VISA FEE: CFA F 60,000 (applicants over 13 years old) / CFA F 30,000 (ages 7–12) / FREE (ages 0–6)
The business visa allows foreign nationals to enter Italy for a short stay in order to carry out economic or commercial activities. This category includes travel for business meetings, contacts and negotiations, industrial cooperation activities, as well as training or verification of the use and functioning of equipment purchased or sold within the framework of contractual relations with Italian companies.
If the trip is undertaken at the invitation of an Italian company, the application must be accompanied by an invitation letter signed by the hosting entity or company, indicating the purpose and duration of the stay, as well as the planned activities. Such a declaration is also required for company visits, participation in trade fairs or industry exhibitions, professional training, or technical inspections of machinery and equipment. For professionals in the fashion sector—such as models—an invitation letter issued by the Italian agency is required, endorsed by the President of one of the professional associations representing the main agencies in the sector.
The business visa may also be issued, under the same conditions, to persons accompanying the applicant for documented work‑related reasons.
What documentation is required?
To obtain the visa, the applicant must submit, in addition to the duly completed and signed application form, a valid travel document and passport photos:
- Round‑trip travel ticket (or booking);
- Proof of accommodation (hotel reservation, declaration of hospitality, declaration of assumption of accommodation costs by the inviting Italian company, etc.);
- Health insurance valid throughout the Schengen Area, with a minimum coverage of EUR 30,000 for medical expenses and repatriation, in accordance with Article 15 of the Visa Code (Regulation (EC) 810/2009);
- Proof of sufficient financial means for the requested period of stay, not lower than the parameters established in “Table A” of the Directive of the Ministry of the Interior of 1 March 2000. For this purpose, bank statements and payslips for the previous 6 months must be submitted. If the applicant holds multiple bank accounts, the account on which the salary is paid must also be included;
- Appropriate documentation proving the applicant’s status as an economic‑commercial operator and the economic‑commercial purpose of the trip (in particular: company registration extract of the applicant’s company and the inviting Italian company; invoices proving commercial exchanges between the two companies; proof of purchase of machinery for which training is required; employment certificate and social security registration certificate; other documentation relating to commercial relations between the inviting and invited companies; contracts or preliminary agreements in force between the two companies, etc.).
PLEASE NOTE: A detailed travel itinerary must be provided to demonstrate that Italy is the main or sole destination. For example, the airline ticket must include an Italian airport, or be accompanied by proof of other means of transport between the arrival airport and the final destination; the hotel reservation must be valid and confirmed.