Admissions
Frequently asked questions
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Last updated: 13 October 2026.
Before you enroll
Who can take part? University students and young professionals who have turned 18 by the date of departure. The programs are built for groups brought by an institution, but it is also possible to take part individually when an intake is open.
How long is a program? The intensive programs run 28 days, with 100 hours of activity. The extended program runs 85 days, with 180 hours. Durations are written in days and not in months, because days are the unit that counts for a stay in the Schengen area. → The programs
How many people are in the room? Between 8 and 15. It is not a commercial number: the places we visit have capacity limits of between 10 and 26 people, and above 15 the itinerary would have to be split into sub-groups. A group of 30 is a different product and is designed separately.
What time of year do they run? The programs in Italy run from February to April and from June to October. Not in January: between Epiphany and the reopenings, a good part of Italian industry does not receive visits, and on the Amalfi Coast most businesses are closed. The January routes are urban and in northern Europe. → When you travel, and why
What language are the classes in? It is stated on the sheet for each program, along with the level required. We do not write it in general terms because it is the first thing a participant finds out they were told wrong.
Is there a selection process? Admission has three steps: application, submission of documents, confirmation. In groups brought by an institution, the participants are selected by the institution, not by us. → Admissions
Can I see the dates before deciding? Not yet, and we write it instead of pretending. No intake has a published date today: the pages carry [edition: start and end dates, published once confirmed]. Once an intake opens, the dates come out to the day, with two separate deadlines: one to apply as a group and one to confirm the names. In the meantime you ask for a window in writing and get an answer within two working days.
Documents and visas
Do I need a visa to go to Italy? For a stay of up to 90 days in any 180, a Mexican national does not. All our programs sit below that limit. → Visas and residence permit
Will you help me get the visa? No, and nobody can: the visa is granted by the consulate. What we do is prepare the letter of admission in the format the consulate asks for, with the duration, the dates, the program, the weekly hours and which document is issued at the end.
I have already traveled in Europe this year, is that a problem? It can be. The limit of 90 days in any 180 is cumulative across the whole Schengen area, and since 10 April 2026 the count at the border is automatic. It gets checked before enrolling, using the European Commission's official calculator. → How the days are counted
Do I need ETIAS? Not yet. The European Commission states that ETIAS is not in operation and that it will announce the start date several months in advance. Nobody can file an application today.
What are the passport requirements? It must be valid for at least three months beyond the intended date of departure from the Schengen area, and have been issued within the previous ten years.
Do I need a residence permit? No, not for stays of up to 90 days without a visa. It is needed, within eight working days of entry, by anyone arriving on a national type D visa, which is the case for programs longer than 90 days: programs we do not offer.
Payment and invoicing
How much does it cost? For closed groups and tailored routes we work on a quotation, with a reply within two working days and the detail of what is included and what is not. The list price of each program appears on its sheet once it is complete with taxes: half a price is an incomplete price, and we do not publish it.
How is payment made? International bank transfer to the company account, in euro, and never to personal accounts. [Other collection channels in Mexico: to be decided]. The payment terms, the deposit and the balance are in the quotation and in the contract, and can be requested in writing before confirming.
Who is the invoice made out to? Whoever signs the contract. When the group is brought by an institution it is normally the institution, because internal rules often do not allow a student body to pay a supplier directly.
Is accommodation included? No. It is a separate option, with its price written beside the price of the program, so that what is being bought can be seen. Anyone who prefers to arrange it themselves can. → Accommodation
Can I defer my enrollment to another intake? The terms for temporary deferral and for refunds are in the terms and conditions, together with the deadlines. The exact deadlines are published before enrollment opens for the first intake.
During the program
What is a day like? Classroom in the morning, project work or a company visit in the afternoon. The program is published day by day and hour by hour, with the places and their addresses, before you enroll.
What kind of companies do you visit? Corporate archives and museums, innovation hubs, and factories where the visit is a product of the company itself. The names are on the sheet for each program, one by one, and beside each one it says whether it is a working plant or a corporate museum. We do not write «leading Italian companies»: we name them. → Companies and visits
Are the visits useful for getting a job? No. They are academic activities: you go in, you observe a process and you talk to whoever runs it. We are not an employment agency and we do no recruitment or placement.
Is there a minimum attendance? Yes, 80% of the scheduled hours in order to obtain the certificate. Attendance is recorded every day and the signed register is handed to the institution at the end.
Who is with me if something goes wrong? A person responsible for the group, present for the whole stay and reachable 24 hours a day, with a written medical-emergency protocol handed out on day one.
Afterwards
What do I receive at the end? A certificate of attendance, if you reached 80% of the hours, carrying the program, the dates, the sites, the total hours and the modules with their hours. Ninety days later, if you submitted every deliverable and the implementation plan, a program completion certificate. → What the certificate is, with the facsimile
Is it worth a qualification? Does it carry credits? No to both. It states hours and content, and it says so on the document itself: it is not a qualification, it carries no academic credits or ECTS, it has no official validity in Italy or in Mexico and it does not entitle anyone to practice any profession.
Can my home institution recognize it? That depends exclusively on your institution. Where its own rules provide for it, the route runs through a tutor at that institution: in that case we supply the program, the hours and the attendance register in whatever format is asked for. Recognition is not ours to decide and we do not promise it.
Does the program end on the day of the return flight? No. There are three online sessions up to ninety days afterwards, and one final submission: the plan for implementing what was learned, reviewed with you. It is the part that separates a training program from a trip. → The method
How is a document checked for authenticity? Every document carries a verification code. Whoever receives it can check it by writing to the Istituto, with a reply within two working days. The verification page is still to be built: once it is live, the check will be possible without asking us.
This program does not lead to a qualification with official value. Istituto Belmonte is a private Italian training institute. Its programs do not award qualifications with official value in Italy or in Mexico and carry no academic credits. A certificate of attendance is issued.