China airlines non stop direct flight between India and Italy (Rome-Delhi)

China Airlines is the first airline to operate a direct flight between Delhi and Rome. Earlier there was direct flight from Alitalia which stopped after some problems.

According to the news, Starting on December 1 2009, China Airlines has started three round-trip flights each week from Taoyuan Taiwan to Delhi and Rome. The flight will start from Delhi around 1300-1400 Hours, unlikely other EU airlines with stats in mid night, and reach Roma Fumicino (FCO) at 1800-1900 Hrs. While going back, it will start Rome around 2200-2300 Hours and reach Indira Gandhi New Delhi international airport in the morning around 1100 Hrs.

Timing wise, I would say it much better than other airlines, at least for the Indian living in central and south Italy. The people living in North Italy should add around 100 EUR to reach Rome. The rates are quite cheap as you can get the min fare is 392 EUR, which comes to be 545 EUR after taxes.

If you have problem related to your permesso di soggiorno, then this could be best option.

Best insurance policy for foreign students in Italy, Tessera Sanitaria or INA Assitalia

If you are a student and looking for a best insurance policy for your needs, below is the right advice for you.

There are two popular insurance policies available in Italy for foreign Students (studenti stranieri)

Servizio Sanitario Nazionale (Tessera Sanitaria)

It is an Italian govt health card and issued from the ASL in your city. This card costs you 150 EUR and valid for a solar year, i.e. starting with 1 Jan to 31 dec of that particular year. With this card, you get a free doctor where you can get normal medical checkups done.

To get this card, you need

• Codice fiscale
• PDS/visa/ricevuta
• Passport and visa copy
• Letter from your university stating your student status (additional)

INA Assitalia health insurance

It costs you around 97-100 EUR, It is private insurance meant for only emergency where you are only insured for emergency hospitalization (pronot scorso rosso). However PhD students are already insured by the University for the Accidents during work hours. 

To get this insurance, you just have to deposit concern amount to the C/C postale n. 7127003 in the favor of INA Assitalia Agenzia Generale di Roma via del Tritone 18 , 00187 Roma indicating name, city and "polizza assicurazioni per studenti stranieri".

Conclusion

The best thing is to take National health insurance by paying 150 EUR which is just 50 EUR more than Assitalia, The only problem with SSN card is that it valid for a solar year, but you get a free doctor for normal check up. ASSItalia is for nothing.

Now you can decide, what do you prefer..

Visa for reasearch purpose, work permit, self employement, lavoro autonomo or study visa

Research visa (self employment, lavoro autonomo) is nothing but a work visa given under 27 of Decreto Legislativo 25 luglio 1998, n. 286. You can consider it as a highly skilled immigration for Italy.

Two types of visas are available for research purpose which depends on the type of offer you are getting from the univerity.

1. Study Visa

If you are getting any research fellowship (Borse) to peruse research as post doc, or Assegni di ricerca from which income in not taxable, then you are issued study visa. You don’t have to pay any taxes.

This visa is very easy to get, you just need a letter from the Italian university which mention about your fellowship and accommodation and visa is issued.

2. Lavoro Autonomo visa (SELF-EMPLOYMENT WORK)

This type of visa is for university language tutor, university professors and researchers intending to fill an academic position or carry out paid research activities in Italian universities or educational or research institutes, translators and interpreters.

If you get a work contract from the university, then this visa is given, having this kind of visa you are allowed to get free SSN service of Italy.

The whole process of this kind of visa takes much longer time as compared to study visa.

High Resolution Milan Metro underground or subway map (Metropolitana di Milano)

Milan, the business capital of Italy is well connected with three line of Metro and rail network.

Currently there are three lines, red line 1 (linea rossa M1), green line 2 (linea verde M2) and yellow line 3 (linea gialla M3).

You can download the High Resolution detailed map in pdf from this link
http://www.sea-aeroportimilano.it/en/pdf/mmferr.pdf

This is the Google map of Milan, the red spots marked with 'M' are the metro stations. For details about this station, click on the red M.

View Larger Map

This service is maintained by ATM Azienda Transporti Milanesi Spa (http://www.atm-mi.it/ATM/eng/)

Other links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milan_Transportation_System
http://subway.umka.org/map-milan.html

Lettera d'Invito o Dichiarazione di ospitalità per visto turistico : Invitation letter or Host declaration Download link

If you are planning to Invite your parents, spouse or your friend on tourist visa in Italy, then you need to complete this form. I am putting few links to download this invitation letter (Lettera Invito) You can download from any link.

English
http://www.esteri.it/visti/pdf/host_declaration.pdf

Italian

http://vikas.download.googlepages.com/lettera_invito1.pdf

http://www.esteri.it/visti/pdf/invito_t.pdf

http://www.consbuenosaires.esteri.it/NR/rdonlyres/C64B4932-B725-4F4B-8C82-E3B9B6508CF9/0/lettera_invito.pdf

Read More articles

How to invite wife or spouse to Italy?

How to invite parents to italy from India for short visit on visto tourismo?

Spouse visa, wife visa or family visa, Bring your spouse together with you while coming to Italy

TOURIST VISA FOR SPOUSE, For holders of work permit

Here Mr Ravi shares his personal experience of getting tourist visa from VSF-Italy in delhi.

==============
I have got the answers from my side after getting tourist visa for my wife, from delhi.

1) DOCS REQUIRED..

a) Valid Passport with names on each other.
b) Application Form & Photo graph.
c) Bank account from india (any money in it..just a proof for first timer).
d) Travel Insurance
e) Insurance declaration from .. (you will get it there)
f) Lettero di invito.
g) Work Contract as a financial proof (instead of bank guarantee) but it must be more than 2780 € in 3 months..


TIME TO ISSUE TOURIST VISA: 3 Days (i got it ready on next day )

So if you are on the work permit... just no need to worry about bank guarantee, endorsement.....!! your work contract will be enough.

Hope this helps someone...
=============

Click here for More detailed information if you are not holding a work contract. You can also download the invitation letter.

Spouse visa, wife visa or family visa, Bring your spouse together with you while coming to Italy

If you are coming to Italy on work visa or study visa, you have the rights to take your spouse with you.

You need a “nulla osta” (entry clearance certificate from Italy) for taking your wife here in Italy as a family visa.

There are two cases..

1. Taking wife with you at the time of first entry into Italy.

For this purpose, your employer or sponsor needs to apply for “Nulla Osta per Familiare al Seguito” (No Objection certificate for accompanying spouse/minor children) on Behalf of you.

And for this a “Delega” must be signed before this Consulate General to nominate a person in Italy to apply for and obtain the “Nulla Osta per familiare al seguito” on behalf of the principal applicant. Contact your employer for this..., this process takes up to 90 days.

http://www.vfs-italy.co.in/website/PDF/REQ-DOCUMENTS-FAMILIARE-AL-SEGUITO.pdf

2. Calling you family on family visa after you are settled in Italy.

For this purpose you need to apply for "Nulla osta per Ricongiungimento familiare" once you are here in Italy. This process could also take up to 90 days. But never done in 90 days.

Process one (“Nulla Osta per Familiare al Seguito” ) is with less headache from your side.

http://www.vfs-italy.co.in/website/PDF/Spouse-VISA.pdf

3. If both options does not work, then another option is to take your wife with you on toursit visa, But this would be valid only for 90 days only.

http://vikas-ke-funde.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-to-invite-wife-or-spouse-to-italy.html

Final comment and personal experience:

The Italian Bureaucracy is at high, It is very difficult for a foreigner to deal it with. The average time taken for giving the stay permit “permesso di soggiorno” is around one year, which is around two weeks in Geramny and other EU countries. Some times you receive your expired permit. You have the similar story for the Nulla osta also.

Good luck

How to invite wife or spouse to Italy

Its really difficult to bring your spouse to Italy when you come here. Generaly, for wife family visa is required and for that Entry clearance certificate "Nulla osta per ricongiungimento familiare" from the local police "Questura" To get nullaosta issued, you need hell amount of documents. First of all You do not know Italian and if you have to inquire in Italian, then gone case..., Italian beurocracy is similar to India. I am here for two years and still find problem.

In this article I am going to describe the simplest way to bring your wife/ husband/ spouse / friends or parents to Italy for maximum 90 days on tourist visa (visto tourismo)

Here is the list of Documents required.

In addition to the application form, valid passport and recent photograph, You need the following docs.

1. letter of invitation (from sponsor)
Download Invitation letter  and complete it.

2. Attested copy of all pages of your passort, attested photo copy of permesso di soggiorno, should be valid during your spouse entry, if not then the attested photo copy of expired permit and poste italiana ricevuta.
Attested means, attested from your local commune or tribunale. Ask you commune for the procedure. You can find some agents doing this for 100-200 EUR.

If you are in India to bring your spouse, then VFS-italy can attest this document by showing them the oroginal.

3. Medical insurance ( 30,000 Euros) / Overseas travel insurance
It will cost around 3000 INR for 90 days, you can ICICI lombard overseas travel insurance
http://www.icicilombard.com
You can calculate the amount before buying the insurance. It is calculated per day basis.

You can buy it online from anywhere in the world with your credit card, also for your spouse, just pretend that your spouse is buying in India.

4. Bank Guarantee from the sponsor.
Bank Guarantee is "Fidejussione bancaria" in italia, ask you bank if they are ready to give, You should have deposit of 3000 EUR per person in bank. The charges may very from 100-500 EUR.

Alternative of this is the Currency conversion endorsement on the passport of your spouse, you can ask any travel agent, and they can endorse for you or your spouse after taking 500-1000 INR. This is good option. If you are inviting for only few days, then better to go for real endorsement

5. Marriage certificate for Mumbai consulate (need not to be translated) and endorsement of spouse name on each other passport. This is must.

Your Wife or spouse in India must supply the following.

6. Covering letter, detailing purpose of trip, duration of stay and outlining the travel itinerary.
7. Flight ticket
8. One year Bank statement. (Open the account as soon as possible, if your spouse does not have it)
9. If they are working, then letter from the employer. If they are business man or house wife, then they can mention this in the covering letter.

Simplest way
If you are in Italy then Just sent the
1. Completely filled and signed invitation letter,
2. attested copy of passport, PDS and ricevuta(if permit is expired) from your side. (Attested from your local commune)

Ask your spouse in India to prepare
1. fill the visa form taken from the vfs-italy, (if there is a mistake, vfs will correct)
2. prepare the covering letter, you can prepare behalf of them
3. buy the icicilombard insurance by visiting any ICICI bank, (you can aslo buy online from here and send along will all other documents.)
4. Prepare the bank statement, need not to have lot of money,
5. Endorsement of around 2800 EUR on each passport by contacting any travel agent, (1500 for one and half months, for 90 days its 2716.68 Euro)
6. Confirmed ticket booking.
7. Employer NOC if they are working.

After having these documents ready, take the appointment and visit vfs italy, (you can also take the appointment for them online.)

I hope these documents are enough, If they require more documents, they will let your spouse know. they are very cooperative.

I have experience inviting my wife from Delhi,

they asked for my wife bank account statement even she is a house wife, I do not know why, I was lucky that she has 6 month old account with 5000 INR and only single transaction, they accepted that.

I think this is the simplest and cheapest way to call your parents or your spouse to invite to Italy.

Some rules are different for Mumbai / kolkatta consulate and Delhi embassy


If you have any question, please leave a comment, I would be very happy to answer.

More information
http://www.vfs-italy.co.in/
http://www.esteri.it/visti/home_eng.asp

Watch ancient Rome in Youtube and Google Earth

Google earth claims to build the 3D map of ancient Rome.
I downloaded Google earth, but when you go to layers there is no ancient rome.I tried but I could not find the ancient Rome layer, anyway, may be in future they are going to introduce it. Right now you can have a look of this video and feel the real Rome.