Study in Italy Consultants in Ahmedabad (2027/28): Consulate, VFS, Documents and Costs

Written by İrem Yılmaz, Student Experience Lead. Reviewed by Reeya Sharma, Student Success and Partnerships. Published 28 September 2026. Updated 28 September 2026.

In short

• Comparing study abroad consultants in Ahmedabad for Italy? Start with the office. The Consulate General of Italy in Mumbai decides your visa. VFS Ahmedabad takes only the declaration of value (DOV); the study visa itself goes to VFS Mumbai or Cochin.
• Gujarat degrees and marksheets are attested by the state at Sachivalaya, Gandhinagar, then apostilled by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). E-Sanad lists no Gujarat issuer yet.
• A year in Milan, Rome or Turin costs about ₹10.2 lakh to ₹20.5 lakh (€9,372 to €18,729) at the ECB rate of 25 September 2026 (2026/27 fees and costs; 2027/28 fee tables pending, usually published in the summer before the year). Public university study can be tuition-free for eligible students who win a regional DSU grant.
• We work with students in Ahmedabad online, from our offices in Milan and India. We have no office in Ahmedabad.
• ApplyAZ, an independent study-in-Italy consultancy with offices in Milan and India, works only with Italian public universities and takes no commission from them. For eligible students, we handle the applications, Universitaly pre-enrolment, the DSU scholarship application and the visa file.

Before you book anything at a VFS counter, check your eligibility first. If you are eligible, you book a one-to-one consultation with one of our Italy experts, and from there we take care of everything.

Key facts for Ahmedabad students, 2027/28

Which Italian office handles my visa if I live in Ahmedabad?

The Consulate General of Italy in Mumbai handles it, because its visa page lists Gujarat among the states it serves. That holds as long as you live in Gujarat when you apply. A study visa can take up to 90 days from receipt, the consulate's study page says, so Mumbai sets your timeline.

The same consulate issues the declaration of value (DOV) for a Gujarat degree. VFS Global only collects the files. Uni-Italia, the non-profit body set up by Italian ministries to promote study in Italy, has an office inside the Mumbai consulate that also receives DOV requests.

One exception catches families who studied in the south. According to VFS Mumbai's Italy page, a final degree or school diploma from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana or Puducherry means filing the DOV with the Bengaluru consulate. The visa itself still goes through Mumbai.

Where is the Italy VFS centre for Ahmedabad?

VFS Ahmedabad is on the ground floor of Shree Balaji Agora Mall, on Sardar Patel Ring Road between Tapovan and Bhat Circle, according to VFS Global. It accepts DOV files from Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 15:00. Study visas are the exception: the Mumbai consulate takes them only at VFS Mumbai or Cochin.

VFS lists an extra centre charge of INR 652 at Ahmedabad, paid in cash or by card. According to the consulate's study page, since 15 April 2024 study visas are taken only by appointment at VFS Mumbai (Mahalaxmi) or Cochin, and every student then attends a mandatory video interview.

An older VFS Italy page still gives a Gujarat Chamber of Commerce address on Ashram Road. We work from the current VFS Global page and recheck it before each appointment.

Your documents from Gujarat

Two offices in a typical Gujarat file sit in Gandhinagar: the school board, GSEB, and the state authentication desk at Sachivalaya. The table shows who issues or stamps each paper, and a processing time only where an official page publishes one.

We tell you exactly which documents to get, in which order, and check every page before the visa appointment. Your family collects the originals and the stamps; we never attest or apostille anything ourselves. Our guide to the DOV and our page on choosing between a DOV and CIMEA cover the rest.

How are Gujarat degrees attested for Italy?

A Gujarat degree is attested by the state first and apostilled by the MEA second. For Gujarat, the MEA list of authentication centres names the General Administration Department (Protocol) at Block 1, Sachivalaya, Gandhinagar. The Mumbai consulate's June 2026 DOV checklist makes state attestation mandatory and refuses SDM stamps.

For Maharashtra, the same MEA list names departments at Mantralaya in Mumbai, so advice written for a Mumbai file does not carry over to Gujarat. The consulate wants the attestation on the final degree and on the marksheets or transcript, with one photocopy of each.

We mark the pages that need the Gandhinagar stamp and check the apostille before the file reaches VFS. Our declaration of value guide explains how the two stamps fit together.

Is E-Sanad accepted for Gujarat university documents?

Yes, the Mumbai consulate accepts E-Sanad apostilles for the DOV, but few Gujarat documents can use it yet. E-Sanad works only for documents held in a digital depository. Its list of connected issuing authorities, checked on 28 September 2026, names no Gujarat board or university, while Maharashtra's state board is listed.

E-Sanad adds that issuers linked to the National Academic Depository (NAD) are verified online. If your Gujarat University or GTU degree sits in NAD, the online route may open; if it does not, the paper route through Gandhinagar and an MEA centre applies. We check the route for each document before anything is booked.

Your visa from Ahmedabad

From Ahmedabad, the visa file travels to VFS Mumbai (Mahalaxmi) or Cochin, where you submit it by appointment and then sit a mandatory video interview. Our Mumbai consulate visa guide covers the checklist, and the Italy student visa guide explains funds, insurance and timing.

Budget from Ahmedabad: what does a year in Italy cost?

A year in Italy costs a student from Ahmedabad about ₹10.2 lakh to ₹20.5 lakh, depending on the university and the city. That assumes a public university and a room in a shared flat, before flights. The figures come from the universities' 2026/27 fee rules and cost pages, at the ECB rate of 25 September 2026.

The tuition band runs from the University of Milan's fee for students with income abroad to Politecnico di Milano's full contribution plus regional tax and stamp duty without an ISEE, €3,943.04. Rome's living cost comes from Sapienza's International Student Guide (2024 file); Turin's page was last updated on 3 June 2024. Paperwork adds the €50 visa fee, €116.46 at the post office for the permit and €700 for a year of health cover.

Worked example: a student from Ahmedabad joins a master's at the University of Milan in 2026/27 and declares income abroad. India sits in the university's country group A, so fees are €146 plus €256 at most, €402 in total. Add Milan at Politecnico di Milano's mid-range, €920 a month or €11,040 a year, and €866.46 of paperwork: €12,308.46, about ₹13.45 lakh.

The visa asks for proof of at least €10,179.85 a year, about ₹11.12 lakh, under the ministry circular for 2026/27 and 2027/28. A regional DSU grant can cover much of the living cost, and the region decides it. See our DSU scholarship guide, the University of Milan DSU page and our full cost guide.

Where to start: English-taught programmes by level in our catalogue

Ahmedabad's technological university runs its own schools of engineering, pharmacy, management and applied sciences, so a GTU graduate can start with our engineering and business lists. The counts below come from our own catalogue on 28 September 2026; they are not national totals.

By subject, engineering leads with 156 programmes, 146 of them at master's level. Natural sciences follow with 75, business with 72, health sciences with 62, social sciences with 51 and computer science with 33. Start with our guides to computer science, business and management or architecture and design.

For rankings, the QS World University Rankings 2027 (published 18 June 2026) place four public universities at the top in Italy: Politecnico di Milano (=87), Sapienza (=111), Bologna (=123) and Padua (204). Our list of the best universities in Italy covers the rest.

For funding, the three public routes are the regional DSU grant, which the region decides, the MAECI scholarship and Invest Your Talent in Italy. We check which of them fits your profile.

Not sure which level your Gujarat marks fit? Check your eligibility first. If you are eligible, one of our Italy experts takes you through it in a one-to-one consultation, and we handle everything after that.

Can a Gujarat University or GTU degree get me into an Italian master's?

Usually yes, if the degree gives access to a master's in India and your grades meet the programme's bar. The University of Padua's 2027/28 entry table accepts three- or four-year honours bachelor's degrees from India. A three-year pass or general degree needs an extra postgraduate year, and the university decides admission.

Both are state universities on the UGC list, founded in 1950 and 2007. The ministry circular asks for a first-cycle degree at European level 6 that opens a master's in its home country. The Padua table, updated 15 September 2026, shows how one university reads Indian degrees.

For a bachelor's, the same table accepts a Higher Secondary School Certificate with at least 70 out of 100. We confirm with each university how it reads your Gujarat marks before you apply.

Where can I take IELTS, TOEFL, SAT or GRE in Ahmedabad?

All four are available in or from Ahmedabad. IDP, which runs IELTS in India, lists an Ahmedabad centre with computer-delivered dates and nine more Gujarat cities, from Vadodara to Vapi. College Board lists three Ahmedabad centres for the 7 November 2026 SAT, including Shantigram, and ETS offers TOEFL and GRE at centres or at home.

The British Council confirms that IDP has been the sole distributor of IELTS testing in India since 25 July 2021. IDP's Ahmedabad page shows the computer-delivered calendar, and its fee page gives INR 19,000 for IELTS Academic. ETS India gives ₹22,550 for the GRE General Test.

GMAT is booked on mba.com, at a test centre or online at home. Whether you need IELTS at all depends on the programme; our page on studying in Italy without IELTS goes programme by programme.

Are there direct flights from Ahmedabad to Italy?

No non-stop flight appears on the airline route pages we checked. Qatar Airways flies from Terminal 2 at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport to Milan Malpensa and Rome Fiumicino with one stop in Doha. Emirates connects through Dubai, with listed journeys of about 12 to 14 hours.

See the Emirates route to Milan and the Emirates route to Rome. We do not quote fares, because they change daily. The visa file needs a travel booking or extra funds, and we tell you which your file needs.

When should students in Ahmedabad start for the 2027/28 intake?

Start by late 2026. Classes for 2027/28 begin in September or October 2027, and the visa deadline is 31 October 2027, per Universitaly. Working back, the Mumbai DOV can take up to 90 days, and some calls open a year ahead: Politecnico di Milano opened its first 2026/27 engineering call on 1 October 2025.

In a Gujarat file, the Gandhinagar attestation, the apostille and the DOV run one after another, so we plan them first. Our intakes page lists the windows university by university as calls are published.

Do I need a consultant to study in Italy?

No, students from countries like India can apply alone through each university and Universitaly, or use Uni-Italia, the non-profit promotion body with an office in the Mumbai consulate. Going solo works best when the file is short: one or two programmes, clean papers. A Gujarat file adds a Mumbai visa, a Gandhinagar stamp and a regional DSU call.

Our page on how ApplyAZ gets paid sets out when applying alone is the better choice. If you choose us, we handle the applications, the Universitaly pre-enrolment, the DSU application and the visa file.

How do you choose between study abroad consultants in Ahmedabad?

Ask who pays them, which universities they suggest and what they promise. Many Ahmedabad offices sell several countries and quote success rates without a source; neither tells you how they handle a Mumbai visa or a Gandhinagar stamp. The ten questions below test any adviser, including us.

Red flags include promises of admission or a visa, commissions from universities, an address that turns out not to exist, and "free" agents whose income depends on where you enrol. Read our Code of Practice, how to choose a study in Italy consultant and our guide to the best consultancy for Italy.

How ApplyAZ works with students in Ahmedabad

The only in-person steps in an Ahmedabad file happen at VFS, in Gandhinagar and at an MEA centre, and those belong to your family. Everything else runs online with us, in this order:

1. You check your eligibility at go.applyaz.com.
2. If you are eligible, you book a 30-minute Zoom consultation with one of our Italy experts, and parents can join. The price depends on your country and degree, and it is refunded if the call is not useful to you.
3. We shortlist 20 to 30 English-taught programmes at public universities, and you approve each one.
4. We prepare your CV, statements of purpose and applications, then the Universitaly pre-enrolment, the DSU scholarship application and the visa file.
5. We tell you which Gujarat documents to get and check every page before your VFS Mumbai appointment.

Payment follows results: a starting fee when you join, then our admission, DSU and visa fees at each stage. With no admission, the starting fee is refunded, on terms you see in writing first. How ApplyAZ Gets Paid explains it, and a named person handles each stage.

Does ApplyAZ have an office in Ahmedabad?

No, ApplyAZ has offices in Milan and India, and students in Ahmedabad work with us online, from the first consultation to the visa file. That fits an Italy file, because the offices that decide it are in Mumbai, Gandhinagar and Italy. Our About page sets out who we are and where our teams work.

Read about ApplyAZ and our teams. Families weighing other cities can compare our Mumbai page and Pune page, which share the same consulate but not the same documents.

Reality check

For an Ahmedabad student, three decisions sit outside anyone's control in Gujarat. The university decides admission, the Italian region decides the DSU scholarship, and the Consulate General in Mumbai decides the DOV and the visa. Universitaly states that a validated pre-enrolment gives no right to a visa appointment or a visa.

We handle the applications, the Universitaly pre-enrolment, the DSU application and the visa file, and we check every Gujarat document before it travels. The usual mistakes in Gujarat files, and what each one costs:

• Booking a study visa slot at VFS Ahmedabad. The file is not accepted there, so the day is lost and you rebook at VFS Mumbai or Cochin.
• An SDM stamp instead of state attestation. The DOV is refused, and the Gandhinagar and MEA steps start again before a new DOV wait of up to 90 days.
• Working from the 2024-25 study checklist still linked on the consulate site, which asks €6,079.45 a year. The current circular asks €10,179.85, so a statement sized to the old page falls €4,100.40 short, about ₹4.48 lakh.
• A degree from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana or Puducherry filed in Mumbai. The DOV belongs to Bengaluru, and the file restarts.
• Going to the old Ashram Road VFS address. The centre now sits on Sardar Patel Ring Road, and a missed slot means a new booking.
• Counting on E-Sanad for a Gujarat paper that is not in a depository. There is no online route, so the Gandhinagar and MEA visits have to be added late.

Ready to see where your Gujarat marks can take you? Check your eligibility first. If you are eligible, you book a one-to-one consultation with one of our Italy experts, and from there we take care of everything.

Frequently asked questions

Can I submit my Italian study visa at VFS Ahmedabad?

No. Since 15 April 2024 the Consulate General of Italy in Mumbai takes study visa applications only at VFS Mumbai (Mahalaxmi) or VFS Cochin, by appointment, followed by a mandatory video interview. VFS Ahmedabad still accepts your declaration of value before the visa stage, which saves Gujarat families one trip.

I live in Ahmedabad but my degree is from Bengaluru. Which office issues my DOV?

The Consulate General of Italy in Bengaluru. VFS Mumbai says residents of the Mumbai jurisdiction whose final degree or school diploma was issued in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana or Puducherry must file the DOV in Bengaluru. Your visa itself still goes through the Mumbai consulate.

Can I lodge my DOV in Ahmedabad and file the visa later?

Yes. The Mumbai consulate's June 2026 checklist lets students lodge the DOV before the visa at VFS Ahmedabad, Pune, Mumbai or Cochin, or at the Uni-Italia office in Mumbai; a DOV filed together with the visa goes only to VFS Mumbai or Cochin. A CIMEA statement can replace the DOV, and we tell you which suits your timeline.

How long does the DOV take for a Gujarat degree?

Up to 90 days from the day the Mumbai consulate receives it, according to its June 2026 checklist. The Gandhinagar attestation and the MEA apostille come before that and have no published processing time. For a 2027/28 start, we plan to lodge the DOV at VFS Ahmedabad well before summer 2027.

How much money must my family show for the Italian study visa?

At least €10,179.85 a year, about ₹11.12 lakh at the ECB rate of 25 September 2026. The figure comes from the ministry circular for 2026/27 and 2027/28. The Mumbai consulate's older 2024-25 checklist still shows €6,079.45, so we size bank statements to the circular, not the old page.

Are GSEB Class XII marks accepted for a bachelor's in Italy?

Often, with 12 years of schooling and the grades a programme asks for. The University of Padua's 2027/28 entry table lists a Higher Secondary School Certificate with at least 70 out of 100. Each university reads Gujarat board marks its own way, so we confirm with every university before you apply.

Can ApplyAZ attest or apostille my Gujarat documents?

No. Only the state authentication desk in Gandhinagar and the Ministry of External Affairs can do that, and your family obtains those stamps. We tell you exactly which documents to get, in which order, and check every page before the visa appointment, so nothing comes back from Mumbai for a missing stamp.

Do Ahmedabad students have to travel to Mumbai?

Usually once, for the study visa. The DOV can be lodged at VFS Ahmedabad, but the visa itself goes to VFS Mumbai or Cochin by appointment, and a mandatory video interview follows the submission. Everything else, from applications to the DSU scholarship, we handle with you online.

Is VFS Ahmedabad still on Ashram Road?

No. VFS Global's Italy page now places the Ahmedabad centre on the ground floor of Shree Balaji Agora Mall, on Sardar Patel Ring Road between Tapovan and Bhat Circle. An older VFS Italy page still shows a Gujarat Chamber of Commerce address on Ashram Road, so we recheck the current page before every appointment.

What does ApplyAZ charge students in Ahmedabad?

Our fee varies by country and is never shown as one figure. You pay step by step: a consultation, then a starting fee, then our admission, DSU and visa fees as results arrive. If you get no admission, we refund the starting fee, on terms you see in writing before you begin.

Sources

• Consulate General of Italy in Mumbai, visas and jurisdiction, undated page, verified 28 September 2026.
• Consulate General of Italy in Mumbai, study in Italy (study visas at VFS Mumbai or Cochin, video interview, up to 90 days), live 2026/27 page, verified 28 September 2026.
• Consulate General of Italy in Mumbai, requisite documents for DOV for study purposes, revised June 2026, 2026/27, verified 28 September 2026.
• Consulate General of Italy in Mumbai, requisite documents for study visa, 2024-25 edition, superseded, verified 28 September 2026.
• VFS Global, Italy Visa Application Centre Ahmedabad, live page, verified 28 September 2026.
• VFS Global, Italy visa information, Mumbai jurisdiction, undated page, verified 28 September 2026.
• VFS Italy (older site), contact addresses, undated legacy page, verified 28 September 2026.
• Ministry of External Affairs, Regional Authentication Centres (updated list), undated PDF, verified 28 September 2026.
• Ministry of External Affairs, E-Sanad, issuing authorities connected, live page, verified 28 September 2026.
• Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board, online student services, live page, verified 28 September 2026.
• Gujarat University, online services, live page, verified 28 September 2026.
• Gujarat Technological University, portals and websites, live page, verified 28 September 2026.
• University Grants Commission, consolidated list of all universities, as on 25 January 2023, verified 28 September 2026.
• CIMEA, comparability and verification service, undated page, verified 28 September 2026.
• University of Padua, entry requirements per country, updated 15 September 2026, valid for 2027/28, verified 28 September 2026.
• Ministry of University and Research, circular on international students, 2026/27 and 2027/28, verified 28 September 2026.
• Universitaly, international students (visa deadlines), 2026/27 and 2027/28, verified 28 September 2026.
• Politecnico di Milano, laurea magistrale deadlines for foreign qualifications, 2026/27, verified 28 September 2026.
• University of Milan, fees, 2026/27, verified 28 September 2026.
• University of Milan, country groups (India in group A), 2026/27, verified 28 September 2026.
• Politecnico di Milano, student contribution regulation, 2026/27, verified 28 September 2026.
• Politecnico di Milano, cost of living, undated page, verified 28 September 2026.
• Sapienza University of Rome, International Student Guide, 2024 file, verified 28 September 2026.
• Politecnico di Torino, cost of living, updated 3 June 2024, verified 28 September 2026.
• Embassy of Italy in New Delhi, visa fees (national study visa €50), undated page, verified 28 September 2026.
• Poste Italiane, residence permit guide, undated page, verified 28 September 2026.
• Regione Toscana PAeSI, residence permit postal slip, amounts in force, verified 28 September 2026.
• Politecnico di Milano, health insurance, 2026 calendar year, verified 28 September 2026.
• IDP IELTS India, test centres in India, live page, verified 28 September 2026.
• IDP IELTS India, Ahmedabad test centre, live page, verified 28 September 2026.
• IDP IELTS India, test fee, 2026, verified 28 September 2026.
• British Council India, IELTS dates, fees and locations, live page, verified 28 September 2026.
• College Board, SAT test centre search (India, 7 November 2026), 2026/27 test year, verified 28 September 2026.
• ETS, GRE General Test registration, live page, verified 28 September 2026.
• ETS India, frequently asked questions (GRE fee in India), live page, verified 28 September 2026.
• ETS, TOEFL iBT registration, live page, verified 28 September 2026.
• GMAC, GMAT exam, live page, verified 28 September 2026.
• Qatar Airways, flights from Ahmedabad to Milan, live page, verified 28 September 2026.
• Qatar Airways, flights from Ahmedabad to Rome, live page, verified 28 September 2026.
• Emirates, flights from Ahmedabad to Milan, live page, verified 28 September 2026.
• Emirates, flights from Ahmedabad to Rome, live page, verified 28 September 2026.
• QS World University Rankings 2027, Italy, published 18 June 2026, verified 28 September 2026.
• European Central Bank, euro reference rate for the Indian rupee, 25 September 2026, verified 28 September 2026.

Rupee figures use the ECB euro reference rate of 25 September 2026: 1 EUR = 109.2605 INR.

Your next step is the same from anywhere in Gujarat: Check your eligibility, book a consultation if you are eligible, and we take care of everything from there.

Further reading

• Italy student visa from the Mumbai consulate
• How the declaration of value works
• Intakes in Italy for 2027/28
• Cost of studying in Italy
• Study abroad consultants in Mumbai
• Choosing a study in Italy consultancy