Who is eligible to apply for a Business visa and residence permit?
The Business visa is specifically conceived for non-EU nationals who intend to travel to Italy and within the Schengen area for no longer than 90 days for reasons related to commercial activities. This type of short-stay Visa does not allow the holder to engage in remunerated activities in Italy and to obtain a residence permit, despite being issued to business operators..
Validity of the Business visa
Depending on the frequency and future duration of the business affairs that the non-EU national has in the Schengen area, the Business visa has a different duration. The maximum duration is 5 years.
However, this type of visa never allows staying in the Schengen area for more than 90 days every semester. The reference date for checking the regularity of the stay is that of the verification. Therefore, the reference period of 180 days is always calculated from the verification day and includes the 180 days preceding that date.
Business visa holders can enter the Schengen area many times over the period of validity of the visa (up to 5 years) as long as they respect the limitation of 90 days per semester spent in the Schengen area.
Consistently with the above, with this visa, the foreign national is not allowed to apply for an Italian residence permit once in Italy.
Processing time
The expected time frame to obtain the Business visa is approximately 1 month from the date of the application.
Get in Touch
Do not hesitate to write to us if you wish to have additional information on the requirements for this type of visa and counselling on your specific case.
