The Italian Consulate in Adelaide issued a 4 February bulletin advising that its visa desk will be unable to process passports or accept new Schengen or national-visa applications between 13 and 18 February. The notice mirrors similar messages from other missions but is particularly relevant for Australians rushing to finalise European summer holiday plans or to support business projects linked to the Milano–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
Because Australia has no Italian external service provider, all applicants must appear in person for biometrics. The consulate therefore urges travellers to complete Prenot@Mi forms and secure an appointment no later than 9 February; the next available dates after the outage are already filling fast. Applicants with travel before 10 March are asked to email proof of urgent need so that the office can triage limited pre-outage capacity.
![Australian travellers warned of VIS-IT downtime by Consulate in Adelaide]()
While personal appearance for biometrics is still mandatory, using a specialist intermediary can streamline everything else. VisaHQ’s intuitive platform for Italian visas (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) lets applicants generate up-to-date document checklists, review requirements for both Schengen and national categories, and submit files for a professional pre-screen—helping ensure that the papers you bring to your Adelaide appointment are 100 percent in order. The same service can also handle visas for other stops on a multi-country itinerary, saving valuable time when consular slots are scarce.
Travel-management companies note that the downtime overlaps with Italy’s “click-day” on 16 February for non-seasonal work-permit quotas. Australian employers sponsoring chefs, engineers or seasonal vineyard workers should plan for an extra week before work visas can be stamped and travel can commence.
The consulate expects to add overtime shifts after 19 February and may open Saturday slots if backlogs prove large. Applicants are reminded that passports must remain valid for at least three months beyond the intended date of departure from the Schengen Area.
Because Australia has no Italian external service provider, all applicants must appear in person for biometrics. The consulate therefore urges travellers to complete Prenot@Mi forms and secure an appointment no later than 9 February; the next available dates after the outage are already filling fast. Applicants with travel before 10 March are asked to email proof of urgent need so that the office can triage limited pre-outage capacity.
While personal appearance for biometrics is still mandatory, using a specialist intermediary can streamline everything else. VisaHQ’s intuitive platform for Italian visas (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) lets applicants generate up-to-date document checklists, review requirements for both Schengen and national categories, and submit files for a professional pre-screen—helping ensure that the papers you bring to your Adelaide appointment are 100 percent in order. The same service can also handle visas for other stops on a multi-country itinerary, saving valuable time when consular slots are scarce.
Travel-management companies note that the downtime overlaps with Italy’s “click-day” on 16 February for non-seasonal work-permit quotas. Australian employers sponsoring chefs, engineers or seasonal vineyard workers should plan for an extra week before work visas can be stamped and travel can commence.
The consulate expects to add overtime shifts after 19 February and may open Saturday slots if backlogs prove large. Applicants are reminded that passports must remain valid for at least three months beyond the intended date of departure from the Schengen Area.
