Anyone got a visa to take their domestic helper to Italy on holiday with them?

Just wondered if anyone had experience of getting a domestic helper visa from the Italian Consulate to take their domestic helper on holiday to Italy with them?


We're going to Verona for a holiday and plan on taking our domestic helper. I've got domestic helper visas for our helper to accompany us to the UK many times before. But I've no experience in getting a domestic helper visa from the Italian consulate and the list of the different types of Italian visas on their Web site doesn't mention domestic helper visas at all.


Has anyone succeeded in getting a domestic helper visa from the Italian Consulate? I'd rather not have her try and travel on an ordinary tourist visa unless there's no other alternative.

The record of your helper going to UK and back to HK shows that she's not going to run away. It (and your support as employer) will help to get a tourist visa to Italy.

Just to answer my own question (as no one else seemed able to) ... my helper came back from the Italian Consulate with a visa after only four days. I wouldn't count on it always being that quick. They initially said 10 days, then 7 when we went in to make the application, but it does seem like the Italians are among the easier consulates for a Schengen visa. They do ask for a lot of documents though and check everything carefully. I even had to show my credit cards and was questioned about why my helper was applying for a 15 day visa, when our air tickets showed she was only staying in Italy for a week. Unfortunately the list of required documents is not on the Italian Consulate's web site and, judging from my experience, if you turn up without all of them it may well be a wasted trip. Probably best to call the consulate first and ask them to fax you the list and the guarantee form (if you can get through to the visa section that is, I only managed once--shortly after 9am--normally the phone just rings and rings)

Congratulations for the successful application. It does look like you're the first one (in this forum) to confirm a successful application.