Italian diplomatic missions globally have officially resumed visa processing services as of February 18, 2026, following a planned six-day suspension www.visahq.com. The nationwide system shutdown, which began on February 12, halted all visa issuances and application intakes at embassies and consulates worldwide vistoperitalia.esteri.it. This scheduled maintenance was necessary to implement critical infrastructure upgrades to the national visa database, marking the end of a temporary global freeze that affected thousands of prospective travelers seeking entry into the Schengen Area.

The primary objective of this technical overhaul was to improve biometric matching speeds and ensure seamless integration with the European Union’s upcoming Entry/Exit System. While the upgrade enhances long-term security and efficiency, the week-long closure has resulted in significant application backlogs at major processing hubs. Italian authorities have indicated that while the system is now fully operational, the pause in service has created a bottleneck that may impact standard processing timelines for several weeks.

Travelers are advised to expect residual delays and should utilize online scheduling tools to secure appointments as soon as possible. Although missions are prioritizing urgent cases such as medical emergencies and family reunification, general tourism and business applicants should monitor their application status closely. Third-party service providers are currently assisting applicants in navigating the post-upgrade environment to mitigate the impact of the recent service suspension and avoid extended queues at consulate offices.