Italy mandates fingerprinting for Type D visas from January 2025

From January 10, 2025, Italy will introduce a new visa rule requiring Type D visa applicants to schedule individual fingerprinting appointments at Italian consulates.

This change, aimed at enhancing security, adds to the administrative and financial burden on students seeking long-term study visas.

Type D visas are issued to individuals planning to stay in Italy for over 90 days. This includes international students pursuing undergraduate, postgraduate, or research programmes.

Indian students applying after January 10 will need to visit consulates for fingerprinting, marking a shift



from previous processes that allowed group applications or batch processing.

Italy has seen a steady rise in Indian students. In 2024, 6,017 Indian students held study visas, a jump from 5,196 in 2023 and 4,791 in 2019. The new fingerprinting rule is likely to increase costs and travel requirements for applicants, particularly those residing far from consulates.

Previously, Italy extended a 12-month stay-back option for Indian students to gain professional experience after completing their degrees. This policy remains unchanged but adds to the complexity of staying in the country with the updated visa requirements.