Italy family visas are issued in your place of origin by Italian embassies or consulate-general offices. With a valid passport, family members from the European Union (EU) or EFTA nations can enter Italy. Or an EU ID card and can stay in Italy for six months without a visa. However, if their business or program lasts longer than three months, EU family members must register at their local Questura station (police station) to receive a residency permit.
You must obtain a family visa before entering Italy if you are a non-EU family member. Let’s take a closer look at what a family reunion visa entails, the requirements, how to apply, and other options for acquiring this visa.
What is Italy Family Visa?
The Italy Family Visa is a long-term Italian visa, often known as a national or D-visa. It allows the bearer to enter Italy for over three months and join a family member already in Italy.
After receiving their Italy family reunion visa, your family member can enter the country and apply for an Italian residence permit. The permit allows them to reside in Italy with you lawfully.
As a result, the Italy Family Reunion Visa is classified as an entry visa.
Suppose a member of your family is not an EU national or a citizen of Switzerland, Norway, Lichtenstein, or Iceland. In that case, they will require an Italy family visa to visit the country. Even non-EU nationals exempt from the Italy Schengen visa must apply for a long-stay visa.
General Requirements for an Italy Family Visa
When submitting a family reunion visa, you and your family must provide several supporting documents. You must also be able to meet several conditions concerning accommodation and financial income if you want to bring them to join you in Italy.
When your family members apply for an Italy family visa, they have to present the following documents thus:
- Original and copy of the Nulla Osta
- Copy of your residence permit (or ID card, if you are an Italian citizen) and passport
- Italy Long-Stay Visa Application Form completed and signed
- Passport-size pictures 35mm x 45mmLight, preferably white, background face must take up 70% – 80% of the picture
- Neutral facial expression
- Passports are valid at least three months after the visa expiry and have at least two blank pages.
- Statement from you (the Italian resident) declaring that you want to have your family members with you and that you meet the requirements for family reunification set by Italian law.
- Proof of family relationship, as applicable: Birth certificates for children and marriage certificates for your spouse.
- Proof you have sufficient funds and suitable accommodation to welcome your family members.
- Receipt of paid Italy visa fee.
- Proof of booked plane tickets.
In case the child is traveling alone: Written permission from the child’s other parent allowing them to travel to Italy.
In case you are bringing your parent/s to Italy:
- Original copies of your birth certificate.
- Proof your parent/s are dependant on you (such as money transfers).
- A written statement from your parent/s declaring they are dependent on you.
In addition, there are several other conditions you have to meet to be eligible to bring your family members with you.
Italy Family Visa financial requirements.
Financial requirements cannot be lower than the annual amount of the social allowance. You must make at least € 5.830,76 a year and then have 50% of that amount for any family members who will join you in Italy. So, if your spouse and one child will join you, you must have €11,661.52.
Accommodation requirements for Italian family visa
Accommodation requirements are in line with hygienic requirements established by Italian law. It would be best if you also had a big enough apartment to accommodate all your family.
How to Apply for an Italy Family Visa?
Your family members must apply for the Italy Family Visa at an Italian embassy or consulate in their home country. Before then, you must get authorization from the Italian government called the Nulla Osta.
Get Nulla Osta authorization.
However, before they can submit the visa application, you have to get authorization in Italy, allowing them to join you.
This is called a Nulla Osta, a clearance from the competent Italian authorities, allowing your family members to join you in Italy. You must apply for a Nulla Osta at an Italian Immigration Desk (Sportello Unico per l’immigrazione). If the Immigration Desk issues the authorization, they will electronically forward it to the appropriate Italian embassy or consulate, where your family will submit the visa application.
Start the application process.
The Nulla Osta is valid for six months. Your family members must apply for an Italian Family Visa at their home country within this period. The application process for an Italian Family Visa goes as follows:
- Book a visa appointment at an Italian embassy or consulate in their country.
- Download and complete Italy Long-Stay Visa Application Form.
- Gather all the necessary documents.
- When the date of the appointment comes, apply in person.
- Pay the Italian visa fee.
- Enter a visa interview.
- Wait for processing.
Applicants should take note of the following:
- The Consulate General of Italy reserves the right to demand any additional documents if
deemed essential - All the documents should be provided in original and copy. Original documents will be
returned to applicants, while copies will be kept with the visa application. No photocopy will
be accepted, except the photocopy of the ID card or passport of the family member residing
in Italy. - Any forged/fake document or passport submitted will not be returned to the applicant who
will be prosecuted in the Italian and the Nigerian Court
Note this also.
The discrepancy, if any spelling, in your surname, names, or order names are not adequately spelled or any wrong information or un-tally information about the date, place of birth of either of the spouse, child, or parent mentioned in the “Nulla Osta” will result in a delay in or disqualification in processing the application, since the Questura does its variation in Italy.
The applicant should indicate his/her valid mobile phone number
and e-mail address in the visa application form. The applicant should regularly check his/her e-mail at the Consulate.
General might send important notices by this means, and applicants should also respond through email.
However, let’s look at family cohesion
Family Cohesion
The family cohesion procedure applies when you choose to arrive in Italy with your family using either a tourist visa or no visa if your country is waived.
For this first option, it is necessary to submit the requirements listed in the guidelines for a family reunion visa. In particular, before arriving in Italy, prepare:
your marriage certificate translated into the official Italian language
the birth certificates of your children translated into the official Italian language
Official translations are done in the Italian Embassies or by authorized translators.
The legalization can be done by the Italian Embassies or, if your home country has signed the Hague Agreement, with the “Apostille” stamp applied by the competent Ministry of your country both on the original and on the translation into Italian.
Please note that without this documentation, no family cohesion will be possible. And your family has to go back as soon as the visa expires.
Family Reunion
In this case, you come first and ask for a “nulla osta” (authorization) from Questura and Commissariato del Governo (3 months at least are needed). After this procedure, your family can get to Italy with a reunion visa. However, the family reunion has advantages and disadvantages, as shown below:
Advantages
Your husband/wife is immediately covered by health insurance and can immediately work;
your family can immediately register at the Town Hall in Italy and access public services such as public schools or daycare for children.
Disadvantages
you do not travel together, and the whole process requires from 3 to 6 months;
application of nulla osta has to be done online to Internal Affairs Ministry at the Cinformi office;
A residence permit for family reasons must be applied at Commissariato del Governo.
See in the “Guidelines for family reunion” the list of needed documents and requisites to fulfill (available in the download box – N.B.: the guidelines are not exhaustive, please double-check the requirements with Cinformi).
NOTE: For the application of nulla osta, you need to have the “Residenza” in Trento (application possible only two months after your arrival).
Traveling with your child only
In this case, you have two options:
- Ask the Embassy to issue a “familiari al seguito” visa;
- Ask the Embassy to issue a tourist visa for your child (no visa is required if your country is waived), and once in
Italy, where you inscribe your child on a residential permit. The application for the residence permit must be made through the Post Office for both of you.
Needed documents:
The certificate of birth of your child officially translated into Italian and legalized (either by the Italian Embassy or, if your country has signed the Hague Agreement, with an “Apostille” stamp applied by the competent institution of your country both on the original document and its translation);
Declaration of consent from the spouse that he/she allows the child to travel with you. This declaration of consent also has to be officially translated into Italian and stamped by the General Consulate in your country.
Please make sure you have these documents ready before you leave
house owner’s consent (S1 form available in the download box);
the documentation needed for “family cohesion” (see the download box for more information).
If your child is born in Italy
Some Frequently Asked by Applicants
For which family members can a foreigner already in Italy request reunification?
It is possible to request reunification for the following family members:
- The spouse who is not legally separated and is not less than 18 years old;
- Minor children, including those of the spouse or born outside of marriage, who are not married, provided that the other parent, if any, has given his/her consent. The child must be under 18 years of age at the time the application is submitted;
- Dependent children of age if, for objective reasons, they are unable to provide for their own indispensable living needs due to their state of health, resulting in total disability;
- Dependent parents, if they have no other children in the country of origin or provenance, or parents over 65 years old, if the other children are unable to support them for documented, serious health reasons.
Therefore, family reunification with a brother or sister is not possible.
Family reunification is not allowed if the applicant is already married to another spouse residing in Italy.
The entry for reunification is also allowed to the child’s natural parent regularly residing in Italy with the other parent. In this case, the application for the nulla osta can be submitted by the legally residing parent on behalf of the minor. To meet the income and housing requirements, the possession of these by the other parent is considered.
How long does it take to obtain the nulla osta for family reunification?
The nulla osta for family reunification must be issued within 180 days of the request. The nulla osta is transmitted electronically by the Sportello Unico directly to the Consular Offices. To issue a visa for family reasons within six months from the date of issue.
What is it, and how to apply for an entry visa for accompanying family members?
The entry visa for accompanying family members promotes family cohesion. Through the possibility for the family members of a foreigner holding an entry visa for subordinate work related to a contract lasting at least one year. For non-occasional self-employment or study or religious reasons. To enter Italy directly together with their relatives. Only family members with whom reunification would be possible when accommodation and income requirements are available. They may enter together with their family members.
More information: on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, available at https://vistoperitalia.esteri.it/home.aspx, it is possible to consult the different types of visas and the procedures to apply for them.
What is the minimum income required to reunify a family member?
Income parameters are updated annually. The required income increases according to the number of family members to be reunited. The necessary income is calculated based on the annual amount of the social allowance increased by half for each family member to be reunited. For instance, in 2021, the social allowance was €5,983.64 to bring together to be a family member. It is necessary to have an income of €8,975.46; to unite two family members, it is necessary to have an income of €11,967.28, and so on.
For the of two or bringing together of children under 14 years of age. Or two or more family members of holders of international protection. It is always necessary to have an income not less than twice the annual social allowance.
Who is Allowed to Join You With an Italy Family Visa?
You can apply for your spouse as a family member to come to join you in Italy through the Italian family visa:
Spouse.
Children under 18. Your spouse’s children also count, as do children born outside marriage, as long as the other parent gives consent.
Dependent children over 18 cannot provide for themselves due to health problems.
Parents over 65 depend on you and have no other children who can take care of them instead.
You can also read Italy’s H-1B visa and its requirements here.
Bottom Lines:
Italy family visa is an article that provides a clear image of Italy’s family visa.
The article discusses the conditions for an Italy family visa, including the financial requirements, accommodation requirements, family cohesiveness, family reunion, the benefits and drawbacks, and some common questions and answers about the visa.
