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You are here: Home / Travel / How to apply for a Schengen visa at the Embassy of Italy in Manila

How to apply for a Schengen visa at the

Embassy of Italy in Manila
26 October 2012 163 comments

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Filipinos are required to have a Schengen visa when traveling to a country within the
Schengen Area in Europe. As of 19 December 2011, the Schengen Area consists of the
following European countries:

Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France,

Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania,

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Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic,

Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
Applying for a Schengen visa or any other visa, for that matter in the Philippines can
be a somewhat tedious process, with countless forms to fill, myriad documents to
procure, expensive fees to payyou get the drift. Heres a guide to help you on your own
application.
e.g. city, region, district o

Dates

Guests

The following is based on our own application at the Italian Embassy on August 2012. It
applies only to short-stay tourist visas for visits of less than 90 days, for Filipinos residing
in the Philippines.For other types of visas and foreign residents, contact their call center.
We applied at the Italian Embassy since Italy was our point of entry and exit. Unlike most
embassies of Schengen countries in the Philippines, the Italian Embassy does not require
a personal appearance, which is convenient for applicants who live outside of Metro
Manila. However, if youre going on a European tour and Italy is not your main destination
nor your entry/exit point, the embassys call center will likely instruct you to apply for a
Schengen visa at the embassy of your main destination and/or entry/exit country.

Update: According to ANA in the comments section, the Italian Embassy no

longer offers courier service; personal appearance is now required. Thanks for
the heads-up, ANA.

Tip #1: Apply early. We rang their call center two months before our
intended departure, and the earliest they could schedule a pick-up was two
weeks later. It took another three weeks for them to process our visas.
Apparently, the Italian Embassy was handling thousands of applications at
that time due to the upcoming canonization of Pedro Calungsod. If we called
any later, we possibly wouldnt have gotten our visas on time. TL;DR: Apply 90
days before departure (the earliest you are allowed to apply) to avoid such
contingencies.
1. Prepare the required documents

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It would be wise to have most of the requirements ready before you schedule a courier
pick-up date with the embassys call center. You can listen to a recorded list of
requirements by calling +63 (2) 845-9200 . Here are the documents to submit to the
Italian Embassy:

Update:Click here for an updated list of required documents (as of February

2013) for short-stay tourist visas.
Cover letter. This is not required, but since there is no personal interview,we
included one to better explain the purpose of our visit. You can download our sample
cover letter here.
Completed Schengen visa application form. The application form can be
downloaded here. Dont forget to affix your signature on the last page.

Tip #2: If you plan to visit only countries within the Schengen Area, a singleentry visa is sufficient enough. Once within the Schengen Area, your passport
will no longer be stamped when crossing member country borders. If you plan
to leave the Schengen Area (e.g. side-trip to the UK) and return, you will need
a double-entry visa. If you plan to go in and out of the Schengen Area more
than twice, you will need a multiple-entry visa.
One (1) passport-size photo with white background. Click here for picture
specifications; the studio photographer is likely already familiar with these. Do not
bother sending more than one copy; we sent two copies each and they returned the
extra one along with our passports. Do not staple.
Original Philippine passport.Passport must be valid for at least three (3) months
from the end of your trip and have at least two (2) blank pages.
Photocopies of information page (second page) and signature page (inside back

cover) of passport
Photocopies of information and signature pages of old passports
Photocopies of previous visas and immigration stamps (Schengen or otherwise),

if any
Proof of occupation. For employee: Certificate of Employment with approved leave
of absence, photocopy of company ID and payslips, etc. For self-employed:
photocopies of Certificate of Registration and latest Income Tax Return, etc. For
students: photocopies of Certificate of Enrollment and school ID, etc. You can
provide more proof, such asphotocopies of latest professional tax receipt and
membership cards in professional organizations,if you feel it will help.

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Proof of sufficient funds. Original bank certificates and photocopies of passbooks

covering transactions for the last six (6) months. If you have a non-passbook ATM
account, you can ask the bank for a copy of your Statement of Account for that
period, or print it yourself if available through the banks online facility. If you have
credit cards, you can submit your credit card statements for the same period.
Obviously, you must have enough money in the bank to cover the costs of your
airfare, accommodation, tours, food, etc. Click here for the daily minimum amount
required in Euros for tourists in Italian territory.
Detailed travel itinerary. This is for the entire duration of your trip, including stays
outside of Italy. If your trip is a package tour from a travel agency, the agency will
likely provide this for you. If youre on a DIY trip, simply make one yourself. For
example:

Date

Activity and location

Accommodation

4 April 2013 Self-guided walking tour, Rome, Italy Skywalk Rooms, Rome, Italy

Confirmation of reservation of round-trip tickets. You need not buy your tickets
at this time; confirmed reservations are sufficient enough.You can get a booking
certification from any reputable travel agency for a fee (we got ours for PHP 560).
Some agencies even offer it for free. Note: booking certifications issued by travel
agencies usually have a validity period; be sure to send your application within that
time.
Confirmation of reservation of accommodation. Same as above, you need not pay
your hotel/hostel/etc at this time; your travel agency can make the necessary
reservation and issue a booking certification. Alternatively, you can book online and
print the voucher yourself; Booking.comallows you to make reservations without a
down payment. If youre staying with a friend or a relative instead, you will need to
submit an invitation letter from them and a photocopy of their passport or residence
permit. The template for the invitation letter can be downloaded here. (Edit: Click
here for an English version of this invitation letter.)
Confirmation of reservation of tours, if any. Same as above, your travel agency can
arrange this for you.
Photocopy of travel insurance policy with a minimum coverage of EUR 30,

000.Your travel insurance should cover the entire trip duration plus an additional
15 days from the end of your trip. Click herefor the list of accredited Philippine
insurance companies. The most convenient is the Prestige Euro Plan ofBlue
Cross;you can easily purchase it online here and have the policy instantly delivered
to your email address.

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Other supporting documents. You may submit other documents which you feel will
help establish your rootedness in and assurance of return to the Philippines, such as
photocopies of marriage certificate, birth certificate of children, land titles, etc.
Managers check payable to PIASI. You can procure a managers check from any
commercial bank where you have an account. You will be informed of the current
visa fee when you set an appointment with the embassys call center. At the time of
our application, the fee was PHP 4, 495.

Update: According to Ken and Cynch in the comments section, there is no

need to procure a managers check as you can pay in cash at the Italian
Embassy. Thanks for the heads-up, Ken and Cynch.
Document checklist with disclaimer. Simply print a list of all the documents you
will submit and add the following disclaimer at the bottom: Incomplete
requirements may be grounds for the refusal of my application. Affix your signature
to the checklist above your printed name.
e.g. city, region, district o

Dates

Guests

2. Set a pick-up date with their call center

You may contact the call center of the Italian Embassy through the following toll numbers:
PLDT: 1-909-101-2200
BayanTel: 1-903-101-2200
Globe: 1-900-101-2200
Calls cost a whopping PHP 32 per minute from landline (more from cellphone). Once
connected, the customer service agent will give you a reference number and inform you
of the date the courier (usually 2GO) will pick up the documents from your specified
address.
3. Submit requirements to the courier
The courier will pick up your documents on your appointment date and give you an
acknowledgment receipt. Before submission, place all the requirements in a long brown
envelope and seal it with tape. Write the following on the back of the envelope:

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First line:ITALIAN EMBASSY VISA APPLICATION

Second line:TOURIST VISA
Third line:[YOUR COMPLETE NAME]
Fourth line:[YOUR PASSPORT NUMBER]
Fifth line:[YOUR REFERENCE NUMBER]
4. Wait
Visa processing at the Italian Embassy takes up to 15 working days. If all your
requirements are in order and the consul approves your application, the courier will
return with your passport with Schengen visa within that time.
If approved, the embassy will send a notice along with your passport saying that you may
be asked to provide copies of the required documents at the point of entry or anytime
during your stay in the Schengen Area. Personally, we did not experience this; the
immigration officer merely stamped our passports and waved us through without saying
anything at all. Unless you change your point of entry to another country, you probably
will not be questioned upon arrival in Italy.
e.g. city, region, district o

Dates

Guests

Filed Under: Travel, Visas

Tagged With: embassy of italy in manila, italy, metro manila, philippines, piasi, visa

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M.A. Acero 3 days ago

Hi where can I follow up the release of our visas? We are leaving on the 22nd of October and it's 14th day
since we applied... Thanks.
Reply Share
Sheila > M.A. Acero 2 days ago

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