The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that, from 1 June 2026, every Schengen short-stay (type C) and national long-stay (type D) visa for Italy will be processed through a single government-run online portal. The announcement, published on 27 February 2026, makes Italy the first large Schengen member to commit to a paper-free visa workflow ahead of the EU-wide Entry/Exit System (already live) and ETIAS travel authorisation (expected late 2026). Under the new model, applicants will fill in forms, upload supporting documents, pay fees and track their file in real time without visiting an embassy or visa centre. Biometric data already held in the VIS database will be re-used, meaning most repeat Schengen travellers can complete the process entirely remotely. First-time applicants and a small number of complex national-visa cases will still require a single in-person appointment to submit fingerprints or attend an interview. For corporate mobility managers the implications are significant. Italian work-permit holders posted abroad will be able to renew entry visas online, and global mobility teams can monitor application status centrally rather than via multiple consulates or outsourced providers. HR departments are being advised to start scanning standard document packs (passport, bank statements, insurance certificates, hotel bookings or lease contracts) to meet the portal’s formatting requirements. The Foreign Ministry says a sandbox environment will open in April so that travel-management companies and relocation firms can test API connections in advance. Italy’s move adds momentum to a broader Schengen digital shift: France, Spain and Germany have indicated they will follow in 2027-2028 once the Italian pilot proves stable. EU officials see national portals as the natural complement to ETIAS, giving border authorities a complete digital picture of third-country nationals before arrival – a key plank in Brussels’ “Digital Borders” strategy. Travellers should still expect in-airport biometric verification under the EES, but Italian authorities predict overall processing times will fall by “at least 40 %” once consular back-office staff are redeployed to decision-making rather than data entry. In the meantime, prospective visitors are urged to renew passports with a minimum of six months’ validity and to prepare high-resolution scans of all supporting papers.
Source: VisasUpdate
