Consulate General of Italy - New York Review

My grandmother passed away on January 3rd. These people had ONE JOB, to fill out the paperwork to clear her to be flown to Italy. They sat on this for a month!!! They even lied and blamed it on our small town (which it was not their fault). Our town even provided the proof that they sent the paperwork the day the funeral home complained for the 3rd time (three weeks in by this point!) A week later they finally picked up the phone for my aunt. When she asked when the paperwork would be completed they told her it had only been a week since they received the paperwork back from our town, and should be done soon!!! At this point even the funeral home couldn't believe this mess!! Total disregard for a family who wants to lay their mother and grandmother to rest. They should all be fired!

You will only be allowed inside at your specific time. No one is allowed inside other than the person applying for a visa. They checked all my paperwork and I was done in 15 minutes. I was missing one requirement but they allowed me to email them and they responded promptly. I received the visa in one week's time.

For a TOURIST visa below is the requirement and order you should bring them in:

*Make your copies before your visit; no copy machines available at the embassy & they will not copy for you*

-Schengen application (with most recent passport photo included)
-Passport (Bring original and make a copy)
-Green card (Bring original and make a copy of front & back)
-Driver's License (Bring original and make a copy of front & back)
-Flight Itinerary (make sure your name is included)
-Hotel Itinerary (make sure your name is included)
-Bank letter (Must be notarized; ask your bank to notarize it & they will be able to do it for you)
-Bank Statement (3-6 months)
-Credit card statements (3-6 months)
-Employment letter (must have letterhead of company; ask HR to include specific leave and return dates of your stay, earning, how long you've been employed, countries you will be visiting)
-Pay Stubs (3 paychecks)
-Travel Insurance (Make sure your name is included)

*Bring a USPS flat rate envelope WITH a tracking #. It's $6.45 at your local USPS office. They will use this to mail you back your passport with the visa on it.

Tourist visa cost: $68 (They accept cash)

Good luck! :)

Called on the phone about a serious problem with a death in our family and Italy. We were treated horribly. Basically told if you don't have a computer...forget about getting help.

They made us wait (with an appointment) 2 hours and the overall attitude was rude. The lady (do not remember her name) was hostile and said that even though we had all the documents required, she was not going to issue a visa. The arbitrary nature of this consul is beyond disgraceful. Can the Italian government not do better than these rude and hostile individuals??? Shame on you!

Generally, they are very helpful and nice. We ve been served by Matilde. She was very professional, quick and knowledgeable.

I went there twice, there was a man, I think is the boss, still ok. However, there is a woman was really rude, and seems didn't have the patience.

Needing some information, I have tried to contact the Consulate by email but their site doesn't work. The alternative address they offer also does not work. I tried to telephone and the line either is unresponsive or suddenly is cut while waiting. I wonder what service they think they are offering?

I used the Consulate's services to renew my passport.
Although the instructions on the website are not always direct and well organized, I was able to find everything with no need to contact them.
Having prepared long in advance, I was able to get an appointment at a convenient time. The reservation process itself is kind of lengthy and requires several steps, but if you follow the instructions carefully there are no hick-ups (at least for me).
The wait on the day of my appointment was longer than I expected, but all in all not terrible (maybe one hour in total). Personnel were nice and accommodating, processing time was one week but they offered to hold the application for a couple of weeks and have the new passport validity start the day after my current passport expired - allowing me to travel to Canada for work with my old passport up to a couple of days before it expired.

Only "bad" experience was with the photo.
There is a photo booth inside the consulate, which is fairly new and offers the possibility to pick among 3 or 4 shots before printing (Cost: $5).
Unfortunately, the position of the seat in the booth was such that my face appeared too big and would not fit in the required form field. I had to retake the photo 3 times, with the last time basically pushing myself to the back of the booth so make sure I was far enough from the camera.
Not sure if there is a way to show on the screen a field in which the face needs to fall within, but this would be the way to make the experience perfect!

I am still waiting in this consulate to return my birth certificate. They requested the original to process my visa application and now refuse to return it. I am not an Italian citizen, I need my birth certificate back. How dare you hold on to someone's legal paperwork. Why not request a copy then? I have emailed them numerous times and now they have stopped responding. I will get my lawyer involved to deal with this. This is pure madness. What use do you have with my birth certificate after my visa has already been processed.?

This was the worst phone call. The man that I spoke with was absolutely rude and arrogant. I cannot believe their hours of operation. I cannot say anything good about this. They seem to be put out by working.

AMAZING!!! I am absolutely taken by the level of professionalism as well as wonderful character that I experience while trying to get my Tourist Visa. I made the HUGE mistake of relying on a online company to book my flight, asked about traveling into Italy with a different passport other that US. They gave me the incorrect information and I lost my flight. Needless to say I should have done more research, i agree. I managed to get an appointment the next day at the council, went in with most required documents. Knowing the urgency of my need for an expedited Visa, they were more than generous enough not only allow me to come out and obtain the missing documents as well as expedited my application and I got a call the very next morning to come and pick up my Schengen Visa!! The two wonderful young ladies that helped me seriously made all this possible and I could not be thankful enough. I travel to Venice tomorrow and was able to salvage a portion of my trip thanks to their generosity and amazing character. THANK YOU! From the bottom of my heart, you are a blessing. VIVA ITALIA!

I announce to all Italians that today I went to the consulate to renew my passport, I was as satisfied as I was treated, good Mr. Bruno and all the staff, I live in America for 30 years, I love this land, but I am also proud and proud to be Italian. then let's stop with the Italian criticism (be ashamed!)

The worst consulate ever people working in this place are the nastiest people over the phone or when you get there They don't help at all if Ask question they do not answer you they just tell you you should know already that so come back tomorrow!!! I am trying to get my passport done since January 2017 and this is June and still I don't have an appointment, I called several times but they always told me the same thing over and over, you need to go online, and every time I do go online there is no appointment , then they put me on hold for 30 minutes to 45 minutes, and then they say to you sorry we're closed call tomorrow and they hang up on you, the stars that I'm going to put on this consulate it's negative 100 billion

This was the worst experience I've ever had. I got a bad vibe right from the beginning. I went online and read the reviews and decided to hold off on my judgement. The female security guard wasn't very warm and fuzzy, but that wasn't the issue. She told us to read the instructions on the door and to make sure we had copies of EVERYTHING because they wouldn't be making copies. When I realized that my son needed to make a copy of his drivers license, she told us we had to find a copy place before the start of his appointment, which was in 20 minutes. We are not from the city and had to google a FEDEX copy store. When I asked if there was a copy machine on premises, she said that it was only for employees. So after a stressful 20 minutes, we were copied and ready. He was called in and I had to wait outside. He came out an hour later completely distraught. After waking up at 4;30 am and driving for 5 hours, missing a day from work and school, booking a hotel room, etc...they told him he was too early and that had to come back. Never once were we told that. In fact, it says to go at LEAST three months in advance (we were 4) When he explained all this, the woman basically said "Too Bad". The entire process was completely chaotic. Every person out there waiting had an issue of some sort. We were all shaking our heads in disbelief at how poorly it was organized and run. The people are RUDE and unprofessional. I've never seen anything like it in my life! What a shame that such a beautiful country like Italy is represented so poorly.

The whole experience was terrible. I was really angry. They were super rigid, showing no respect to me and the other applicants I saw on my appointment day. They love to make things hard for you. I applied for student visa and planned to arrive a few days early, which is a very reasonable request. But you are not gonna believe what I'll tell you: when the officer saw my flight schedule, she told me you could only arrive on the first day of your program and you must leave the Schengen area immediately once the program ends. SERIOUSLY? The first time they declined my application only because I asked for some flexibility, the second time they ignored my bank statement, insulted me verbally by doubting my financial credibility. I had to leave the ambassy in the middle to follow their absurd instruction: printing out some unecessary document to prove to them once again I could afford my trip (despite the fact that the bank statement and hotel/flight booking confirmation were right in front of their eyes), otherwise come for the third time, so I had to endure the humiliation to get things done. I got the visa eventually, but I ended up having to go to another ambassy to apply for another visa to extend my stay in Europe. There is no exaggeration in my review, so judge for yourself how bad this was.

- Worst visa experience ever.
- Most inpatient consulate staff I ve ever encountered.
- Regret my decision to go to Italy every minute from scheduling the appointment to the actual interview.
- can I give them a half star?

I am speaking in behalf of my aunt, who was anxious because of the bad reviews that the consulate received. One of the reviews focused on the prepaid envelope. The sample they had on the door was wrong. So one person posted the right prepaid envelope online. God bless her soul! My aunt's interview went well and in 2 days she received her visa. And the lady at the consulate was kind.

Always had a good experience, everyone is respectful and answers all my emails.