ROME / WORLDWIDE – Italian embassies and consulates have restarted full visa operations after a planned shutdown of the Visa Information System (VIS) from 12 to 18 February for a major software migration. Notices posted in Muscat, Washington DC, Dubai, Amman and other posts confirm that biometric equipment and back-office links are once again live and that appointments scheduled from 20 February onward will be honoured. The upgrade – Italy’s first global VIS refresh since 2016 – paves the way for the EU-wide Entry/Exit System (EES) and ETIAS launches later this year. During the closure, applications could not be lodged or finalised, creating backlogs for business travellers headed to Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics events and spring trade fairs.
![Italian Consulates Resume Visa Issuance After Week-Long VIS Shutdown]()
Travellers pressed for time can turn to VisaHQ’s online platform, which monitors appointment availability across Italy’s global network and assists with form preparation, document upload and biometric booking. By starting the process at https://www.visahq.com/italy/ applicants and corporate mobility teams can receive real-time alerts on reopened slots, ensure data captured pre-migration is still valid, and secure alternative consulate dates if original meetings were cancelled.
VFS Global and BLS International, the two main outsourcers, report a 65 % spike in rescheduling requests. Consulates are now prioritising stranded applicants whose travel dates fall before 10 March; new appointments may face waits of two to three weeks depending on location. Mobility managers should double-check that biometric data captured before the outage successfully uploaded into VIS; several posts are contacting clients to repeat scans that failed overnight synchronisation during the switch-over. The Foreign Ministry says the modernised platform reduces average file-processing time by one day and integrates automatic data-sharing with police anti-fraud units. It also supports future digital Schengen-visa trials, which Italy will pilot in Q4 2026. Companies with frequent traveller pools should refresh traveller profiles in their visa-management systems and budget for lingering appointment congestion through early March.
Travellers pressed for time can turn to VisaHQ’s online platform, which monitors appointment availability across Italy’s global network and assists with form preparation, document upload and biometric booking. By starting the process at https://www.visahq.com/italy/ applicants and corporate mobility teams can receive real-time alerts on reopened slots, ensure data captured pre-migration is still valid, and secure alternative consulate dates if original meetings were cancelled.
VFS Global and BLS International, the two main outsourcers, report a 65 % spike in rescheduling requests. Consulates are now prioritising stranded applicants whose travel dates fall before 10 March; new appointments may face waits of two to three weeks depending on location. Mobility managers should double-check that biometric data captured before the outage successfully uploaded into VIS; several posts are contacting clients to repeat scans that failed overnight synchronisation during the switch-over. The Foreign Ministry says the modernised platform reduces average file-processing time by one day and integrates automatic data-sharing with police anti-fraud units. It also supports future digital Schengen-visa trials, which Italy will pilot in Q4 2026. Companies with frequent traveller pools should refresh traveller profiles in their visa-management systems and budget for lingering appointment congestion through early March.
