How to apply for an Italy Schengen visa from the UAE

Where you apply

Apply to Italy if it is your main destination. Each centre accepts only residence visas issued by its own emirates:

• Dubai and the Northern Emirates (Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah): the Consulate General in Dubai decides, and VFS Global takes the applications at The Gate Avenue, Zone C, Level 1, DIFC.
• Emirate of Abu Dhabi (Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Al Dhafra): the Embassy in Abu Dhabi decides, and BLS International takes the applications at Nation Towers Mall, first floor, Al Bateen. GCC citizens show an Emirates ID issued there instead.

At VFS Dubai, each user ID, with its email and mobile number, can book only one appointment; you can reschedule once, up to two days before, and cancel up to three days before. In Abu Dhabi, tourist visas need a BLS appointment, while business applicants may go to the centre without one, the embassy says.

Step by step

1. 1

   Fill in the Schengen application form

   Download the form from the Consulate General in Dubai or the Embassy in Abu Dhabi, fill it in and sign it.
2. 2

   Book the centre for your emirate

   VFS Global in Dubai for Dubai and Northern Emirates visas; BLS International in Abu Dhabi for Abu Dhabi visas. In Dubai, family members travelling together must apply together.
3. 3

   Gather the documents

   Against your mission's tourism checklist; the main points both share are below.
4. 4

   Attend the appointment

   No earlier than six months and no later than 15 days before you travel: both missions return late applications, and the embassy says booking fees are then not refunded. Give fingerprints and pay the visa fee at the centre; BLS takes it in cash.
5. 5

   Wait for the decision

   Up to 15 calendar days, extendable to 45 in particular cases; the mission keeps your passport until it decides.

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.
• UAE residence visa and Emirates ID, 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 salary certificate or employer letter if you are employed.
• A flight reservation, and hotel bookings or an invitation letter.

On top of that, the tourism checklists of the Consulate General in Dubai and the Embassy in Abu Dhabi ask for:

• A copy of your UAE residence visa valid at least 90 days after your return, and copies of previous Schengen, US and UK visas.
• A no-objection certificate from your employer, signed by a manager: your position, start date, monthly salary, no objection to the trip to Italy and your leave dates, with a copy of the signatory's passport and UAE visa. The Abu Dhabi checklist adds that you cannot sign it yourself.
• The last three months of pay slips and of bank statements from a UAE bank, on bank letterhead and bearing the bank's original stamp; foreign bank accounts are not considered. Dubai also asks for three months of credit card statements and your employment contract.
• A signed cover letter with the purpose and itinerary of the trip (Abu Dhabi), a confirmed hotel booking or an invitation letter, and a confirmed flight booking.
• Insurance that covers hospitalisation and repatriation, including of mortal remains; Dubai asks for the detailed table of benefits.

Fees and processing time

Visa fee, adults

€90: AED 386 at VFS Dubai, AED 382 at BLS Abu Dhabi (November 2026)

Children aged 6 to 11

€45: AED 193 in Dubai, AED 191 in Abu Dhabi

VFS service fee, Dubai

AED 38.30 (VFS Global, November 2026)

BLS service fee, Abu Dhabi

€16.80 (AED 71.19) including VAT (BLS International, November 2026)

Prime Time / Premium Lounge, Dubai

Optional, AED 176.39 / AED 315 (VFS Global, November 2026)

Processing

Up to 15 calendar days; up to 45 in particular cases

Both centres charge the euro fees in dirhams at the current exchange rate, so the amounts move: VFS says they can change without notice, and BLS that the Embassy of Italy sets the rate and it can change every quarter.

Applications and refusals

In 2025, the consulates of Italy in the UAE received 27,398 short-stay Schengen visa applications: 9.2% of all those lodged in the UAE, and the 5th most of any Schengen country. They refused 19.1% of the applications they decided; across every Schengen country in the UAE the rate was 24.2%, according to the European Commission's visa statistics.

Applications, 2025

27,398

Rank in the UAE

5th of 27 Schengen countries

Refused

19.1%

All Schengen countries in the UAE

24.2% refused

The Commission counts applications where they are lodged, not by nationality, so in the UAE they come mostly from residents of other 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

3 applicants in the UAE have reported their Italy visa to Visa Catcher's statistics. The median time from appointment to passport back was 4 days.

Reports

3

Appointment to passport back (median)

4 days; typically 4–4 days

Approved

100% of 3 with a known outcome

Validity granted (median)

6 months

Multiple entry

67%

See every Italy report from the UAE · how the statistics work

How often new dates appear

Dubai. Our monitors saw new Italy appointments appear in Dubai 9 times in the last 90 days, on 2 different days; the typical gap between two releases was about 2 hours. The latest release we saw was on 3 November at 19:36 UAE time. Over the past year (79 releases), 41% came on Thursdays and Fridays, and 25% between 16:00 and 19:00 UAE time.

Getting the appointment

The form is the easy part. The hard part is a free date at VFS Global or BLS International: 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, including ours:

The live status of each Italy route is on its own page, and every UAE route is on the UAE appointment board.

• Italy visa appointment, Dubai

Questions

Do I apply for an Italian visa in Dubai or Abu Dhabi?

It depends on the emirate that issued your UAE residence visa. Dubai and Northern Emirates visas: VFS Global at The Gate Avenue, DIFC, for the Consulate General of Italy in Dubai. Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra visas: BLS International at Nation Towers Mall, for the Italian Embassy in Abu Dhabi.

Is the Italian visa centre in Abu Dhabi run by VFS Global?

No. Since 1 September 2023 the Italian Embassy has taken applications from residents of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi through BLS International at Nation Towers Mall. VFS Global takes Italian applications in Dubai, for residents of Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

How many months of bank statements do I need for an Italian visa from the UAE?

Three months, from a UAE bank, on bank letterhead and bearing the bank’s original stamp. Both Italian missions’ tourism checklists also ask for the last three months of pay slips.

How long must my UAE residence visa be valid for an Italian visa?

At least 90 days after your intended return date, according to the tourism checklists of both the Consulate General in Dubai and the Embassy in Abu Dhabi.

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

In 2025, the consulates of Italy in the UAE refused 19.1% of the short-stay visa applications they decided, against 24.2% across all Schengen countries in the UAE, according to the European Commission’s visa statistics. They received 27,398 applications, the 5th most of any Schengen country.

Sources

• Consulate General of Italy in Dubai: visa forms and checklists
• Consulate General of Italy in Dubai: tourism checklist, June 2026 (PDF)
• Embassy of Italy in Abu Dhabi: visas
• Embassy of Italy in Abu Dhabi: visa forms and checklists
• Embassy of Italy in Abu Dhabi: tourism checklist (PDF)
• VFS Global Italy, Dubai: visa types, fees and processing time
• VFS Global Italy, Dubai: the DIFC centre
• VFS Global Italy, Dubai: booking rules
• VFS Global Italy, Dubai: book an appointment
• VFS Global Italy, Dubai: additional services
• BLS International Italy, Abu Dhabi: tourist visa and fees
• BLS International Italy, Abu Dhabi: centre and hours
• 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 VFS Global and can change; check the official pages above before you apply. Route status and our prices on this page are live. Visa Catcher is an independent appointment-tracking service, not affiliated with VFS Global or any embassy, consulate or government.