Italy Student Visa Documents Checklist (2026/27)

Your Italian student visa file has two parts: the academic documents Italy requires for the 2026/27 intake (your qualification with a CIMEA statement or Dichiarazione di Valore, transcripts, language certificate and the validated pre-enrolment summary) and the consular items every consulate adds (application form, passport, photos, financial, accommodation and insurance evidence, fee). This checklist sets out both, separately for first-cycle and second- or third-cycle courses, and explains the recurring points of confusion: CIMEA versus the Dichiarazione di Valore, translations and legalisation, and provisional certificates.

Checklist for bachelor’s and single-cycle degrees

This is the academic document list for a Laurea (three-year bachelor’s degree), a single-cycle degree (“ciclo unico”, for example medicine, law or architecture) or a first-level AFAM diploma. The consulate’s own list prevails where it adds items.

• Original final secondary-school qualification obtained after at least 12 years of schooling, accompanied by either (a) a CIMEA Statement of Comparability and Statement of Verification, or (b) a Dichiarazione di Valore. Where the Dichiarazione di Valore does not confirm authenticity, it serves for comparability only.
• Certificate of any academic-aptitude test required for university entry in your country, if your system has one.
• Italian translations of the documents, where the consulate or institution requires them.
• Any further documents needed to verify authenticity (for example apostilles, legalisation or original transcripts).
• Language certificate at B2 or higher covering all four skills, from an internationally recognised body or equivalent university certification, for courses taught in a language other than Italian. For Italian-taught courses the institution’s own B2 test result is recorded in the pre-enrolment.
• Summary of the pre-enrolment application as validated by the institution on Universitaly.

Checklist for master’s, PhD and other second- or third-cycle courses

For a Laurea Magistrale (two-year master’s degree), a university Master, a PhD or a second-level AFAM diploma, the academic document is a degree rather than a school certificate.

• Official foreign degree at Bologna first or second cycle (EQF level 6 or 7) with no “substantial difference” from the Italian title, assessed under the Lisbon Recognition Convention and CIMEA’s methodology, accompanied by a CIMEA Statement of Comparability and Statement of Verification or by a Dichiarazione di Valore.
• Transcript of exams passed, with the programme (syllabus) of each subject, or the Diploma Supplement where your university issues one.
• Italian translations where required.
• Further authenticity documents as requested.
• Language certificate at B2 or higher in the language of the course, as above.
• Summary of the validated pre-enrolment from Universitaly.

Items every consulate adds

The academic lists above are set nationally; the consulate’s list covers the rest. The items below appear in virtually every Italian consulate’s study-visa list, but the format, number of copies and specific rules differ, so download the list from your consulate’s website or from Il visto per l’Italia before you assemble the file.

• National (type D) visa application form, completed and signed. Many consulates require it to be filled online or on the external centre’s platform first.
• Passport. Consulates set minimum remaining validity and blank-page requirements; check the consulate’s rule rather than assuming.
• Passport-size photographs in the format the consulate specifies.
• Evidence of financial means of at least €10,179.85 per year, in the form the consulate accepts. See financial requirements.
• Evidence of accommodation in Italy. See proof of accommodation.
• Health insurance in one of the three accepted forms. See health insurance.
• Visa fee and any service fee of the external application centre. Amounts and payment methods are set by the consulate; check its website.
• Proof of residence in the consular district, where the consulate asks for it.

CIMEA statements versus the Dichiarazione di Valore

Both routes answer the same question for the institution and the consulate: what is this qualification, is it genuine, and what is it worth in the Italian system? Either is accepted, and your institution will usually tell you which it prefers in the pre-enrolment stage.

Aspect	CIMEA Statements	Dichiarazione di Valore (DoV)
Who issues it	CIMEA, Italy’s ENIC-NARIC centre for qualification recognition	The Italian consulate competent for the country where the qualification was issued
What it consists of	Two documents: a Statement of Comparability (which Italian level the qualification corresponds to) and a Statement of Verification (authenticity)	One declaration describing the qualification, the institution and its value in the system of origin
Authenticity	Covered by the Statement of Verification	Not always confirmed; where the DoV does not confirm authenticity, it counts as a comparability document only and further checks may follow
Where to apply	Online through CIMEA’s platform; for Lisbon Convention qualifications, possibly automatically through ARDI	At the consulate, usually with legalised originals and translations; procedure and timing set by each consulate
Residence permit	Not required for the permit	No longer compulsory for the residence permit (Council of State ruling 4613/2007)
Cost and timing	Set by CIMEA; check its website	Set by the consulate; check its website

Translations and legalisation

Italian translations are needed “where required”, and the institution and the consulate decide the detail. In general terms, the process has two separate parts. Legalisation confirms that the signature or seal on the original document is genuine: for countries party to the Hague Convention this is an apostille from the designated authority; for other countries it is legalisation by the relevant national authority followed by the Italian consulate. Translation renders the document into Italian; consulates usually require the translation to be certified or sworn, and some accept only translators from their own list.

Because the institution verifies authenticity (by apostille or legalisation, by contacting your school or university, or through CIMEA) and the consulate may verify again before issuing the visa, the safe approach is to legalise and translate the core academic documents once, properly, at the start. Our document preparation guidance service helps you work out which documents need which treatment for your consulate.

Provisional certificates when the diploma is not yet issued

Many students finish school or university in the same year they apply, before the physical diploma exists. The rules allow for this: the institution may validate the pre-enrolment “with reservation”, and the consulate accepts an official provisional certificate issued by the foreign authority in place of the diploma. What it does not accept is a self-certification, a letter you write yourself, or an informal note. The certificate must come from the school, examination board or university. In this situation the consulate issues a 100-day visa rather than the full 365-day one, as explained in the application process guide, and you will need the final diploma for enrolment.

Sharing documents safely

When you contact us or anyone else for help, you will be asked to share documents. Keep these habits:

• Do not send full passport scans, bank statements with account numbers, or your Universitaly login details over WhatsApp or other chat apps for an initial enquiry. A list of what you have, or a copy with sensitive numbers covered, is enough for a first check.
• Never share your Universitaly password. The account is yours and the institution and consulate record decisions on it.
• Keep originals with you. Consulates generally want to see originals and keep copies; confirm the rule with your consulate before you travel to the appointment.
• Organise the file in the order of the consulate’s list, with a cover sheet, so nothing is missed at the counter.

For the conditions behind these documents see the requirements guide; for the order in which to gather them, the application process; and for an overview of the whole cluster, the Italy student visa hub.

Frequently asked questions