Moving to Italy comes with a lot of considerations and tasks that have to be executed. However, with a little planning and preparation, moving to Italy as a family can be an exciting and rewarding experience.
“The Italy family visa is a form of long-stay visa for non-Europeans who want to join their family member legally residing in Italy on a residence permit.
”
In this article, we’re going to show you:
- Which family members are eligible for the family visa
- How to apply for the Italy family reunion visa
- What to do after acquiring the family reunion visa
What is the Italy family reunion visa (ricongiungimento familiare)?
The family reunion visa in Italy is a long-stay visa granted to foreign nationals who can prove they’ve got family ties in Italy; it’s issued for stays longer than 3 months.
“The Italy family visa allows the foreign family to enter Italy and the family residence permit is what allows them to legally stay and/or work in the country.
”
Non-European residents with a valid Italian residence permit, sufficient income, and adequate housing need to kickstart the process of bringing their family member(s) to Italy on a family reunion visa. This visa is also popularly known as spouse visa Italy.
Note: If you’re an EEA citizen, you need to apply for the EU family member residence permit to bring your non-EU family member.
Which resident permit holders can apply for the Italy family visa?
Any non-European resident in Italy who has a work visa for a minimum of 1 year, self-employment visa, student visa or is a permanent resident can apply to bring their non-European family member to Italy.
Which relatives are eligible for the family reunification visa?
The following relatives qualify for the Italy family reunification visa:
- Spouse
- Children under 18
- Dependent children _above the age of 18 with medical issues
- Economically dependent parents of a single child
- Parents over the age of 65 with no other children who can take care of them
Siblings, grandparents and grandchildren, uncles or aunts, unmarried partners, or other extended family members cannot apply for the Italy family visa.
What are the requirements for acquiring an Italian family reunion visa?
To apply for the Italy family visa, you and your family have to meet several requirements:
- You must be registered as a resident in Italy
- You’ve to meet the financial criteria
- You’ve to meet the accommodation criteria
Financial criteria
To bring a family member on the Italy family visa, you must earn above the annual social allowance in Italy, which is €5,983.64 as of 2021.
For each family member you decide to bring, you must earn 0.5 times more than the annual social allowance or €2,991.82 for every additional family member.
| Number of family members | Annual Income requirement in Italy |
|---|---|
| 1 | €8,975.46 |
| 2 | €11,967.28 |
| 3 | €14,959.10 |
“Based on the increases since 2019, you should be earning slightly over €6,000 per year to bring a family member to Italy on a reunification visa.
”
Accommodation criteria
For a successful Italy family visa application, you need to obtain a housing suitability certificate (certificato di idoneità alloggiativa) that confirms that the house meets the hygiene and size requirements.
The required m2 per family member is:
| Number of residents | Required living space per person |
|---|---|
| 2 | 28m2 |
| 3 | 42m2 |
| 4 | 56m2 |
You need to have an additional 10m2 per person for every additional family member who joins you. Example: If you’re being joined with 7 family members, you’d have to reside in a property that is at least 82m2.
To obtain this housing suitability document in Italy, take your rental agreement and any floor plan to the immigration office (Sportello Unico per l’Immigrazione) in your municipality.
What is the application process for an Italian family reunion visa?
Applying for the Italian family reunion visa requires action from both you and your family.
In short, the process is as follows:
- You get authorization from the Italian authorities for your family to apply for the visa.
- Your family follows up on the application permission.
Getting an authorization for Italy family visa: Nulla Osta
The first thing you’ve to do is get authorization for your family to join you in Italy; this is called Nulla Osta. It’s provided by the Italian government and can take up to 3 months to get.
Once you’ve submitted the application, the Italian immigration desk will review it and make a decision. If your family member is granted the Nulla Osta, the Italian Immigration Office will electronically share it with the relevant Italian embassy.
Applying for the family reunification visa
Once the Nulla Osta is issued, the non-European family member has 6 months to apply for the family reunification visa at their nearest consulate.
Italy family visa checklist
It’s helpful to have a documents checklist for the Italy family visa. This way you won’t forget anything.
For the Nulla Osta, provide the following documents and their translated and notarised copies:
- Italian residence permit and an ID/ passport
- Proof of family relationship, e.g. birth certificate or marriage certificate
- Proof of sufficient income
- Proof of suitable accommodation in Italy
- Proof of health insurance if the family member is 65+ years
- Financial information to show your family member’s dependence on you
For the visa application the family member needs to submit:
- Visa application form
- A valid passport
- Nulla Osta
- Passport photos
- Receipt of visa fee
- Proof of your family member’s relationship with you
- Flight itinerary
- Criminal history report
Italy family reunion visa processing time
The application processing time for the Italy family reunification visa is approximately 3 weeks to 6 months.
To ensure that the application processing is as fast as possible, you and your family should ensure that all of the documents meet the requirements.
Arriving in Italy on the family reunion visa
The non-EU family member has 6 months to enter Italy upon receiving the approval of their family reunion visa application__.
Once your family member has entered the country, they’ve to complete the following actions:
- Acquire an Italian residence permit
- Acquire an Italian tax ID (codice fiscale)
What is the process for acquiring a residence permit?
Once they arrive in Italy, your family member has 8 days to start the Italian residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) application process at the local police station (Questura).
In short, your family member will have to:
- Fill out a declaration of residence (dichiarazione di residenza)
- Submit paperwork at the post office
- Get another appointment at the police station for collecting the residence permit
Once they’ve collected the residence permit, your family member has the right to use the Italian healthcare system, as well as to work and study in Italy.
“Residence permits issued in relation to a family reunion visa are valid for 2 years in Italy.
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What is the process for acquiring a Codice Fiscale?
Once the residence permit is secured, your family member is obliged to get an Italian tax ID — Codice Fiscale if they plan on earning an income or owning assets.
All they need to do is to go to the police station and bring at least 1 of the following documents:
- A valid passport or visa
- A valid residence permit
- A certificate of identity issued by Italian authorities abroad
Other formalities after the arrival in Italy
Once your relative has settled down and has all the mandatory documentation, the optional things they’d need to get sorted are:
- Opening an Italian bank account
- Getting health insurance in Italy
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