How to apply for an Italy Schengen visa from the UK

Where you apply

Apply to Italy if it is your main destination: where you stay longest or, with equal stays, where you first enter the Schengen Area. The Consulate General in London says appointments are managed only by VFS Global; the Consulate General in Edinburgh, which serves Italians in Scotland and Northern Ireland, says all visa services in the UK are offered by London, and that residents there can book at the Edinburgh centre.

• London: ground floor, 8–20 Pocock Street, SE1 0BW, since June 2025. Weekdays 08:30 to 17:30; passports are collected from 16:00.
• Manchester and Edinburgh: 50 Devonshire Street North, M12 6JH, and the joint visa application centre at 1 Rennie's Isle, Leith. Weekdays 08:30 to 15:00. Files go to VFS London and on to the consulate the next day, so allow two extra working days.

You must live in the UK: VFS says people living outside the consular district, which covers the whole UK, cannot apply, and the consulate adds that holders of a UK visitor (C) visa cannot either. Everyone, children included, applies in person, and each family member books their own appointment, under the right category or VFS keeps the service fee.

Step by step

1. 1

   Fill in the form

   Italy's Schengen form is on its VFS page for the UK and the consulate's visa page. Complete every mandatory field, print it and sign it.
2. 2

   Book in the app

   Up to six months before you travel and no later than 15 calendar days before: the consulate does not take applications closer to the trip.
3. 3

   Gather the documents

   Originals plus a photocopy where asked. VFS says an application missing any item is not accepted and you must book a new appointment.
4. 4

   Attend the appointment

   Arrive no earlier than 20 minutes before, give fingerprints and a photo, and pay the visa fee and VFS's fee.
5. 5

   Wait for the decision

   At least 15 days and up to 45, according to the consulate, which says processing cannot be rushed. Collect the passport at the centre or pay for a courier.

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.
• Proof of your UK immigration status, such as your eVisa and a share code, 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 Italian checklist for the UK, on VFS Global's site, asks for:

• Your UK residence permit (original and photocopy), valid at least three months after the trip, and a share code proving your immigration status; VFS says other share codes, such as right to work, are not valid.
• A cover letter.
• An employer letter no more than a month old, giving the company's registration number, your start date, job title, annual salary and holiday dates, plus your last three payslips. The self-employed bring a letter from an accountant, banker or solicitor and their self-assessment.
• Your last three months of bank statements; at least one account must show your salary, pension or Universal Credit coming in.
• Travel insurance issued in the UK or a Schengen country, with a letter from the insurer confirming at least €30,000 of cover in every Schengen country.
• A return ticket printed directly from the airline, train or bus operator, and a fully booked hotel or an invitation from your host in Italy, addressed to the consulate, with a copy of the host's ID.
• If a spouse, partner or parent supports you, their employment documents and a sponsorship letter, with the certificate proving the relationship: marriage or civil partnership certificates more than six months old are not accepted.

Fees and processing time

Visa fee, adults

€90; VFS lists £77.20 (VFS Global, November 2026)

Children aged 6 to 11

€45 (£38.60 on VFS’s list)

Children under 6

Free

VFS service fee

£13.00 including VAT, per application, on VFS’s fee table; its centre pages say £13.06 (VFS Global, November 2026)

Processing

At least 15 days, up to 45; two working days more from Manchester or Edinburgh

The two official pages disagree on payment: VFS says fees are paid by debit or credit card (not American Express) and in cash only in London, while the consulate says its VFS centres take both cash and card, in pounds only. The sterling amount follows the exchange rate, and all fees are non-refundable.

Applications and refusals

In 2025, the consulates of Italy in the UK received 18,956 short-stay Schengen visa applications: 3.7% of all those lodged in the UK, and the 7th most of any Schengen country. They refused 6.0% of the applications they decided; across every Schengen country in the UK the rate was 10.5%, according to the European Commission's visa statistics.

Applications, 2025

18,956

Rank in the UK

7th of 28 Schengen countries

Refused

6.0%

All Schengen countries in the UK

10.5% refused

The Commission counts applications where they are lodged, not by nationality, so these are residents of the UK 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

125 applicants in the United Kingdom have reported their Italy visa to Visa Catcher's statistics. The median time from appointment to passport back was 13 days.

Reports

125

Appointment to passport back (median)

13 days; typically 10–19 days

Approved

100% of 125 with a known outcome

Validity granted (median)

3 months

Multiple entry

87%

See every Italy report from the United Kingdom · how the statistics work

How often new dates appear

London. Our monitors saw new Italy appointments appear in London 213 times in the last 90 days, on 62 different days; the typical gap between two releases was about 4 hours. The latest release we saw was on 9 November at 02:30 UK time. Over the past year (730 releases) they were spread across the week and the day, with no day or hour that stands out: new dates can appear at any time.

Edinburgh. Our monitors saw new Italy appointments appear in Edinburgh 99 times in the last 90 days, on 46 different days; the typical gap between two releases was about 8 hours. The latest release we saw was on 27 October at 10:41 UK time. Over the past year (322 releases) they were spread across the week and the day, with no day or hour that stands out: new dates can appear at any time.

Getting the appointment

The form is the easy part. The hard part is a free date with VFS Global: when demand is high the calendar can stay empty, and new dates go quickly when they appear. In the last 90 days our monitors saw new dates appear in London 213 times, typically about 4 hours apart.

These are the ways to get a date, including ours:

Each Italy route we track has its own page, and every route is on the UK appointment board page. For how the booking systems work, see how to book a Schengen visa appointment in the UK.

• Italy visa appointment, London
• Italy visa appointment, Edinburgh

Questions

Which Italian consulate handles my visa if I live in Scotland?

The Consulate General of Italy in London handles all visa services in the UK. The Consulate General in Edinburgh says residents of Scotland and Northern Ireland can book their appointment at the VFS Global centre in Edinburgh; the file is then sent to London, which adds two working days.

How do I book an Italy visa appointment in the UK?

Since 19 September 2025, VFS Global says Schengen (short-stay) appointments are booked only in its mobile app for Android and iOS, called “Italy Global” in its notice and “VFS Global” on its booking page; the booking page on its website is for national (long-stay) visas.

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

At least three months beyond the last day of your trip, according to the Consulate General of Italy in London. You also need a share code proving your immigration status; a right-to-work share code is not accepted.

Can I apply for an Italy visa in the UK on a UK visitor visa?

No. The Consulate General of Italy in London and VFS Global both say holders of a UK C-visit visa are not eligible to apply; you must be resident in the UK.

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

In 2025, the consulates of Italy in the UK refused 6.0% of the short-stay visa applications they decided, against 10.5% across all Schengen countries in the UK, according to the European Commission’s visa statistics. They received 18,956 applications, the 7th most of any Schengen country.

Sources

• Consulate General of Italy in London: visas
• Consulate General of Italy in Edinburgh: visas
• VFS Global: Italy visa application centres in the UK
• VFS Global Italy, UK: tourist visa, fees, documents, processing time and form
• VFS Global Italy, UK: how to apply
• VFS Global Italy, UK: book an appointment
• VFS Global Italy, UK: centres and opening hours
• VFS Global Italy, UK: London centre, hours and service fee
• VFS Global Italy, UK: Schengen appointments through the Italy Global app (from 19 September 2025)
• VFS Global Italy, UK: share code to prove immigration status (23 April 2024)
• VFS Global Italy, UK: new address of the London centre (13 May 2025)
• 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.