Third-country nationals outside the European Union who wish to travel to Italy must, where they are subject to the visa requirement, hold a valid visa when entering the territory. The visa category to request varies according to the purpose of travel and the planned length of stay in the Schengen area. Depending on the case, this may be a short-stay visa, a national long-stay visa or a transit visa.
The short-stay visa allows a stay in the Schengen area for a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period. It is mainly issued for tourism, visits to relatives or business trips, without granting the right to carry out paid professional activity.
The Italian long-stay visa is intended for people wishing to stay more than 90 days in Italy, particularly for family reunification, higher education or professional opportunities.
Finally, the transit visa is required by the Italian authorities for travellers who need to make a stopover in one of Italy airports before continuing their journey to a final destination outside the Schengen area.