For general information on this type of VISA, please visit the following Italian government website: vistoperitalia.esteri.it
Panamanian citizens are exempt from applying for a visa when traveling to the Schengen area for tourism/business/mission/sporting competition/study/invitation, for up to 90 days in a 180-day period. The counting of days starts from the first day of entry into the Schengen area (as evidenced by the stamp in the passport).
What it is for and who can apply for it:
This visa allows the traveler to enter and travel in the Schengen area (*) for tourism/family visit purposes. Currently, the Schengen Treaty countries are as follows:
(*) Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.
Note: If the traveler visits several Schengen countries, the visa must be applied for at the embassy of the country where the traveler spends the most time.
The visa can be applied for three months before the date of travel and up to 1 month before the date of travel.
Type of visa: “C”: short-term visa, stay up to a maximum of 90 days within 180 days.
REQUIREMENTS: Must be submitted following the strict order below:
- Schengen visa application form duly completed in all fields and signed.
- Two photographs (3,5 cm x 4 cm), white background in color (identical and recent), one of which must be pasted to the form in the corresponding box.
- Valid passport (valid for at least 3 months beyond the duration of the visa) with at least two free pages and a plain copy of the passport (only the page of the passport containing the holder’s personal information).
- Payment of consular fees in cash (they are paid on the day of the appointment, see the consular fees table)
- ID card – for foreigners cédula de extranjería or carne de residencia, valid (in both cases only an enlarged, legible copy).
- Travel medical assistance insurance valid for the Schengen area with the following coverages:
- Medical care for illness: minimum coverage of 30,000.
- Medical care for accidents: minimum coverage of 30,000.
- Repatriation: minimum coverage of 30,000 euros.
The insurance company must have a representative/office in Europe. Travel insurance cannot have a deductible. Insurance must be valid for the duration of the visa (original and copy). NOTE: Insurance must be made with agencies within the country of residence or directly in Italy, no reservations and/or purchases made through internet sites will be accepted. Insurance must be in the name of the student(s).
- Hotel reservation and travel program in the Schengen area-clear and legible.
- Only in the event that you have an invitation from an Italian and/or European citizen or a foreign national legally residing in Italy, you must submit the Letter of Invitation written and signed by the person inviting you in accordance with the law.
- Savings and/or checking account statements for the past six months, as well as any domestic and international credit cards (original and copies) endorsed by the bank. CURRENT ACCOUNT STATEMENTS ALONE ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE.
- Letter of introduction from your employer indicating your length of service, position, salary and period of vacation or leave granted, as well as your last three pay stubs. If you are an entrepreneur and/or professional, enclose a copy of the “permiso de operacion,” y copy of the “Paz y salvo” of taxes, as well as your company’s bank movements for the last three months (original and copy).
- If the tourist visa applicant cannot prove personal financial means (because he/she is a minor, student, housewife, pensioner, etc.), the person responsible for his/her maintenance (father, mother, spouse, child) must draw up a letter of commitment to cover expenses in the Schengen area signed in front of a notary public, with a copy of his/her ID and, as the case may be, marital or birth status to prove the family relationship (attach financial information on his/her economic income as indicated in item 9). Pensioners must submit their last three pay stubs and/or any other proof of income (original and copy).
- Students must submit their school certificate (original) even if they are on If they travel during the school term, they must present the school’s permission to be absent from classes.
- Booking a round-trip flight with possible booking of tickets for transfers within the Schengen area. NOTE: Air reservations must be made directly by the airline or a travel agency in the country of residence or directly in Italy (reservations made online are not accepted). The airline reservation must be in the name of the applicant.
NOTES:
- The procedure is strictly personal. The Embassy has not authorized any agency or intermediary to apply for the visa.
- For children under the age of 18 traveling with their parents, the presence of both parents at the Embassy and a copy of the child’s birth certificate are required.
- In case the minor is traveling alone or with one of the parents, the respective permission to leave the country issued by the competent authority (apostilled and translated in original and copy) must be attached.
- A copy of an identity document (ID card, passport) that clearly bears the signature of the person who signed the respective document must also be attached to the submission of the documents indicated in items 8, 9 and 11.
- Failure to submit any of the above documents may result in rejection of the visa application at the counter.
- The Embassy of Italy reserves the right to request additional documentation it deems necessary through a document called a “Rejection Notice,” which may be issued a few days after reviewing the visa application.
- Submission of the required documents does not necessarily result in the granting of the visa. Since the visa is a concession, even if all the required documents are submitted, it may be granted or denied. In the latter case, a “Denial Order” will be issued.