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Immigrate to Italy from South Africa

Immigrate to Italy from South Africa

In order to immigrate to Italy from South Africa it is required to apply for a visa. This immigration procedure has to be completed regardless of the duration of stay or the purpose of stay. In Italy, just like in any other European country, there are two basic categories of visas – those issued for short-term stays, which allow the right to move to Italy for a period of maximum 90 days, and those for long-term stays, issued for stays longer than 90 days. 

In this article, persons who want to immigrate to Italy from South Africa can discover a part of the legal obligations they have to complete prior to arriving here. For more details and personalized advice, our team of immigration lawyers in Italyremains at your disposal. 

What are the Schengen visa requirements in Italy? 

Foreign nationals who relocate to Italy from South Africa are required to apply for a Schengen visa in order to have the right to stay here. The Schengen visa represents a document which is issued for stays with a duration of maximum 90 days in a period of 180 days and which is recognized in the Schengen states, Italy included. 

The formalities for obtaining this visa have to be started in the country where the foreigner will first arrive in a Schengen state. This means that if the person will immigrate to Italy from South Africa and Italy will be the first country where the person will arrive, the issuance of the visa will fall under the supervision of the Italian authorities

In order to receive this document, the South African has to submit a set of documents that will be verified by the Italian institutions. Please mind that although this visa requirement is applicable to most South Africans, certain categories of persons, which will presented here, are exempt from obtaining the Schengen visa for Italy. With regards to the issuance of the visa, the following are necessary: 

  • the visa application form, completed as required, and providing all the necessary information;
  • the travel document – the passport issued by the South African authorities and which must not be older than 10 years;
  • recent photographs and information on the official residential address in South Africa;
  • a cover letter, through which the applicant will explain his or her main reasons to immigrate to Italy for a short period of time, as well as information on other European countries included in the travel itinerary (where applicable);
  • the flight tickets, including the return tickets to South Africa;
  • details on the address where the person will live in Italy or in other European countries. 

As we said above, there are few exemptions on the issuance of this visa for persons who immigrate to Italy from South Africa. The visa exemption is appliable to persons who live in South Africa and who arrived from Schengen states. Those who are South African citizens and who have dual citizenship and the other citizenship is one of any of the Schengen states are also not required to apply for a visa. If you need a digital nomad visa in Italy, contact us for legal assistance. 

Things to know about the issuance of the visa for South Africans 

South Africans are known as the African nation with one of the highest requests for European visas. South Africa is also one of the richest countries in Africa and one of the reasons for which South Africans apply for visas in Europe is because they enjoy a better quality of life that allows citizens to travel overseas. Below, our team of immigration lawyers in Italypresents the following: 

  • although certain categories of persons living in South Africa do not have to apply for a visa, they will need to obtain an ETIAS document, and this is requested starting with 1 January 2021;
  • those who will relocate to Italymust have a medical travel insurance that is recognized at a European level and which has coverage of EUR 30,000, the minimum amount required here;
  • the visa application will be followed by an interview, after which the person can receive an answer in approximately 15 days;
  • the visa application implies that South Africans will pay a processing fee of EUR 60;
  • where minor children will be the holders of the visa, the visa fee will be charged at a lower rate, of EUR 35, and this applies for children with ages of 6 to 11 years old. 

Persons who will start this procedure must also verify any latest modifications of the law or any new requirements with the Italian Consulate in Cape Town. However, an in-depth presentation can also be provided by our team of immigration lawyers in Italy, who can help you obtain a visa for long-stays as well. 

If you need advice on how to obtain a residence permit or if you are interested in applying for the Italian citizenshipour team of lawyers remains at your disposal. You can contact our law firm at our e-mail address or you can give us a call and our lawyers will answer all your inquiries on how to move to Italy

If you want to move from South Africa to this country, please mind that you can also apply for citizenship in Italy.

This right is granted to all foreigners who qualify for the procedure, as long as they meet the minimum requirements for the category of citizenship they can apply for.

In most of the cases, foreigners can obtain citizenship through a process that is known as naturalization.

For this, a foreigner will have to move to Italy on a long-term basis and wait until he or she can become a permanent resident.

The standard period of time in which a foreigner can obtain permanent residency is 5 years. Shorter periods of time can apply only in certain situations regulated by the law, such as when a South African is married to a person who is an Italian national.

For those who want to obtain citizenship by arriving here as investors, it must be noted that the same rules apply (the standard rules) through the Golden Visa in Italy.

By this, one must know that first, the foreign citizen must become a permanent resident (after 5 years of stay in Italy) and then, the right to apply for citizenship will be open after 10 years of stay in Italy (this is the standard approach to citizenship by naturalization).