What it costs
Italy is one of the few Schengen countries where the UK visa-centre fee cannot be verified from an open page: VFS Global, which handles Italy's UK applications, does not publish it. So the honest answer is a labelled estimate, not a precise figure. Here is the breakdown per adult as of our 24 June 2026 check.
| Cost | Amount |
|---|---|
| Consulate fee (adult) | €90 (about £81) |
| VFS Global service fee | around £25-35 (estimate, unpublished) |
| Travel insurance (minimum €30,000 cover) | from about £12 |
| DIY total per adult | around £125 |
The consulate fee is the one certainty: €90 for adults, fixed EU-wide, the same whether you apply to Italy or anywhere else in the zone. Children aged 6 to 11 pay €45 and under-6s pay nothing. No agency can discount it, and it is not refunded if the application is refused. The VFS line is where the uncertainty lives; you will see the exact charge when you book your appointment, and our estimate is anchored to what VFS charges for comparable countries. Insurance is a separate legal requirement: at least €30,000 of medical cover, with compliant short-trip policies starting from about £12.
What can add to the cost
Beyond the core three lines, VFS offers optional extras that only apply if you choose them: having your passport couriered back rather than collected, prime time appointment slots outside normal hours, and photos taken at the centre if yours fail the spec. None are required for a decision on your visa. Turning up with your own compliant photos and a printed, ordered document file keeps the total at the base figure, and our free checklist generator makes sure that file is complete before you book.
The real budget risk is not an add-on but a refusal: well over £100 of the total, the consulate fee plus the centre fee, is non-refundable whatever the decision.
Cheaper and pricier alternatives
Within the Schengen zone the spread is real but modest. Spain undercuts Italy comfortably: BLS International's £14.85 centre fee brings its DIY total to about £108 per adult, roughly £17 less. Germany, at around £128, edges past Italy at the top of the mainstream destinations. Remember, though, that the choice is not actually yours to make on price: Schengen rules require you to apply to your main destination, so Italy's figure is only the relevant one if Italy is where you will spend the most nights.
Where to go from here
For the process itself, appointments, documents and timings, start with the Italy visa from the UK guide. To see where around £125 places Italy against every other destination, browse the full 28-country ranking in the UK Schengen cost index, or price your own trip with the cost calculator. And if you would rather hand the whole thing over, our done-for-you service covers everything, official fees included, for an all-in £175.
Sources
Common questions
- 01
How much does an Italy Schengen visa cost from the UK?
Around £125 per adult doing it yourself: the fixed €90 consulate fee (about £81), VFS Global's service fee of around £25-35, and travel insurance from about £12. Children aged 6 to 11 pay a €45 consulate fee, and children under 6 pay no consulate fee.
- 02
Why is the Italy visa centre fee an estimate?
VFS Global does not publish its UK service fee for Italy on an open page, so we show a labelled estimate of around £25-35 based on what VFS charges for comparable Schengen countries, rather than dressing a guess up as fact. You see the exact figure when you book.
- 03
Can any service reduce the €90 Italy visa fee?
No. The €90 consulate fee is set EU-wide, identical for every Schengen country, and cannot be discounted by anyone. It is also non-refundable if the visa is refused, which is why a complete, well-evidenced application is worth more than any saving on fees.
- 04
Is Italy an expensive Schengen visa compared with other countries?
It sits toward the upper-middle. At around £125 per adult, Italy costs more than Spain (about £108) or the Netherlands (about £111), but slightly less than Germany at around £128. The consulate fee is identical everywhere; the visa centre's service fee is what moves the total.
Free tools that pair with this guide