The procedures described below are the only ones that will allow a visa to be issued for Italy.
ANYONE WHO PROMISES TO FACILITATE THE SCHEDULING OF APPOINTMENTS, EXPEDITE OR SECURE THE ISSUANCE OF A VISA IN EXCHANGE FOR MONEY, IS TO ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES TO BE CONSIDERED A FRAUDSTER. SUCH INCIDENTS SHOULD BE REPORTED TO THE AUTHORITIES, AS WELL AS TO THE EMAIL ADDRESS AMBASCIATA.NAIROBI@ESTERI.IT
IT IS THEREFORE RECOMMENDED NOT TO RELY ON INTERMEDIARIES WHO PROMISE FACILITATED ROUTES TO OBTAINING A VISA.
All decisions regarding visa applications are always exclusively made by Embassy staff.
1. TYPES OF VISAS
For any information regarding visa applications for entry into Italy, please consult the “Visa for Italy” portal.
The Visa Office of the Embassy of Italy in Kenya is connected to the Visa Information System (VIS), a central database for the exchange of biometric and biographical data of short-stay visa applicants with other Schengen states.
2. APPLYING FOR A VISA
- BOOKING AN APPOINTMENT
To apply for a visa, it is necessary to book an appointment on the website of VFS Global, the agency responsible for the service of receiving visa applications.
Due to the high number of applications, applicants are encouraged to ascertain the availability of an appointment at least 60 days prior to scheduled departure, whenever possible.
For information regarding the appointment system, please contact the Call Center at +254 205 147 906, or email info.itke@vfshelpline.com and/or visit the website: https://visa.vfsglobal.com/ken/en/ita .
All necessary documentation will need to be submitted on the day of the appointment.
- Type “D” (Family Reunion – Long Term Visa) visa for applicants of Somali nationality.
For Somali nationals applying for a Type “D” (Family Reunion – Long Term Visa) visa, booking of appointments for the submission of applications must be made exclusively in person, by presenting the valid “Nulla Osta” (within the 6 months provided from its date of issue), every Thursday from 12.00pm to 3.00 pm.
3. WHERE TO APPLY
On the day of the appointment, it is possible to go to the offices of VFS Global, which operates through two visa application centers:
- NAIROBI, located on the fifth floor of the Park Field Building, Muthangari Drive, opposite SAFARICOM House on Waiyaki Way, in Westlands, P.O.Box 25180, 00100 Nairobi.
- MOMBASA, located on the ground floor of Sheetal Plaza, Modar Mohammed Road Off Moi Avenue, near Uhuru Gardens.
At both centers, applications can be submitted from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. Collection of passports is usually from 11 a.m. to 3p.m., also Monday through Friday.
- ACQUISITION OF BIOMETRIC DATA
As of November 2013, all visa applicants must provide their biometric data (fingerprints of all ten fingers and a photo) when applying for a Schengen visa. Thus, applicants will have to appear in person at the time of visa application. It is a simple procedure that takes only a few minutes.
In case the fingerprints are not needed because they have already been deposited and are still in the system, only family members of EU citizens will be able to apply for visas also at the Honorary Consulate Offices in Malindi and Mombasa – subject to a request for an appointment – by sending an email to:
- Honorary Consulate in Malindi: onorario@esteri.it
- Honorary Consulate in Mombasa: onorario@esteri.it
4. VISA FEES
Depending on the type of visa for which an application is submitted, applicants will have to pay the following fees at VFS Global in local currency (KES), at the exchange rate updated on a quarterly basis.
Applicants are informed that as from the 11th of June, 2024, the amount of fees for Schengen visas (Type “C”) will undergo a change, as shown in the following table:
| SCHENGEN VISA– TYPE “C” (up to 90 days) | Euro | KES (*) |
| Applicant aged 12 years and older | 90 | 13500 |
| Applicant aged between 6 and 12 years | 45 | 6750 |
| Applicant aged between 0 and 6 years | Free of Charge | |
| NAZIONAL VISA – TYPE “D” (over 90 days) | Euro | KES (*) |
| All applicants | 116 | 17400 |
| Applicant aged between 6 and 12 years | 50 | 7500 |
(*) Amounts calculated according to the exchange rate of the second quarter (valid from 01.07.2024 to 30.09.2024)
In addition to the above amounts, applicants must pay to VFS a service fee of KES 2,885 for both Type “C” and “D” (adult and child) visa applications.
5. DOCUMENTATION TO BE SUBMITTED
For any information regarding visa applications for entry into Italy, please consult the “Visa for Italy” portal.
Please note that, according to Article 12 (a) of Regulation (EC) No. 810/2009, known as the “Visa Code”, the travel document must be valid for at least three months after the intended date of departure from the territory of the Schengen Member States.
For Somali passport holders, the travel document must be valid for at least 24 months from the date of visa application.
According to the Kenyan authorities’ notice issued to all diplomatic missions, all Kenyan passports – except for the new East African Community biometric e-passport – are to be considered null and void with effect from 1 September 2019.
Therefore, the Schengen Member States inform the Kenyan public that the new East African Community biometric e-passport is the only one accepted.
In case the type of visa requires the presentation of travel insurance, this Embassy accepts policies preferably from the insurances companies mentioned listed here.
- Foreign family members of Italian/EU citizens
The legislation (Directive 2004/38/EC and Legislative Decree 30/2007) facilitates the access to the visa office and simplifies the required documentation for foreign family members of Italian/EU citizens.
The public are informed that with effect from 1st June 2024, as stipulated in D.I. 850/2011 Annex A point 10, foreign family members of Italian/EU citizens who travel to Italy for the purpose of family reunification will be issued a national visa (type “D”) for “family reasons”.
Family members who have the right of family reunification are exclusively those identified in Article 2 of DL 30/2007:
- spouses;
- partners who are in a registered partnership with the EU citizen on the basis of the legislation of a Member State, if the legislation of the host Member State equates the registered partnership with marriage and in accordance with the conditions laid down in the relevant legislation of the host Member State;
- direct descendants under the age of 21 or dependants, including those of the spouse or partner referred to in (b);
- dependant direct ascendants, including those of the spouse or partner referred to in (b).
Finally, adoptees/adopters and minors subject to guardianship/permanent foster care under orders issued by L. 184/83 are also equated with the direct descendant/ascendant.
The visa is issued free of charge (art. 5 paragraph 3 of DL 30/2007) and there is no authorization of the SUI. The visa will last 365 days with multiple entries and the family member, within 8 working days of entering Italy, will must apply, by filling out in the appropriate kit at Post Offices, for a residence permit for “family reasons” (Ministry of the Interior Circular No. 400.B/2023/1 Prot. No. 84545 dated 8/19/2023).
Documentation to be submitted:
- letter of invitation of the Italian/EU family member from which the intention to exercise the right of family unity is clear, accompanied by a valid identity document;
- documentation proving the status of family member in accordance with Art. 2 of D.L. 30/2007, translated and certified, or deed of marriage or civil union registered in Italy;
- in cases where the verification of dependency is required: proof of economic remittances from the Italian/EU citizen. The economic support must be of structural nature (no minimal duration is required) and must enable the beneficiary, considering his/her financial and social conditions in the State of origin or provenance, to meet his/her essential needs.
To visit the portal “Visa for Italy” for more details, applicants are advised to use the following check-list:
Finally, this is to inform the public that foreign family members of Italian/EU citizens are entitled to priority processing of their visa applications and therefore, they may request an appointment directly at the following email address: visti.nairobi@esteri.it. In order to prove one’s family relation, it is necessary to present an identity document and – as the case may be – marriage or birth certificate, registered at the competent Italian Authorities and already certified.