Please be sure to read this section very carefully, as well as look up your closest Consulate immediately. You will save yourself time if you take note of any special requirements, by checking the consulate website. You also may wish to confirm the business hours of the Italian Consulate if you are obtaining your visa, and check to see if you need to apply in person. Be aware that not all states have a Consulate and this may require an out of state trip to apply for a visa.
Please do not leave the securing of a visa until the last minute! You may begin the process of applying for your visa 90 days before the start date of the program at the earliest. It is very important to begin the visa application process as soon as possible after that date to ensure you will have sufficient time to complete the required paperwork.
A few of you may be citizens of countries outside of the United States. If so, you will need to contact the Italian consulate in your home country to check on visa requirements. You may also call any one of the U.S. consulates (you may want to start with the New York consulate) for information on reaching the consulate in your home country. If you are not a permanent U.S. resident, it is especially critical that you begin working on your visa early. Normally, students who are citizens of a country within the European Union will not need visa materials.
What you need to bring to the Italian Consulate: (All documents must be produced in original and photocopy).
• Download the most recent Visa application from the website of the Consolate that serves your state/region. Complete, sign and have notarized. Bring the application along with one passport sized photograph to the Consulate with you.
New York Example:
• Present at the consulate, a passport valid for at least six months over the planned stay in Italy. The passport will be kept and then returned with the visa. You will need to present a photocopy of your passport with the application. (Keep copies of everything for your records)
• Present at the Consulate your round trip flight itinerary (some consulates won’t require it, but bring it along to be sure). U.S. green card holders and international students must have their flight information.
• A current student ID and a photocopy. (You must bring the actual student ID)
• U. S. Alien Registration Card, or F1 Visa and updated I-20, in the case of non-U.S. citizens.
• Verification of enrollment: Official University transcript and letter detailing student status; registration for following semester, anticipated graduation date, major and current student ID number. This document is usually issued by the Registrar’s office, bearing the university seal. As a visiting student, you will secure this from your home school, along with a current transcript. Click here for a sample letter:
Registrar Letter for Trinity Students.doc.
• You will provide a notarized Affidavit of Support from your parents, in two copies (original plus one copy), stating they will assume full financial responsibility for your stay in Italy. Click here to print a form letter that they can input with their information:
Affidavit of Support.pdf.
If you are self-supporting (that is, if the Affidavit of Support is not to be signed by your parents or guardian), then you need to prepare and sign the Affidavit of Support yourself and have your bank substantiate your financial stability. If you are a recipient of financial aid, you may also wish to request your home college’s Financial Aid Office to prepare a statement of your financial aid award for your term of study with TC/RC. That statement should be notarized and then included by you with your visa application as a supplement to the statement your parent or guardian provides (or that you provide yourself if you are self-supporting).
• You will provide a letter in two copies (original plus one copy) from the parents’ bank, on the bank’s letterhead, signed by a bank official in BLUE ink, indicating the account balance. Bank statements cannot be accepted. A minimum of $5,000.00 per semester of stay in Italy is required. Bank letters should have a recent date. Click here for a sample letter:
BankstatementParents.pdf.This requirement often raises a number of questions or objections from our participants and their parents. We do not have more specific information on this requirement, nor do we have the authority to waive this (or any other) requirement set by the Italian consulates. Without this form, a visa to participate in the program will not be granted.
Most consulates may be satisfied with a notarized statement that simply indicates that the student or the student’s parents are able to offer a minimum of $5,000.00 financial support during the period of time abroad. Other consulates specifically ask in their instructions for a notarized statement that shows available funds. You should contact your particular consulate and follow the specific requirements concerning the funds issue. If your consulate requires that you indicate exact available funds and you strongly object to providing a letter that discloses the amount of funds available in your savings (or other) bank account, you can try providing the consulate with a more general letter that states, for example, “the parents of “name of student” have funds in excess of $5,000”. In the end, the acceptability of such a statement is at the discretion of the particular consulate, and we regret that our Hartford office cannot offer any help or advice beyond what is mentioned here.
WE WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH THE FOLLOWING THREE DOCUMENTS
• An Affidavit of Insurance specifying health insurance, which conforms to Italian standards. Click here to see what this document will look like:
Insurance Ltr.doc.
• A letter of acceptance to the Rome program in two copies (original plus one copy) from Trinity College providing for the Study Abroad Program, confirming enrollment status currently, and including your expected graduation year. We will provide an original and a photocopy of your student status. Click here to see what this letter will look like:
Acceptance Ltr.doc.• A letter of acceptance from the host campus in Italian. We will provide this to you. Click here to see what this letter will look like:
Italian Acceptance.doc.