This page states plainly what we are, what we are not, and how far you can rely on the information on this website. We are a private consultancy that provides general guidance on studying in Italy and on the Italian student visa. We are not an embassy, consulate, visa authority, government ministry or university, we have no official affiliation with any of them, and we cannot guarantee any admission, visa, scholarship or residence-permit outcome. Our guides are general information written from our own experience; they are not legal advice and they do not replace the instructions of your consulate or institution.
Last updated: October 10, 2026. This disclaimer is issued by Italy Study Journey.
Who we are and who we are not
We are an independent, privately owned consultancy serving prospective students in Any Country and elsewhere. We are not part of, authorised by, or acting on behalf of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, any Italian embassy or consulate, any external visa application centre, the Ministry of University and Research, the Ministry of the Interior, the Polizia di Stato or any Questura, CIMEA, Universitaly, Uni-Italia, or any Italian university or academy. We hold no official accreditation from any of these bodies, and no such body endorses or reviews our content.
Where an official name, logo or document is mentioned on this website, it is mentioned only to identify the body or document concerned, and never to suggest a connection with us.
The nature of the information on this website
Our guides explain, in plain English, how the entry, stay and enrolment of international students in Italy work, based on our experience of taking students through the process. The rules are renewed each year, and the current rules cover the academic years 2026/27 and 2027/28.
Our content describes the rules as they stand when we write or update a page; it does not reflect changes made afterwards until we next review it. Requirements, deadlines, forms and fees change, sometimes without notice, and a page that was accurate when written may be out of date when you read it. Always confirm the current rule with your consulate or institution before acting.
The information is general. It is not tailored to your situation, and reading it does not create a client relationship between you and us. Where our guides give nationwide figures, such as the financial-means reference amount or the visa deadline, we state them as they apply to the current intake; where a figure depends on a consulate, a university, a region or a service provider, such as visa fees, processing times, appointment availability, tuition fees or scholarship amounts, we do not state it as a fact and instead tell you where to find the current figure.
Requirements vary and change
Student visa and admission requirements differ according to your nationality, your country of residence, the institution and programme you choose, and the consulate that handles your application.
- Each Italian consulate publishes its own list of required documents and its own appointment and submission arrangements. The consulate’s list prevails over any general summary on this website.
- Each institution sets its own pre-enrolment deadlines and admission conditions, which may be earlier or stricter than the national ones.
- The final decision on any visa belongs exclusively to the Italian diplomatic or consular mission, which also assesses “migratory risk” in each individual case.
- The national rules are renewed annually, and the ministries, consulates and institutions may issue clarifications or changes at any time.
Nothing on this website should be read as a statement of what will apply to you personally. If you want guidance on your own situation, that is a service we provide on request; see our services page and the terms and conditions.
No guarantees
We do not and cannot guarantee that you will be admitted to a course, that your pre-enrolment will be validated, that you will obtain a visa appointment or a visa, that you will receive a scholarship, that your residence permit will be issued or renewed, or that any document will be accepted by any authority. Under Italian rules, admission creates no right to a visa, a visa creates no right to complete enrolment, and validation of a pre-enrolment does not guarantee a visa appointment or a visa. Any view we express about your prospects is an opinion based on the current rules, our experience and what you have told us, and is not a promise.
Be cautious of anyone who guarantees a visa or admission, offers to obtain an appointment for a fee, or suggests that documents can be “arranged”. Submitting false information or documents to a university or consulate can lead to refusal, revocation of a visa already issued, and exclusion from future applications. We will not assist with any application we know or suspect to be dishonest.
Not legal advice
We are not lawyers and we do not provide legal advice. Our guidance explains how the process works in practice; it does not interpret the law for your case, and it does not cover matters such as appeals against a visa refusal, immigration status in Italy or elsewhere, employment rights, tax, or family matters. If your situation involves a question of law, consult a qualified lawyer in the relevant jurisdiction. Free assistance with the residence permit is also available in Italy from patronati and some municipalities.
Official websites you will use
These are the official websites where the steps of your application actually happen, and where the bodies that decide publish their own instructions. Where this website and an official body’s instructions differ, follow the official body.
- Universitaly — choose your course, submit your pre-enrolment and check whether it has been validated.
- Il visto per l’Italia — check whether you need a visa and find the consulate competent for your residence.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation — find the website of your embassy or consulate.
- CIMEA — request your statements of comparability and verification, or download the comparability statement from its ARDI database if your qualification is from a Lisbon Convention country.
- Polizia di Stato and Portale Immigrazione — prepare the residence-permit application and track its status.
- Study in Italy — an overview of the Italian system and scholarships for international students.
- Uni-Italia — in-person help with pre-enrolment through its centres abroad.
- The website of the Italian consulate competent for your country of residence, and the website of the institution you are applying to.
Our resources page explains what to do on each of these websites and includes a glossary of the Italian terms you will meet.
Testimonials and case examples
Any testimonial published on this website is a genuine statement from a real client, published with that client’s authorisation, and shown with the client’s chosen level of anonymity. We do not write, purchase or edit testimonials to change their meaning, and we do not publish statistics about “success rates”, because outcomes are decided by third parties and depend on each applicant’s circumstances. A testimonial describes one person’s experience and is not a prediction of yours. Any illustrative case examples in our guides are hypothetical unless stated otherwise.
External links
This website links to external websites, principally the official websites listed above. We do not control those websites and are not responsible for their content, accuracy, availability or privacy practices, which may change after we link to them. A link from our site does not mean that we endorse the linked site or that it endorses us. We link only to official bodies and institutions; we do not link to blogs, agents or forums.
How to report an error
If you find a statement on this website that conflicts with what your consulate or institution has told you, a link that no longer works, or a figure that has changed, please tell us. Message us through the WhatsApp contact on our contact page or email Italy Study Journey at the address given above, quoting the page, the sentence concerned and, if possible, where the correct information can be seen. We review every report and correct confirmed errors as soon as we can.
This disclaimer should be read together with our terms and conditions and privacy policy.