How to apply for an Italy Schengen visa from Ireland

Where you apply

Apply to Italy if it is your main destination. The embassy's visa office, at 63/65 Northumberland Road, Dublin 4, D04 VA89, takes and decides the applications. Visa questions go by email to visti.ambdublino@esteri.it, but the office says it may not answer anything already explained on its website.

You must have an appointment, booked on Prenot@mi, and the embassy asks you to book it before any flight or hotel: it is not responsible for non-refundable tickets. The appointment must fall no more than six months and no less than 15 days before you leave.

Step by step

1. 1

   Book on Prenot@mi first

   Book the appointment before you buy tickets or pay for hotels, between six months and 15 days before departure.
2. 2

   Fill in the form

   The e-application form; for a tourist visa the embassy also accepts its own paper form, linked from its visa page.
3. 3

   Gather the documents

   From the embassy's list for Ireland, below. If the whole family has one appointment, each applicant needs their own copy of the documents.
4. 4

   Attend the appointment

   At the embassy on Northumberland Road, with the originals and photocopies; you give fingerprints there.
5. 5

   Collect the passport

   Up to 15 working days, according to the embassy. Collection is on Tuesdays and Thursdays, at the time the officer gives you at the interview, usually about 15 days after the appointment. You can instead leave a prepaid, addressed envelope with a tracking number and have the passport posted.

Documents

The country's own checklist is the one that counts. The core of it:

• Passport issued within the last ten years, valid at least three months after you leave the Schengen Area, with two blank pages.
• Your Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card, valid beyond your return.
• The signed application form and a photo to the ICAO passport standard.
• Travel medical insurance with at least €30,000 cover, valid in every Schengen country for the whole trip.
• Recent bank statements, and a letter from your employer or proof of studies or self-employment.
• A flight reservation, and hotel bookings or an invitation letter.

On top of that, the Embassy of Italy in Dublin asks every applicant for:

• The original and one photocopy of your passport and of your Irish re-entry visa or IRP card, valid at least one month beyond the date you leave the Schengen Area.
• Proof of your current address in Ireland: a recent utility bill, or a rental agreement signed by both tenant and landlord. Bank statements do not count as proof of address; failing the others, a signed declaration from the landlord with their ID and a recent utility bill in their name may be accepted.
• An Irish bank statement in your name and at your address showing the last three months of transactions, ending as close as possible to the interview and no more than three months before the appointment.
• A cover letter from your employer, or a letter of support if you are not working; students add a notarised letter of financial support.
• From the insurance policy, the certificate with your name and its start and end dates, and the page showing the medical cover.
• Visiting family or friends: an invitation that gives the reason for travel as “tourism – visit to family/friends”. Business: the Italian company's business licence (visura camerale) and an invitation signed by its legal representative, with a copy of their ID.

Fees and processing time

Visa fee, adults

€90, the Schengen fee set by EU law; the embassy's visa page does not list it or how to pay

Children aged 6 to 11

€45, also set by EU law; under 6, free

Service fee

None: the embassy takes the applications itself, and Prenot@mi bookings are free

Processing

Up to 15 working days, according to the embassy

Once the embassy has posted a passport, it has no control over how long delivery takes, so allow for that if you choose the envelope over collecting in person.

Applications and refusals

In 2025, the consulates of Italy in Ireland received 1,286 short-stay Schengen visa applications: 4.2% of all those lodged in Ireland, and the 7th most of any Schengen country. They refused 4.4% of the applications they decided; across every Schengen country in Ireland the rate was 3.1%, according to the European Commission's visa statistics.

Applications, 2025

1,286

Rank in Ireland

7th of 21 Schengen countries

Refused

4.4%

All Schengen countries in Ireland

3.1% refused

The Commission counts applications where they are lodged, not by nationality, so these are residents of Ireland of many nationalities. A refusal rate is an average over every applicant and says little about any one file; and the country you apply to is set by your main destination, not by its refusal rate.

What applicants reported

Not enough applicants in Ireland have reported an Italy visa yet to show their own figures; these are the 130 reports from every origin. The median time from appointment to passport back was 13 days.

Reports

130

Appointment to passport back (median)

13 days; typically 9–19 days

Approved

100% of 130 with a known outcome

Validity granted (median)

3 months

Multiple entry

87%

See every Italy report · how the statistics work

Getting the appointment

The form is the easy part. The hard part is a free date with the Embassy of Italy in Dublin: when demand is high the calendar can stay empty, and new dates go quickly when they appear.

These are the ways to get a date:

Every route we do track is on the Ireland appointment board page. For how the booking systems work, see how to book a Schengen visa appointment in Ireland.

Questions

Is there a VFS Global centre for Italian visas in Ireland?

No. The Embassy of Italy in Dublin takes short-stay visa applications itself, by appointment booked on the Prenot@mi portal. It says it does not use external agencies or intermediaries, and that appointments booked any other way are invalid.

When should I book my Italy visa appointment in Dublin?

Before you book flights or hotels: the embassy is not responsible for non-refundable tickets. The appointment must be no more than six months and no less than 15 days before your departure.

What proof of address does the Italian embassy in Dublin accept?

A recent utility bill, or a rental agreement signed by both tenant and landlord. Bank statements are not accepted as proof of address. If you cannot provide either, a signed declaration from your landlord, with their ID and a recent utility bill in their name, may be accepted.

Do I need an Italian visa if I hold an Irish Stamp 4 EU FAM card?

The Embassy of Italy in Dublin says that if you have been issued an Irish IRP card with EU FAM Stamp 4, you do not need a visa to travel. Other family members of EU citizens apply with proof of the relationship and of travelling with, or joining, the EU citizen in Italy.

What is the refusal rate for Italy Schengen visas in Ireland?

In 2025, the consulates of Italy in Ireland refused 4.4% of the short-stay visa applications they decided, against 3.1% across all Schengen countries in Ireland, according to the European Commission’s visa statistics. They received 1,286 applications, the 7th most of any Schengen country.

Sources

• Embassy of Italy in Dublin: visas
• EU Visa Code, Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (consolidated text of 28 June 2024)
• European Commission: visa policy and the short-stay visa fee
• European Commission: Schengen visa statistics for consulates, 2025 (2025-consulates-schengen-visa-statistics.xlsx)

Rules and fees are set by the consulates and their visa centres and can change; check the official pages above before you apply. Our coverage, prices and release statistics on this page are live. Visa Catcher is an independent appointment-tracking service, not affiliated with any visa centre, embassy, consulate or government.