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When applying to study on the Smith JYA Program in Florence, students must have a passport that is valid 6 months after the end of the program and submit a copy of their passport with their JYA Application on February 1. Proof of passport application or renewal is acceptable.
A student visa is required for study in Italy on the JYA Florence program. Smith's Office for International Study will facilitate a group visa application for students who are accepted on the JYA Florence program.
The Italian visa process is complicated and requires submission of the group's passports to the Italian Consulate in Boston for a period of 2 - 4 weeks. The specific date of Smith's visa appointment depends upon the Italian Consulate’s availability, and cannot be scheduled until mid-May at the earliest. The length of time required to process the visas will also depend on the Italian Consulate's availability. Thus, students will need to surrender their passport for a period of at least 8 weeks during the summer. Once the Consulate issues the visas and returns the passports to Smith, the Office for International Study will return passports with visas to students via a courier service.
Because of this complicated schedule, students attending the JYA Florence program are strongly discouraged from making any international travel plans during the summer preceding the year in Italy. Students who do not participate in the group visa application take responsibility for obtaining their own student visas.
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