students are required by the Italian government to have this amount of money available to them to support while they are studying in Italy. You will need to work with your parents/guardian, and/or family on this. Students in the past have had their parents or family members provide them the funds to deposit into their bank account so they can obtain a bank letter. The funds can be returned back once the letter has been produced and/or you have obtained your visa. You do not need to have this amount of money in your account while you are in Italy. 

Trinity students, who recieve financial aid can contact Lindsay Oliver to discuss additional options.

I plan to travel internationally between April 1st – August 1st, will this affect my visa process?

Yes, you will need to apply for your visa through the independent process and will not be eligible for the group process. See the independent visa process packet in compass for instructions. At the time of your appointment, the Consulate will take your passport in order to process your visa. This means that you will be without your passport while they process your visa. Please plan all travel around your visa appointment.

What is the Schengen Zone?

“Schengen Area, signifies a zone where 26 European countries, abolished their internal borders, for the free and unrestricted movement of people, in harmony with common rules for controlling external borders and fighting criminality by strengthening the common judicial system and police cooperation. Schengen Area covers most of the EU countries, except the UK, Ireland and the countries that are soon to be part of: Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Cyprus. Although not members of the EU, countries like: Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Lichtenstein are also part of the Schengen zone.  https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/schengen-visa-countries-list/

What is a Money Order?

A money order is a form of a prepaid payment or check; it is a more secure version of a check. You can purchase a money order from the US Postal Service by cash or debit card only.