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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:
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.
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.
All of the required visa materials outlined in the document below MUST BE RECEIVED by the Office of Study Away (OSA) in their complete and accurate form starting April 3rd, 2026, and NO LATER than April 17th, 2026. Some of the required documents may take time to obtain/complete accurately. DO NOT WAIT until the last minute to begin collecting and completing these documents. Be extremely time sensitive to ensure that all of your required documents are completed correctly and in proper order before the deadline.
CLICK HERE to schedule your in person visa submission appointment. Visiting students will have this meet on zoom.
Visa Fee: $58.60 Money Order only, see below instructions
All materials MUST be printed on ONE SIDE ONLY and completed in BLANK PEN.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: If you are an international student and required to obtain an Italian Visa there are additional requirements. Contact Lindsay Oliver to discuss the additional requirements.
Read the below instruction packet and gather all required materials.
IMPORTANT: Once you have scheduled a visa appointment using this link CLICK HERE to inform the Rome Campus. Once this information is receive the Rome Campus will mail you the following materials need for your visa appointment.
Official Acceptance Letter from the Trinity Rome Campus
Proof of Housing in Rome
Proof of Medical Insurance for the duration of the program
**Do not attend your visa appointment without receiving your official documentation from the Rome Campus**
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: If you are an international student and required to obtain an Italian Visa there are additional requirements. Contact Lindsay Oliver to discuss the additional requirements.
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.
If you are a citizen of a country other than the U.S., you may have additional student visa requirements and it may take longer to process the student visa. Be sure to factor in extra time accordingly.
Please note that you may have to apply for your study away student visa in the US. It may not be possible to apply for your study away student visa in your home country.
If you will be outside the U.S. for five (5) months or more, you will need a new I-20 signature from a designated person on campus before you leave. Katie Clair at Trinity College can sign I-20s.
Ensure that your U.S. visa is still valid in order for you to re-enter the U.S. after your semester abroad. Please consult with your international student advisor on all questions and immigration requirements.
Your passport is the only universally accepted form of identification. If you lose it, you’ve lost all means of travel and the means to register with the authorities. Without your passport, you cannot leave any country.
A passport is an official government document that certifies one's identity and citizenship.
In order to travel to another country, you must have a valid passport with an expiration date at least 6 months past your date of return.
If you don't have a passport yet or it is about to expire, apply for a new one NOW. Processing time for U.S. passport applications can be 4-8 weeks or longer.
For US citizens, visit this website to apply for or renew your passport.
For international students, visit your country’s specific passport website.
Have a copy of the photo page of your passport saved & accessible to you and your family. Should you lose your passport this will save a lot of time and hassle.
A visa is issued by the country you are studying in and will grant you permission to enter and stay in the country for a specified period of time.
Most students studying away will need some type of student visa to stay in the country over 90 days.