Links
to help your passport and visa application. A passport
is essential for travel within Italy
(unless you are from an EU country) and
must be
applied for well in advance, generally in
your home
country. All travellers to Italy except
EU nationals
visiting from other EU countries, must have
a passport
which is valid until after you return home.
EU
citizens do not need a valid passport, a
national
identity card is sufficient. Citizens of
Australia,
Canada, New Zealand, and the United States
need only a
valid passport to enter Italy for stays
of up to 90
days. Citizens of the United Kingdom need
only a valid
passport to enter Italy for an unlimited
stay.
Make two photocopies of your passport's
data page one to be kept by someone at home
and another for you to carry with you but
keep separate from your passport. If you
lose your passport, promptly call the nearest
embassy or consulate and the local police.
Here are the procedures and contacts for
obtaining passports for the following nationalities:
Canada
Required: two current photos; proof of Canadian
citizenship; any previous Canadian passport,
certificate of identity or refugee travel
document issued to you in the last five
(5) years; a completed application form
and the application fee. Cost: $60-$62 plus
an additional $25 consular fee Time: Usually
issued within 8 working days (allow additional
time) Where to apply: In person at your
local passport office or send your application
to:The Passport Office, Place du Centre
Commercial Level 2, 200 Promenade du Portage,
Hull, Quebec J8X 4B7. Tel: (819) 994 3500
or 1800 567 6868. For more details:
www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca
Ireland
Required: two passport photos (which have
been signed and certified) as well as proof
of citizenship and the application fee.
Valid: for 10 years Cost: IE£45 for a 32-page
passport and IE£55 for a 48-page passport.
Time: Usually issued within 10 days (allow
additional time) Where to apply: Passport
application forms are available from all
Garda stations and from Post Offices which
provide the Passport Express service. Completed
application forms should be sent to the
passport office in Cork (if you live in
the counties of Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick,
Tipperary or Waterford) or Dublin (if you
live elsewhere in Ireland, including Northern
Ireland). Setanta Centre, Molesworth Street,
Dublin 2 Tel: (01) 671 1633 1a South Mall,
Cork Tel: (021) 272 525. For more details:
www.irlgov.ie
New Zealand
Required: proof of identity, proof of citizenship,
two passport photos and the application
fee Cost: NS$80 Valid: 10 years Time: Usually
processed within 10 working days (allow
additional time) Where to apply: You can
download application forms from the passport
office website or get them from most travel
agencies. Completed aplication forms should
be sent to the passport office in Wellington:
The Department of Internal Affairs, Passport
Office, PO Box 10-526, Wellington Tel: 0800
22 50 50 . For more details: www.passports.govt.nz
South Africa
Required: Cost: 80 rand. Valid: for 10 years Time: Can take 3-6 months.
Where to apply: Passport application forms are available at all Department
of Home Affairs offices in South Africa and South African consulates and
embassies abroad.
For more information:
http://www.dfa.gov.za the Department
of Home Affairs in Pretoria ph (012) 3148911.
United Kingdom
Required: Cost: £28 for a 32-page passport and £38 for a 48-page passport;
additional fees ranging from £4-£12 apply when lodging your application at
an agency. Valid: for 10 years. Time: Passport applications lodged at post
offices and travel agents are normally issued in around a month, while
applications lodged at UK Passport Agency branches are processed in less
than two weeks. Where to apply: British citizens can apply for a passport at
offices of the UK Passport Agency in Belfast, Durham, Glasgow, Liverpool,
London, Newport and Peterborough or at one of 2000 High Street partners
throughout the UK including post offices and Worldchoice travel agents.
The UK Passport Agency is
currently trialing an online application
process. You can apply online at www.passport-application.gov.uk.
However online applications are not recommended
if you need your application processed quickly.
For more details:
www.ukpa.gov.uk or phone the passport
agency on 0870 521 0410 .
United States
Required: Cost: US$60 Valid: Time: 6 week
processing. However if you lodge an application
at a passport office it takes about two
weeks. Passport Express www.passportexpress.com
can process applications in one week however
it costs substantially more to do this.
Where to apply: Courthouses and post offices.
For more details: www.travel.state.gov
or phone the US passport office at (202)
647 0518 Australia. For more details: www.dfat.gov.au
VISAS
A passport (or a valid identity document
for nationals of Austria, Belgium, Finland,
France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, the
Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden)
is necessary to enter Italy. Nationals of
the UK, Australia, Canada, USA and Japan
require only a valid passport but do not
require a visa. All other nationals should
consult the relevant embassies about visa
requirements. Tourists are permitted to
stay in the country for three months, for
longer periods inquiries must be made at
Italian consulates abroad. Foreign visitors
are required to register with the police
upon arrival in Italy, although registering
at a hotel will generally be sufficient.
If visitors do not stay at a hotel then
they must ensure their passport has been
registered. For those that do require visas,
they do have a use by date and you can be
refused entry once this date has elapsed.
