Italy Visa Fees from the UK 2026: Complete Cost Breakdown
Last updated: 29 August 2026. The visa fees below come from the European Commission. The process rules come from the Italian Consulate General in London, which decides these applications. Where we could not verify a figure at source, we say so rather than print a number we cannot stand behind.
Two payments exist and applicants confuse them constantly. The visa fee goes to the Italian state and is fixed in euros by EU rules. The service fee goes to VFS Global, which runs the application centres. There is also a jurisdiction rule that most cost guides leave out, and it decides which consulate handles you.
What an Italy Schengen visa costs from the UK in 2026
What you pay | Amount | Paid to | Mandatory? |
|---|---|---|---|
Schengen visa fee, adult | €90 | Italian state | Yes |
Schengen visa fee, child aged 6 to under 12 | €45 | Italian state | Yes |
Schengen visa fee, child under 6 | Free | — | Exempt |
VFS Global service charge | See the note below | VFS Global | Yes |
Travel medical insurance | Minimum €30,000 cover | Your insurer | Yes |
Courier return, photos, photocopying | Optional extras, priced at the centre | VFS Global | Optional |
The €90 and €45 figures took effect on 11 June 2024, when the Schengen fee rose from €80 and €40. They are set at EU level, so they are identical whichever Schengen country you apply to. Although the fee is set in euros, you pay in pounds at the centre using the rate applied on the day.
The service fee: what we can and cannot confirm
We could not verify the current VFS Global service charge for Italy in the UK at source. VFS Global's own site would not serve us the page. Figures in circulation cluster around £12 to £13, but we were unable to trace any of them back to VFS Global itself, so we are not printing one as fact. Check the figure in your VFS account before your appointment, and budget a little above the number you see quoted elsewhere.
What we can say plainly is the shape of the bill: one visa fee per applicant, one service charge per application, insurance per traveller, and any optional extras chosen at the counter. A family pays the service charge once each, not once per booking.
Which consulate handles you, and why it matters
Italy splits the UK between two consulates, and the split is decided by where you live, not by which centre has a slot.
Consulate | Covers |
|---|---|
Consulate General in London | England, Wales, the Isle of Man, the Isle of Wight, the Channel Islands, Gibraltar, and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands |
Consulate General in Edinburgh | Scotland and Northern Ireland |
This matters for cost as well as logistics: travelling to a different centre because it has availability does not help if the application belongs to the other consulate. France works the opposite way and lets UK residents choose freely, which is worth knowing if you are comparing destinations. See the France visa cost breakdown for UK applicants and the Spain visa cost breakdown.
When to apply
Stage | Official position |
|---|---|
Earliest you can lodge an application | Six months before the start of the intended visit |
Latest you can lodge it | 15 calendar days before the start of the visit |
Minimum processing time | 15 days |
Maximum for a Schengen visa | Up to 45 days |
Applying early costs nothing and removes almost all of the appointment pressure. Applying late costs nothing either, until it costs you the trip. For the timing in detail, read the Italy visa processing time from the UK.
Long-stay (national, type D) visas
A national visa is a different fee from a Schengen short-stay visa, and different categories are priced differently. Study visas in particular are set below the standard national rate. These fees change more often than the Schengen fee, which is fixed at EU level, so confirm the current amount for your category with the consulate rather than relying on any guide, including this one.
Travel insurance: the figure is in euros
Cover of at least €30,000 for medical costs and repatriation is required under Article 15 of the EU Visa Code, valid across the Schengen area for the whole trip. A policy quoting £25,000 or £30,000 does not automatically satisfy it after conversion, and this is one of the most frequent avoidable refusals. Cover of this level is not expensive; a refusal is.
Who does not pay the visa fee
Children under 6. Fully exempt from the visa fee.
Family members of EU, EEA and Swiss nationals exercising free movement rights.
School pupils on organised school trips, where they appear on an official list of travellers.
Researchers travelling for scientific purposes under the relevant EU provisions.
An exemption from the visa fee does not automatically remove the service charge, which is levied per application. Confirm your category at the centre.
Where the money actually goes wrong
Budgeting only for the visa fee. The service charge is per application, so a family of four pays it four times.
Insurance quoted in pounds. Below €30,000 after conversion is a refusal, not a warning.
Assuming the fee is refundable. It covers processing the application, not its outcome.
Booking at the wrong consulate's centre. Jurisdiction follows your address, not availability.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the Italy visa fee from the UK in 2026?
€90 for adults and €45 for children aged 6 to under 12, paid in pounds at the VFS Global centre, plus the VFS service charge. Children under 6 pay no visa fee.
Are Italy visa fees refundable if the visa is refused?
No. The fee pays for the application to be processed, whatever the outcome, and the service charge is not refundable either.
Do children pay the service fee?
Yes. The exemption applies to the consular visa fee, not to the service charge, which is charged per application.
Can I apply at any UK centre?
Your application belongs to the consulate that covers where you live: London for England, Wales and the islands listed above, Edinburgh for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
What if there are no appointment slots?
Slots are released continuously and cancellations reappear without notice. For Italy from the UK, Visard provides slot alerts, not automatic booking: it watches the centre and messages you in Telegram the moment a slot opens, and you book it yourself. See Italy visa appointment alerts from the UK, or Schengen visa appointment booking for UK residents.
Official sources checked for this update
European Commission, Schengen visa fee increase: the €90 adult and €45 child figures and the 11 June 2024 effective date.
Consulate General of Italy in London: the six-month window, the 15-calendar-day cut-off, the 15-day minimum and 45-day maximum, the London jurisdiction, and VFS Global as the exclusive appointment partner.
Consulate General of Italy in Edinburgh: the Scotland and Northern Ireland jurisdiction.
Italy Visa Fees from the UK 2026: Complete Cost Breakdown
Last updated: 29 August 2026. The visa fees below come from the European Commission. The process rules come from the Italian Consulate General in London, which decides these applications. Where we could not verify a figure at source, we say so rather than print a number we cannot stand behind.
Two payments exist and applicants confuse them constantly. The visa fee goes to the Italian state and is fixed in euros by EU rules. The service fee goes to VFS Global, which runs the application centres. There is also a jurisdiction rule that most cost guides leave out, and it decides which consulate handles you.
What an Italy Schengen visa costs from the UK in 2026
What you pay | Amount | Paid to | Mandatory? |
|---|---|---|---|
Schengen visa fee, adult | €90 | Italian state | Yes |
Schengen visa fee, child aged 6 to under 12 | €45 | Italian state | Yes |
Schengen visa fee, child under 6 | Free | — | Exempt |
VFS Global service charge | See the note below | VFS Global | Yes |
Travel medical insurance | Minimum €30,000 cover | Your insurer | Yes |
Courier return, photos, photocopying | Optional extras, priced at the centre | VFS Global | Optional |
The €90 and €45 figures took effect on 11 June 2024, when the Schengen fee rose from €80 and €40. They are set at EU level, so they are identical whichever Schengen country you apply to. Although the fee is set in euros, you pay in pounds at the centre using the rate applied on the day.
The service fee: what we can and cannot confirm
We could not verify the current VFS Global service charge for Italy in the UK at source. VFS Global's own site would not serve us the page. Figures in circulation cluster around £12 to £13, but we were unable to trace any of them back to VFS Global itself, so we are not printing one as fact. Check the figure in your VFS account before your appointment, and budget a little above the number you see quoted elsewhere.
What we can say plainly is the shape of the bill: one visa fee per applicant, one service charge per application, insurance per traveller, and any optional extras chosen at the counter. A family pays the service charge once each, not once per booking.
Which consulate handles you, and why it matters
Italy splits the UK between two consulates, and the split is decided by where you live, not by which centre has a slot.
Consulate | Covers |
|---|---|
Consulate General in London | England, Wales, the Isle of Man, the Isle of Wight, the Channel Islands, Gibraltar, and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands |
Consulate General in Edinburgh | Scotland and Northern Ireland |
This matters for cost as well as logistics: travelling to a different centre because it has availability does not help if the application belongs to the other consulate. France works the opposite way and lets UK residents choose freely, which is worth knowing if you are comparing destinations. See the France visa cost breakdown for UK applicants and the Spain visa cost breakdown.
When to apply
Stage | Official position |
|---|---|
Earliest you can lodge an application | Six months before the start of the intended visit |
Latest you can lodge it | 15 calendar days before the start of the visit |
Minimum processing time | 15 days |
Maximum for a Schengen visa | Up to 45 days |
Applying early costs nothing and removes almost all of the appointment pressure. Applying late costs nothing either, until it costs you the trip. For the timing in detail, read the Italy visa processing time from the UK.
Long-stay (national, type D) visas
A national visa is a different fee from a Schengen short-stay visa, and different categories are priced differently. Study visas in particular are set below the standard national rate. These fees change more often than the Schengen fee, which is fixed at EU level, so confirm the current amount for your category with the consulate rather than relying on any guide, including this one.
Travel insurance: the figure is in euros
Cover of at least €30,000 for medical costs and repatriation is required under Article 15 of the EU Visa Code, valid across the Schengen area for the whole trip. A policy quoting £25,000 or £30,000 does not automatically satisfy it after conversion, and this is one of the most frequent avoidable refusals. Cover of this level is not expensive; a refusal is.
Who does not pay the visa fee
Children under 6. Fully exempt from the visa fee.
Family members of EU, EEA and Swiss nationals exercising free movement rights.
School pupils on organised school trips, where they appear on an official list of travellers.
Researchers travelling for scientific purposes under the relevant EU provisions.
An exemption from the visa fee does not automatically remove the service charge, which is levied per application. Confirm your category at the centre.
Where the money actually goes wrong
Budgeting only for the visa fee. The service charge is per application, so a family of four pays it four times.
Insurance quoted in pounds. Below €30,000 after conversion is a refusal, not a warning.
Assuming the fee is refundable. It covers processing the application, not its outcome.
Booking at the wrong consulate's centre. Jurisdiction follows your address, not availability.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the Italy visa fee from the UK in 2026?
€90 for adults and €45 for children aged 6 to under 12, paid in pounds at the VFS Global centre, plus the VFS service charge. Children under 6 pay no visa fee.
Are Italy visa fees refundable if the visa is refused?
No. The fee pays for the application to be processed, whatever the outcome, and the service charge is not refundable either.
Do children pay the service fee?
Yes. The exemption applies to the consular visa fee, not to the service charge, which is charged per application.
Can I apply at any UK centre?
Your application belongs to the consulate that covers where you live: London for England, Wales and the islands listed above, Edinburgh for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
What if there are no appointment slots?
Slots are released continuously and cancellations reappear without notice. For Italy from the UK, Visard provides slot alerts, not automatic booking: it watches the centre and messages you in Telegram the moment a slot opens, and you book it yourself. See Italy visa appointment alerts from the UK, or Schengen visa appointment booking for UK residents.
Official sources checked for this update
European Commission, Schengen visa fee increase: the €90 adult and €45 child figures and the 11 June 2024 effective date.
Consulate General of Italy in London: the six-month window, the 15-calendar-day cut-off, the 15-day minimum and 45-day maximum, the London jurisdiction, and VFS Global as the exclusive appointment partner.
Consulate General of Italy in Edinburgh: the Scotland and Northern Ireland jurisdiction.
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