Need to know about VSF Italy? Get details on how the VSF Italy assists Indians in getting Italian and Schengen visas…
The VSF has actually been appointed by the Italian Embassy and Consulate as an outsourced division to facilitate Indians traveling to Italy or Schengen countries. There are seven locations available across the Indian subcontinent for applying for these visas.
How to Apply at the VSF Centers
If you want to learn the procedure of applying at the embassy or consulate of Italy in New Delhi then the following rules apply for citizens in different districts of India.
The New Delhi embassy of Italy is authorized to accept different applications from the Indian states of Jammu & Kashmir, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, State of Haryana, Union Territories of New Delhi and Chandigarh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Apart from this, you can submit the application for your Schengen visa at the application center of the VSF Italy in Chandigarh, Jalandhar and Delhi without getting an appointment. However, if you want a more personal interaction and secured submission you can go for the appointment that can be acquired either by calling them or getting an appointment schedule online.
Applicants of Bombay for VSF Centers
Now, for the states of Union Territories of Daman, Goa, States of Andhra Pradesh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Diu, Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, you can apply in Bombay where the Consulate General of Italy is based.
Kolkata Applications
Apart from this, if you are based in Kolkata or are the resident of West Bengal, Meghalaya, the Union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Nepal, Jharkhand, Tripura, Mizoram, States of Assam, Orissa and Bihar, you can apply in Kolkata.
There’s a special rule applicable for student visas and these must be submitted at the Italy visa application Center for residents of North India only.
Signatories of the Treaty of Schengen
The total number of countries which have joined the Treaty of Schengen are 25 in all. These include the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Malta, Greece, Lithuania, Poland, Iceland, Latvia, Slovakia, Italy, Portugal, Lithuania, Slovenia, Sweden, Hungary, Spain, France, Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, Estonia, Italy, Germany and Austria, Denmark and Belgium, Norway and Switzerland and Denmark.
The Schengen Agreement
This is basically a treaty that was initially signed by five of the European Community members in the year 1985. The aim of this treaty was to implement the premeditated elimination of the border control between the signatories of the treaty. It is actually given the name of the town of Schengen, which is located in Luxembourg and was the location where the treaty was signed.
Later on, the Amsterdam Treaty actually engulfed the Schengen Agreement clauses and made them an integral and accepted part of the laws followed by the European Union. Two countries, which have still opted out of signing these border control provisions are United Kingdom and Ireland.
However, they do participate in some provisions pertaining to the police cooperation and judicial matters. Today this border free zone, which was established in 1985 by the Schengen Agreements, is applicable in the clearly demarcated Schengen Area, which covers the territories of the above listed twenty-five European countries.
