How the DOV form for Italy is filled in (2026/27)

• The DOV form is written in capitals exactly as in the passport, counting years of study from 1st standard (Class XII 12, 4-year B.Tech 16, 3-year BA or BSc 15), with the email and phone used for booking, and signed by the student with the data privacy form.
• 11 numbered sections, then date and signature.
• Processing: up to 90 days in Mumbai; New Delhi and Bengaluru state none.
• ApplyAZ, an Italy-based consultancy that works only with public universities, helps eligible students by preparing and checking their visa and DOV file before the appointment.

How the DOV form is filled in, section by section

The DOV (declaration of value, dichiarazione di valore) form is the student's own declaration about an Indian qualification, and it goes to the Italian office for the state that issued that qualification. The 2026/27 form guide covers 11 numbered sections, then the date, the signature and the data privacy form.

1. General rules. The 2026/27 form guide sets the rules for the whole form: every detail is written in capital letters, in black or blue ink, exactly as it appears in the passport, and no mandatory field is left blank. For eligible students, we draft each field with the student from the passport and the degree documents before the form is written out.
2. Personal details, sections 1 to 4. Section 1 carries the full name exactly as in the passport, with no initials or abbreviations; section 2 the nationality; section 3 the date of birth as DD/MM/YYYY with the city and state of birth (the Mumbai form asks for the place of birth only); section 4 the passport number exactly as printed. We take these from the passport and compare them with the degree documents.
3. Certificate details, sections 5 and 6. Section 5 holds the exact title printed on the certificate, never shortened or changed, for example BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY IN COMPUTER SCIENCE, or ALL INDIA SENIOR SCHOOL CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION for Class XII. Section 6 holds the issue date printed on the degree or certificate, or the date on the provisional certificate when that is the document used. We copy both from the document itself.
4. Contact details, section 7. The personal email and the mobile number, with the country code, are the same ones used to book the appointment, and the email is one the student checks regularly. New Delhi and Bengaluru require the visa appointment to be booked with the student's own email and number, so we copy both from the student's own booking.
5. Institution, section 8. Section 8(a) takes one tick only for the institution that issued the certificate: government recognised (by an authority such as UGC, AICTE, a State Government or the education board), private but legally recognised by UGC, recognised by an official organisation (rarely applicable) or autonomous. Section 8(b) ticks the level: school (Class X and XII), university (Bachelor and Master), pre-degree or diploma, or professional formation or postgraduate. We check the institution's status before a box is ticked.
6. Duration and years of study, section 9. Section 9 holds the legal duration of the course and the total years of study from 1st standard. The guide's table: Class XII is 12 years for both; a 4-year B.Tech or B.E. is 4 years and 16 in total (10+2+4); a 3-year BA, BCom or BSc is 3 years and 15 in total (10+2+3). We count the total from the student's full study history.
7. Marks, section 10. The final marks, the percentage, the CGPA where the university uses one and the division or grade go in exactly as on the transcript or degree. A CGPA carries a percentage equivalent only if the university officially provides one. We copy the result from the final transcript and leave out any conversion the university has not issued.
8. Access, section 11. One box shows what the qualification gives access to: Class XII to a Bachelor of 3 to 4 years, a Bachelor's degree to a 2-year Master, and a Master's degree to a PhD. We match the box to the qualification on the form.
9. Date and signature. The date is the day the application is submitted, written as in the guide's example, 18/07/2026, and the signature matches the one in the passport, with no initials. The form is the student's own declaration: we prepare it and check it against the office's checklist, and the student reads and signs it.
10. Data privacy form. The last page is the data protection declaration, signed at the bottom. Where it has a blank for the place, it carries the city of the Italian office that receives the application, such as Mumbai or Bengaluru, and Mumbai also wants the date of the signature. We prepare it with the DOV form, and the student signs it.

Where the DOV form goes, office by office

Every office asks for the same core: the signed DOV form, the data privacy form, a passport copy and the degree and transcripts with HED attestation (the state Higher Education Department's stamp) and apostille (the Ministry of External Affairs certification). The offices differ on where the form is submitted and how many copies go with it.

The Consulate General of Italy in Kolkata has no page here yet, because its 2026/27 DOV checklist for India is not published.

Source: each office's DOV checklist for study, 2026/27 (New Delhi: the Embassy's current version), and the Mumbai and Bengaluru DOV application forms. Verified on 28 September 2026.

What does 'total years of study' mean on the DOV form?

It is the number of years studied from 1st standard (primary school) up to the qualification on the form, written in section 9 next to the legal duration of the course. The 2026/27 form guide counts Class XII as 12 years, a 4-year B.Tech or B.E. as 16 (10+2+4) and a 3-year BA, BCom or BSc as 15 (10+2+3).

The legal duration is the official length of that one course: 4 years for the B.Tech, 3 for the BA or BSc. We work out both figures from the student's full study history before the form is written.

Which email and phone number go on the DOV form?

The student's personal email and mobile number, the mobile with its country code. The 2026/27 form guide asks for the same email and number used to book the appointment, and for an address the student checks regularly. The Bengaluru form has a line for each; the Mumbai form puts both on one line.

The Embassy in New Delhi and the Consulate General in Bengaluru require every student visa appointment to be booked with the applicant's own personal email ID and contact number, so the form carries the student's own details, never an agency's.

Does the DOV form need to be signed by the student?

Yes. The form is the student's own declaration: all three DOV checklists ask for it filled in and signed, together with the data privacy form, and the guide asks for a signature exactly as in the passport, without initials. The Mumbai checklist adds that any false declaration is punishable by law and will be reported to the Indian judicial authorities.

For eligible students, we fill in the form with the student from their documents and check it against the office's checklist; the student reads it and signs it, along with the data privacy form.

Which office gets my DOV form?

The Italian office for the state that issued the degree or school certificate, not the one for the state where the student lives. The Mumbai DOV checklist states both rules: the DOV follows the place the degree was issued, and the study visa follows the student's residence. One student can therefore deal with two offices.

Degrees from Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Chandigarh go to New Delhi. Degrees from Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Maharashtra, Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli go to Mumbai. Degrees from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry go to Bengaluru. We work out both offices when the student starts with us.

Reality check

What we handle: for eligible students, we fill in the DOV form and the data privacy form with the student from their passport and degree documents, count the years of study, match every name and date to the passport, and check the whole DOV file against the office's checklist before the student submits it in person.

What we do not control: the Italian office for the state that issued the degree decides on the DOV and issues it, and the consulate decides the visa. The student signs the form, because it is their declaration. The university decides admission.

What costs students the most:

• A name or detail on the form that differs from the passport or the degree: the guide warns that this may need extra documents, such as a one and the same certificate, which must itself be attested and apostilled before the file can go in.
• An incomplete DOV file: in Mumbai, an advance notice of refusal arrives through VFS with 30 days to send what is missing, and the application is rejected if nothing arrives; Bengaluru reserves the right to reject incomplete files.
• The wrong office: Mumbai reserves the right to refuse documents that do not fall under its jurisdiction, so a DOV filed where the student lives, instead of where the degree was issued, can be refused.

Frequently asked questions

What ink and letters are used on the DOV form?

Capital letters throughout, in black or blue ink, according to the 2026/27 form guide. Every detail is written exactly as it appears in the passport, and no mandatory field is left blank. The Mumbai and Bengaluru forms repeat the capitals rule at the top: all details in capital letters as per passport.

What goes in the marks section of the DOV form?

Section 10 takes the final marks, the percentage, the CGPA where the university uses one, and the division or grade, exactly as they appear on the transcript or degree. The guide allows a percentage equivalent for a CGPA only if the university officially provides one, so no home-made conversion goes on the form.

Which box is ticked under 'the certificate gives access to'?

The one that matches the qualification on the form: Class XII gives access to a Bachelor of 3 to 4 years, a Bachelor's degree to a 2-year Master, and a Master's degree to a PhD. Both forms also list a 1-year specialising master and a postgraduate course; the Bengaluru form adds work, and the Mumbai form adds other.

Can a provisional certificate go on the DOV form?

Yes. The guide uses the issue date on the provisional certificate when that is the document on file. New Delhi accepts an original provisional certificate with HRD authentication if the final one is not issued yet. Bengaluru needs it to show the final mark and ranking criteria and prove the course is complete; Mumbai accepts one only for students graduating in 2026.

Are the Mumbai and Bengaluru DOV forms the same?

Nearly. The Mumbai and Bengaluru forms share the same 11 sections, but the Mumbai form asks for the place of birth only, puts email and mobile on one line, and speaks of the legal duration of the course in Italy. Each office attaches its own form to its checklist, and we use the form of the office that receives the file.

Can ApplyAZ fill in the DOV form for me?

Yes, with you, for eligible students. We fill in both forms from your documents and check them against the office's checklist. You sign them, as the form is your declaration, and submit the DOV in person. 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.

Your next step: check your eligibility first. It takes about two minutes. 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.

Sources

• Consulate General of Italy, Mumbai: requisite documents for DOV for study purposes 2026/27, with the DOV application form and data privacy form, revised June 2026 (PDF)
• Consulate General of Italy, Bengaluru: requisite documents for DOV (study) 2026/27, with the DOV application form and data privacy form (PDF)
• Embassy of Italy, New Delhi: requisite documents for the DOV (declaration of value), current version
• Consulate General of Italy, Mumbai: Declaration of value (DOV) page
• Embassy of Italy, New Delhi: Italian study visa checklist 2026/27 and 2027/28 (VFS Global New Delhi)
• Consulate General of Italy, Bengaluru: requisites for study visa (C and D) 2026/27 and 2027/28 (PDF, VFS Global)
• Embassy of Italy, New Delhi: Visas page (jurisdiction)
• Verified on 28 September 2026
• Written by İrem Yılmaz, Student Experience Lead. Reviewed by Reeya Sharma.

Related guides

• How Indian students apply for a DOV for Italy
• HED attestation, apostille and E-Sanad: what each office accepts
• When a one and the same certificate is needed
• DOV or CIMEA statement: which one the university wants
• Italy student visa guide for Indian students