Visa cost
Italy student visa cost — Type D study visa plus permesso di soggiorno per studio
$193 in fees nobody can skip. Checked August 2026.
How much does a Italy student visa cost in 2026?
Applying for a student visa in Italy — the Type D study visa plus permesso di soggiorno per studio — costs $193 in fees you cannot skip: Type D study visa fee ($58), Electronic residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) ($35), Residence permit contribution ($46), Poste Italiane kit and registered postage ($35) and Revenue stamp (marca da bollo) ($19). Tuition, living costs and proof-of-funds sit outside this total. All amounts are US dollars, last checked August 2026.
Type D study visa plus permesso di soggiorno per studio cost breakdown
Every line the Italy application puts on your card, in US dollars, as of August 2026.
| Line item | Amount (USD) | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Type D study visa fee | $58 | EUR 50, non-refundable unless the application is ruled inadmissible Italian Embassy in The Hague (MAECI) — Study visa, procedures for AY 2026/2027 and 2027/2028 |
| Electronic residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) | $35 | EUR 30.46 for any permit longer than 90 days Polizia di Stato — Residence permit: how, where and what it costs |
| Residence permit contribution | $46 | EUR 40 for a permit up to one year; EUR 50 for one to two years Questura di Bergamo (Polizia di Stato) — Ufficio Immigrazione, residence permit contribution bands |
| Poste Italiane kit and registered postage | $35 | EUR 30 paid when the application envelope is sent Polizia di Stato — Residence permit: how, where and what it costs |
| Revenue stamp (marca da bollo) | $19 | EUR 16, affixed to the completed permit application form Polizia di Stato — Residence permit: how, where and what it costs |
| Mandatory total | $193 | What the Type D study visa plus permesso di soggiorno per studio costs before any optional service. |
Amounts are US dollars. Italy bills in its own currency, so the exact charge moves with the exchange rate — the native figures are in the notes column where the fee schedule publishes them.
Things to watch
- The visa is the cheap half. Most of the cost lands after you arrive, in the four charges that make up the residence permit application.
- The contribution rises to EUR 50 where the permit runs beyond one year, which is why the range tops out around USD 205.
- Universitaly pre-enrolment is free. A Declaration of Value or the two CIMEA statements are not, and CIMEA sets its own prices outside the government fee schedule.
- USD figures convert at EUR 1 = USD 1.16, the rate on 29 August 2026.
How much bank balance do you need for a Italy student visa?
For the National (type D) study visa for university enrolment, then a permesso di soggiorno per studio, Italy asks you to show EUR 10,180 (about $11,809). The accepted form is Traceable personal or family funds, shown by bank statements or a formal guarantee, and it covers One academic year; multi-year courses only need the first year proved. This is money you show, not money you pay, so it never appears in the fee table above. The figure comes from Italian Consulate General in Buenos Aires (MAECI) — New visa and enrolment rules for AY 2026/2027 and 2027/2028, checked August 2026.
Italian Consulate General in Buenos Aires (MAECI) — New visa and enrolment rules for AY 2026/2027 and 2027/2028 · checked August 2026
Italy student visa requirements
- Universitaly pre-enrolment, validated by the institution
You cannot book a visa appointment until your chosen university or AFAM institution has validated the pre-enrolment on the Universitaly portal and lifted any reserve on it. Without that validation the visa is refused automatically.
source - Declaration of Value, or both CIMEA statements
Your foreign qualification needs either a Dichiarazione di Valore from the Italian mission, or both a CIMEA Statement of Verification and a Statement of Comparability. It is compulsory even when the university does not ask for it.
source - Language certificate at B2, or B1 for a Foundation Course
From AY 2026/2027 you must certify B2 in the language the course is taught in, Italian or English, from an internationally recognised body or a university, covering listening, reading, speaking and writing.
source - Proof of EUR 10,179.85 for the year
Funds must come from lawful, traceable sources and preferably be your own; a relative within the fourth degree can guarantee them with a declaration legalised by the Italian mission. Blocked accounts in the student's name are accepted.
source - Somewhere to live in Italy
A university residence contract, a registered lease, or a hotel booking covering at least 30 days. Being eligible for a residence place is not proof. Private hosts must sign a declaration of hospitality with a copy of their ID.
source - Health insurance from an Italian insurer
Valid for the whole stay, with no cap or exclusion on emergency hospital admission, and accompanied by an itemised list of what it covers.
source - Return ticket, or the money for the trip home
Counted separately from the EUR 10,179.85 subsistence figure.
source - Passport valid three months beyond the visa, with two blank pages
It must have been issued within the last ten years.
source - Certified Italian translations of your qualification and transcript
Master's and doctoral applicants also file a transcript from the awarding university with the syllabus for each subject, which a Diploma Supplement can cover.
source
How to apply for a Italy student visa
- Pre-enrol on Universitaly and wait for the university to validate it
Pre-enrolment is compulsory for degrees, AFAM and SSML courses, master's, doctorates, single courses, exchange programmes and Foundation Courses. The portal also issues a provisional Italian tax code you confirm with the Agenzia delle Entrate after you arrive.
source - Book the consulate appointment through Prenot@mi
Only candidates whose pre-enrolment has been validated without reserve can book. Turn up with a complete file, because incomplete applications cause delays or a refusal.
source - Apply for the type D study visa before the ministry deadline
For AY 2026/2027 degree and second-cycle applications close on 30 November 2026, and for AY 2027/2028 on 31 October 2027. Master's, doctorates, Erasmus, single courses and Foundation Courses have no fixed ministry deadline but must be filed before teaching starts.
source - Allow up to 90 days for the decision
Consulates assess type D study visas in up to 90 days and may call you for an interview or ask for more documents. A complete file does not guarantee the visa.
source - Apply for the permesso di soggiorno within eight working days of landing
Collect the Poste Italiane kit, fill in the first form, and hand it in at a post office with a Sportello Amico counter. Municipalities and patronati fill it in free if you would rather not do it yourself.
source - Go to the questura for fingerprints, then collect the card
The post office receipt stands in for the permit until the card is issued, and it lets you travel home and back. The appointment letter tells you when to attend with photographs.
source
Italy student visa work rights, dependants and processing time
Work rights
A study residence permit allows part-time employment of up to 20 hours a week and no more than 1,040 hours a year.
sourceDependants
Family cohesion under article 28 of the immigration code is open to holders of a permit valid at least a year issued for study, so a student on a one-year study permit can apply. You also need a certified suitable-housing document and annual income of at least the assegno sociale, raised by half for each relative joining.
sourceProcessing time
A type D study visa takes up to 90 days to assess, so file well before teaching starts.
sourceAfter graduation
Graduating in Italy lets you convert the study permit into a work permit, provided the study permit is still valid: you sign a residence contract with the employer at the Sportello Unico per l'Immigrazione.
sourceLanguage requirement
From AY 2026/2027 you must certify B2 in the language your course is taught in, Italian or English, and B1 for a Foundation Course.
sourceItaly student visa requirements for Chinese students
Marco Polo and Turandot reserve places for you
Two bilateral programmes set up with China in 2006 hold quota places at Italian higher-education institutions for Chinese students, on condition you first take a 10- or 11-month Italian course of 100 hours a month aimed at B1. On Universitaly you select Marco Polo / Turandot as the visa reason.
sourceYour deadline is far earlier than everyone else's
For AY 2026/2027 the consulate closed Marco Polo and Turandot candidatures on 29 August 2025 for the 10-month course and on 25 July 2025 for the 11-month pilot, more than a year before the general 30 November 2026 visa deadline.
sourceItaly student visa requirements for Indian students
Your Declaration of Value follows the state, not the country
Indian qualifications are assessed by the Italian mission whose jurisdiction covers the state where you studied, so Bengaluru, Mumbai and the embassy in New Delhi each publish their own DoV checklist. Applying to the wrong post restarts the process.
sourceFAQ
Frequently asked questions
How much is the Italy student visa fee?
How much bank balance is required for a Italy student visa?
Can you work on a Italy student visa?
How long does a Italy student visa take?
Can you bring your family on a Italy student visa?
What's not included in the Type D study visa plus permesso di soggiorno per studio fee?
When are these fees due?
Official sources
- Italian Embassy in The Hague (MAECI) — Study visa, procedures for AY 2026/2027 and 2027/2028 · read August 2026
- Italian Consulate General in Buenos Aires (MAECI) — New visa and enrolment rules for AY 2026/2027 and 2027/2028 · read August 2026
- MAECI — Studying in Italy, frequently asked questions · read August 2026
- Polizia di Stato — Residence permit: how, where and what it costs · read August 2026
Last verified August 2026.