The online visa application for Italy is made at the website of the embassy/consulate that has jurisdiction over your state of residence. You may submit these applications either at one of the VACs (VFS Visa Application centre) situated across the country or directly at the Embassy or Consulate of your state of residence its depend on the type of your visa. The VACs under each consulate or embassy cover certain regions or jurisdictions, and you are suggested to apply to the one belonging to your region for faster processing.

The Embassy of Italy, New Delhi covers : states of Haryana, Rajasthan, Jammu-Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, as well as Chandigarh.

The Consulate General of Italy, Mumbai covers : Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, as well as Daman, Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Lakshadweep and Pondicherry.

The Consulate General of Italy, Kolkata covers : Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Orissa, Mizoram, Tripura, Sikkim, West Bengal, as well as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

While you are waiting for your application to be processed, you may do a Italy visa status check to track your application. You can do this by visiting the Italy visa status check online portal of the respective VAC. The embassy or consulate do not respond to queries regarding the status of the application. However, you may also check it by opting for SMS tracking, or email tracking.

There is no specific amount that you will have to show in order to get an Italian visa. As per the requirements, you are supposed to prove that you have enough funds to support your stay in the nation. This means that the amount should cover your day to day expenses such as travel, food, shelter, and so on.

Yes, you may enter the country through another Schengen nation. However, in this case, you will have to ensure that you spend the majority of your period of stay in Italy. While applying for the Italy visa, you must mention this in detail. According to the rules, Italy has to be your only destination or has to be one of your destinations in which Italy is your port of entry, also, in case it is again one of your destinations, you must spend a majority of your travelling period in Italy.

As per the regulations, every individual applying for the Schengen permit requires travel medical insurance. The insurance must cover the total period of the travel, such as 90 days in case of a short term visa. It must also be valid in all the Schengen countries and must have a minimum coverage of 30.000 Euros. The medical insurance protects you from having to spend fortunes in case of any accidents or emergencies.

Hotel booking is not specifically required to be able to apply for the permit. As per the rules, you are required to show that you have a means of stay. This can be hotels, hostels, apartments, etc. As long as you have proof that you are allowed to stay at that place, you can apply for the permit. In case you are living with a family member or friend, an invitation letter from them will also do the purpose.

The time taken to process the application depends on several factors such as the type of permit, the duration of it, the number of entries, the volume of applications at the mission, and several others. Under ideal circumstances, it takes about 10-15 working days for processing. However, due to the uncertainty in this, it is advised that you apply well in advance. You should apply at least 10 days before your travel and not more than 3 months.