In January 2025, legislation went into effect which changes the application requirements for long-term Italian visas. This type of visa, known as a “D Visa,” includes visas allowing student to reside in Italy for more than 90 days. Such visas are required for most SAI semester students.

According to the new law, students are required to appear in person at the Italian Consulate in order to submit their visa application and provide biometric fingerprints. Appointments to complete this step in the process must be booked in advance. This is a departure from the previous practice of many Italian Consulates, which permitted applications to be mailed in.

The new law is currently in effect, but there is an ongoing legislative attempt to exempt visiting students from the biometric data requirement. The hope is that a compromise will soon be found to make it possible for students to submit their visa applications without traveling to the Italian Consulate.

For the time being, however, it is advisable to proceed under the assumption that at least one in-person visit to the Consulate will be required to complete the visa application process. We are closely monitoring the situation and will share information as it becomes available.