Visa for Italy from the Congo: price, documents and processing time 2026

Yes. Travellers from the Republic of the Congo are not covered by the Schengen visa waiver, so a short-stay (Type C) visa is mandatory to visit Italy as a tourist. It allows a stay of up to 90 days in any 180-day period and then permits travel throughout the Schengen area.

• Government fee90 EUR
• Application centre feeCapped at €45
• Agency or online serviceOptional, added on top
• ExtrasVariable

The visa fee is generally around €90 for an adult. Prepare a valid passport, the signed application form, compliant photos, travel medical insurance covering at least €30,000, flight and accommodation bookings, and proof of funds and purpose of the trip. Confirm the exact amounts on the official site.

Applicants lodge their file at the Italian consulate responsible for the Republic of the Congo or its authorised outsourcing partner (for example VFS Global, BLS or TLScontact). Check which post is competent, as Italy may be represented through an embassy in a neighbouring country. Italy must be your main destination, or the first country of entry if the lengths of stay are equal.

• Your application goes to the state that is your main destination. If Italy is where you spend the longest, it handles the file, whatever the entry point.
• With no main destination, the competent state is the one you enter first.
• If Italy has no consulate in the Congo, another Schengen state may act on its behalf under a representation arrangement, or the file goes to the post accredited for your country.

Then the application goes to the post accredited for the Congo, often in a neighbouring capital, or to a state acting on its behalf. Confirm which post is competent with the official source before travelling to a third country to apply, a rejected file at the wrong counter costs the trip and the fee.

The regime follows your nationality, not where you live. If you reside in the Congo but travel on another country's passport, the rule on this page is not yours. Filing usually still happens from your country of residence, at the post competent for it, but the requirement itself comes from your passport.

Processing usually takes 15 to 45 days. Apply at least three weeks before departure and no more than six months ahead of your travel date. Verify current processing times, fees and the competent post on vistoperitalia.esteri.it before travelling to the centre.

The most frequent errors: confusing the Republic of the Congo with the DRC when choosing the post, applying to Italy when it is not your main destination, underestimating processing time, or presenting insufficient insurance (below €30,000). As the Republic of the Congo is a yellow-fever endemic country, keep an up-to-date international vaccination card.