What is the Italy visa fee in Dubai in 2026?

The Schengen visa fee is EUR 90 for adults and EUR 45 for ages 6 to 12, paid in local currency at the consular exchange rate. Children under six pay nothing. The visa application centre adds its own service fee on top, and at BLS Abu Dhabi the visa fee is paid in cash at the centre.

Do I need an Italian visa appointment in Dubai?

Yes. Tourist visas need a BLS appointment on the Abu Dhabi route, and the Dubai route runs through VFS Global Dubai at The Gate, DIFC. Book a slot at least 15 days before travel and no more than six months ahead, because BLS Abu Dhabi returns applications outside those limits.

Can I apply for an Italy visa in Abu Dhabi if I live in Dubai?

No. The Embassy of Italy in Abu Dhabi takes applications only from holders of a UAE visa issued by the Government of Abu Dhabi. Residents of Dubai and the Northern Emirates are referred to the Consulate General in Dubai, and Dubai visa holders should confirm with the consulate before booking.

How does the 90/180 rule work with an Italy visa?

On each day of a stay, count back 180 days. The days spent in the Schengen area in that window must not exceed 90, and the day of entry and the day of exit both count. All Schengen countries share one allowance, so trips to France or Spain use the same days.

Will my UAE SIM work in Italy, and what about data?

Your UAE line will roam in Italy, so keep it in the phone for calls and bank codes and turn off data roaming on it. A data only eSIM such as Slashtel's Europe+ works in all 29 Schengen countries plus the UK and Turkey, and validity starts when it first connects at the destination.

Italy Visa Dubai 2026: Fees, Documents, Appointments

Q: Which documents do I need for an Italy Schengen visa from the UAE?

A passport valid at least three months beyond your return date holding a valid UAE visa, an NOC from your employer or sponsor, your labour contract, a trade or professional licence copy, three months of payslips and bank statements, travel insurance with at least EUR 30,000 cover, hotel and flight bookings, a colour photo and a UAE residence visa valid at least 90 days from your return date.

Q: What must the NOC from my employer say?

It must give your name and designation, start date, monthly salary, no objection to travel to Italy, your leave dates and purpose, plus the signatory's name, direct phone, email and copies of the signatory's passport and UAE visa.

Q: Do I need ETIAS if I have an Italy visa?

No. ETIAS is a travel authorisation for visa-free visitors only, and people who need a Schengen visa do not apply for ETIAS. ETIAS is not yet operating and is expected to start in the last quarter of 2026, with a fee of EUR 20.

You apply for an Italy Schengen visa at the Italian consulate with territorial responsibility for where you legally live in the UAE: the Consulate General in Dubai through VFS Global, or the Embassy in Abu Dhabi through BLS International for holders of an Abu Dhabi issued UAE visa. The fee is EUR 90 for adults and EUR 45 for ages 6 to 12, and you lodge the application at least 15 days before travel.

Who needs an Italy visa in the UAE

If you hold a UAE residence visa and a passport from a country without a Schengen visa waiver, you need a Schengen short-stay visa for Italy, applied for in the UAE where you legally live. The visa allows up to 90 days in any 180-day period across all 29 Schengen countries, and Italy must be your main destination or your first point of entry if stays are equal.

A Schengen short-stay visa comes in three shapes that matter when you plan: a single-entry visa allows one entry, a multiple-entry visa allows several visits while it is valid, and an airport transit visa only covers the international transit area of an airport.

Apply at the consulate of the country you intend to visit. If you visit more than one country, apply to the country where you will spend the longest time, the main destination. If the stays are equal, apply to the country you will enter first. The European Commission's general rule is that you apply at the consulate with territorial responsibility for the country where you are legally resident.

The Schengen area has 29 member countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Bulgaria and Romania became full members on 1 January 2025. Cyprus and Ireland are EU countries that are not in the Schengen area, so an Italy visa does not cover them. For the wider picture, see our Schengen visa guide.

Where to apply in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Italy splits the UAE between two missions. The Embassy of Italy in Abu Dhabi takes applications only from holders of a UAE visa issued by the Government of Abu Dhabi, through BLS International at Nation Towers. Residents of Dubai and the Northern Emirates are referred to the Consulate General in Dubai, which works through VFS Global Dubai.

The BLS Italy centre for Abu Dhabi is at Nation Towers Mall, 1st Floor, F24, 1st Street, Al Bateen. It takes applications Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 15:00 and returns passports Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:00. Tourist visas need a BLS appointment.

The VFS Italy centre in Dubai is at The Gate, DIFC. Visa services resumed gradually from Monday 23 March 2026 after a period of restrictions, so check the current appointment availability before you plan a date.

There is one wrinkle to know about. The Dubai consulate's May 2026 checklist says holders of a UAE residence visa issued by a Northern Emirates authority may apply in Dubai, while the Abu Dhabi embassy refers residents of Dubai and the Northern Emirates to the Dubai consulate. Dubai visa holders should confirm with the consulate before booking, because the two documents do not say exactly the same thing. Our Schengen visa from Dubai page covers the Dubai side in more detail.

Booking the appointment

Book the appointment before anything else, because the slot sets your travel date. BLS Abu Dhabi accepts applications made no more than six months and no fewer than 15 calendar days before travel, and returns any outside those limits straight away. The Dubai route runs through VFS Global Dubai.

Steps that keep the booking from going wrong:

Confirm which mission covers your UAE residence visa: Abu Dhabi issued, or Dubai and the Northern Emirates.
Book the appointment at the matching centre, BLS International for Abu Dhabi or VFS Global for Dubai.
Pick a date at least 15 days before travel and no more than six months ahead.
Bring every document to the appointment, including copies.
Hand in any further documents at the VFS centre without an appointment. Documents sent to the visa office by email are not considered.

Family members travelling together must apply together, so book slots that allow the whole group to attend. BLS Abu Dhabi also offers optional paid extras, such as a Premium Lounge and a doorstep service that collects biometrics at an address you choose, which can help if a family member cannot easily travel to Al Bateen.

Fees and service charges

From 11 June 2024 the Schengen visa fee is EUR 90 for adults and EUR 45 for ages 6 to 12, paid in local currency at the consular exchange rate. Children under six pay nothing. Visa application centres add their own service fee on top, and at BLS Abu Dhabi the visa fee is paid in cash at the centre.

What to budget for:

Visa fee: EUR 90 per adult, EUR 45 per child aged 6 to 12, free under 6.
BLS or VFS service fee: set by the centre, separate from the visa fee.
Optional BLS Abu Dhabi extras: Premium Lounge and doorstep biometrics, both paid.
Practical costs: passport photos, insurance, bank statements with an original bank stamp.

The fee can be waived for some categories of applicant, so ask the centre if you think you qualify. Pay in the local currency amount the centre quotes on the day, not in euros, and keep the receipt with your documents. If you are comparing the total cost of the trip, remember the visa fee is per person, so a family of four pays for each applicant separately.

Documents for an Italy visa from the UAE

The Dubai consulate's tourism checklist asks for a passport valid at least three months beyond your return date from the Schengen area that holds a valid UAE visa, an NOC from your employer or sponsor, your labour contract, a trade or professional licence copy, three months of payslips and bank statements, insurance, hotel and flight bookings, and a UAE residence visa valid at least 90 days from your intended return date.

The NOC must give your name and designation, start date, monthly salary, no objection to travel to Italy, your leave dates and purpose, plus the signatory's name, direct phone, email and copies of the signatory's passport and UAE visa.

Proof of funds means the last 3 months of payslips, bank statements and credit card statements. Foreign bank accounts are not considered, statements must be on bank letterhead, and photocopies or online statements must carry the original bank stamp.

Insurance must cover the whole stay with at least EUR 30,000 and full, unlimited hospital cover, include emergency repatriation and repatriation of remains, and come with a detailed table of benefits.

Also prepare:

A confirmed hotel booking, or an invitation letter if you stay privately.
A confirmed flight reservation.
One colour passport photo on a white background, no older than 6 months.
A copy of a valid UAE trade or professional licence.

Damaged passports are refused. When a minor travels with both parents, both parents sign a consent letter at the visa application centre. When a minor travels without both parents, the consent letter must be signed before a Dubai notary and legalised by MOFA and the consulate.

Processing time and when to apply

A decision is normally made within 15 days, and this can be extended to up to 45 days when the application needs a closer look or more documents. You must lodge the application at least 15 days before travel, and the passport is not returned until a final decision has been made.

That last point decides your planning. The consulate keeps your passport while it decides, so do not book anything that needs the passport in your hand during that window, and do not plan a second trip in the weeks after your appointment.

A sensible timeline:

First: gather the NOC, labour contract, licence and bank statements.
Next: book the appointment and confirm the hotel and flight reservations.
At least 15 days before travel: attend the appointment with the full set of documents.
After the appointment: wait for the decision, then collect the passport.

Submit no earlier than 6 months before the trip. A request for more documents can push the decision towards the 45-day limit, so check the NOC and the bank stamps before you go.

The 90/180 rule and the Entry/Exit System

The 90/180-day rule is a moving window: on each day of a stay, count back 180 days, and the days spent in the Schengen area in that window must not exceed 90. The day of entry and the day of exit both count as days of stay, and all Schengen countries share one allowance.

Days spent in the UK do not count towards the 90 days, and time spent under a residence permit or long-stay visa from a Schengen country is not counted either. After 90 days in a row outside the Schengen area, a new stay of up to 90 days is possible. Run your dates through our Schengen calculator before you book flights, especially on a multiple-entry visa where several trips add up.

The EU Entry/Exit System records non-EU nationals on a short stay at the external Schengen border: passport details, fingerprints, a facial image and the date and place of each entry and exit. It started on 12 October 2025, has been fully operational since 10 April 2026, and replaces passport stamping. It detects people who stay longer than allowed.

EES registration is free and there is nothing to apply for in advance. Children under 12 do not give fingerprints, and holders of a long-stay visa or residence permit from an EES country are not registered. ETIAS is a separate travel authorisation for visa-free visitors only, so people who need a Schengen visa do not apply for ETIAS. ETIAS is not yet operating and is expected to start in the last quarter of 2026, with a fee of EUR 20. Read more on our EES page.

Data in Italy and topping up home

Sort out data before you fly. A travel eSIM keeps maps, booking apps and bank codes working, while your home SIM stays in the phone for calls and SMS.

Slashtel's Europe+ eSIM works in all 29 Schengen countries, plus the UK and Turkey, so data keeps working when you cross a border. It is data only: no local phone number and no calls or SMS, though WhatsApp and other internet calls work over the data.

How it works in practice:

Buy online with an email address and a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. The QR code arrives by email within minutes.
Someone else can buy it and enter the traveller's email, so the QR code goes straight to the person who will use it.
Validity starts when the eSIM first connects at the destination, so it can be bought and installed at home before the flight.
The network is chosen automatically and cannot be picked by hand.
More data can be added to the same eSIM later, with no new QR code.
The phone must be unlocked and eSIM compatible.

Keep the home SIM in the phone for calls and bank codes, and turn off data roaming on it to avoid roaming charges. If your prepaid home line needs to stay active while you are away, Slashtel also sells mobile top-ups from the UAE to more than 100 countries, delivered in minutes. Support is on WhatsApp and email, 7 days a week. Check how much data you need with our data calculator, and see Italy for destination detail.

See Italy eSIM plans.

Sources

Checked 25 October 2026. Rules and dates can change, so check the official pages before you rely on them.

Italy Visa from Dubai and the UAE: 2026 Guide

Who needs an Italy visa in the UAE

Where to apply in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Booking the appointment

Fees and service charges

Documents for an Italy visa from the UAE

Processing time and when to apply

The 90/180 rule and the Entry/Exit System

Data in Italy and topping up home

Sources

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