Italy Family Reunion Visa

Non-EU spouses/partners of EU or Italian citizens must also apply for a national visa to join their partner in Italy. But in this case the application takes priority, is processed much faster, and it’s free of charge.

A “Nulla Osta” is an entry clearance certificate that you need from an authorized body in Italy. In this case, your family member who is already living in Italy must apply for the “Nulla Osta” online here at an Italian Immigration Desk (Sportello Unico per l’immigrazione). They may even hire a legal consultant to help them get the “Nulla Osta” easier and faster.

Once it’s approved, you will be sent the entry clearance certificate, so you can submit it with the rest of the application from your country of residence.

Find an Italian embassy/consulate in your area here. You must schedule an appointment to submit a visa application for family reunification. However, you have to remember that there will not be an Italian embassy/consulate in all countries.

Sometimes another Schengen country may represent Italy for visa procedures, or sometimes, you may need to go to a neighboring country. Either way, you must find the correct representative to submit your application.

For your visa application, you need to prepare several required documents which include the following:

• Application form.
• Your valid passport.
• Two passport-size photographs.
• Your “Nulla Osta”
• Copy of a valid residence permit of the family member in Italy (if applicable).
• Spouses must include the following documents:
  • Birth certificate.
  • Marriage certificate.
  • Family registration certificate.
• Children joining their parents must include:
  • A certified copy of the parents’ marriage certificate.
  • Birth certificates.
  • Family registration certificate.
  • Copy of the parent’s residence permit in Italy (if applicable).
  • Death certificate of one of the parents (if applicable).
  • Adoption records (if applicable).
  • Notarized permission for the child to travel alone (if applicable).
• Parents joining their children must include:
  • Birth certificates.
  • Marriage certificate.
  • Family registration certificate.
  • Proof that the parents are dependent on the child.
  • Proof that the child residing in Italy has enough financial means to support the parents.

On the day of your visa appointment, you must submit your application and sit for a short interview. The interview will be centered around your reasons for wanting to move to Italy and the authenticity of your relationship with the family member already residing in the country.

Once your application is approved, you can go ahead and enter the country and get your residence permit.

Within 8 days of entering Italy, you must report to the local Police Headquarters “Questura” to obtain your residence permit “Permesso di Soggiorno”. Once you receive, your residence permit, it will be valid for one year, after which you have to renew it for the duration of your stay until you leave the country or become eligible for permanent residency.

Yes, you can work and study with a family visa in Italy. You must always make sure your permit is renewed and valid to continue working and staying in the country.

The family member who is residing in Italy and sponsoring your visa, must show they have at least € 5.830,76 a year for you and then have 50% of that amount for any additional family members.

This amount cannot be lower than the annual amount of the social allowance, so it is viable to change depending on how much the social allowance is that year.

Accommodation Requirements

Your family member in Italy must also show proof of adequate accommodation as required by Italian law:

The Family Cohesion option is not a special visa but rather an opportunity for you and your family to apply for a residence permit for family reunification if you are already living in Italy under another visa.

To qualify, you must meet the same financial and accommodation requirements as those for the standard Family Reunification process. This option allows you to remain in Italy while transitioning to a family-based residence permit, avoiding the need to apply from abroad.

Yes, you can apply for family reunification without being married if you have a registered partner, a civil partnership, or a long-term partner. For all of these options you must show proof of the relationship.

Depending on how long you live in Italy with a family visa, your immigration status may change:

• If you’ve been married for more than two years, and at least one of those years you lived in Italy, you may be able to convert your permit into a work visa, or study permit.
• If you have children with your former spouse/partner, who are legal Italian residents or citizens, your permit may be renewed.
• If you are a victim of domestic abuse, the Immigration authorities will provide you protection to continue staying in the country.

That being said, if you don’t satisfy the conditions to continue staying in the country after divorce or separation, your family visa may be revoked. We highly recommend you consult with a legal representative in this case, especially since the laws dictating these changes are all in Italian.