The visa application shall be submitted, in writing, on the appropriate form in a single copy, filled in completely, signed by the foreign national and accompanied by a passport-size photograph.
The foreign national applying for a visa shall – as a rule after an appointment, which will be granted within a maximum of 15 days – go to the diplomatic-consular Mission in person, also in order to be interviewed about the reasons for and circumstances of his/her stay and for fingerprints to be taken (art. 13 and art. 47 of the Visa Code).
The foreign national is obliged to certify:
- the purpose of the journey;
- the means of transport and return;
- the means of support during the journey and the stay;
- the accommodation conditions.
Once the visa application has been assessed and deemed admissible on the basis of the documentation provided by the applicant and of what has been learnt during the interview – which is usually direct and personal – the diplomatic-consular Mission shall carry out the required preventive security checks, by consulting the list of foreign nationals not admissible to the Schengen Area by computer or e-means via the World Visa Network.