Italy Family Reunification Visa

Family reunification (ricongiungimento familiare) lets non-EU nationals living legally in Italy bring close relatives to join them. It is governed by Articles 28 to 30 of the Consolidated Immigration Act (Legislative Decree 286/1998). Family members of Italian or EU citizens follow a separate route.

The sponsor asks the local immigration office for clearance (nulla osta), then the relative applies for a visa and, after arrival, a family permit. The family permit allows work.

The sponsor must hold an EU long-term residence permit or a permit of at least one year for work, self-employment, asylum, study, religious or family reasons. Under Article 29, the relatives who qualify are:

• Spouse: not legally separated and at least 18 years old.
• Minor children: unmarried, including the spouse's children or children born outside marriage, with the other parent's consent.
• Adult children: dependent ones who can't support themselves because of total disability.
• Parents: dependent ones with no other children in the home country, or parents over 65 whose other children can't support them for serious documented health reasons.

Conditions on the sponsor:

• Time in Italy: at least 2 years of continuous legal stay before bringing a spouse, dependent adult children or parents. The rule doesn't apply to minor children or to protection holders.
• Income: At least the annual social allowance (assegno sociale), plus half of it for each family member; twice the allowance for two or more children under 14. 2025 base: EUR 7,002.84 a year, plus EUR 3,501.42 per family member. Income of family members already living with the sponsor counts.
• Housing: accommodation that the municipal offices certify as meeting health and occupancy standards.
• Parents over 65: health insurance or enrollment in the national health service.

• From the sponsor: the residence permit, proof of income, the housing suitability certificate and the nulla osta request.
• From the relative: a passport, the national visa form and civil status documents proving the family link, legalized and translated as the consulate requires.
• Where records are missing: if foreign certificates can't reliably prove a child's or parent's status, Italian consulates can issue certifications on the basis of checks they carry out.

• National visa: €116, paid in local currency at the consulate's rate, per the consular fee table.

The residence permit is paid for separately in Italy. According to the Polizia di Stato, it combines a revenue stamp, the electronic card, a permit contribution that rises with the permit's length and a postal fee for the application kit.

Legalizing and translating civil status documents adds to the total and varies by country.

Where to apply: The sponsor in Italy files the nulla osta request online with the Sportello Unico per l'Immigrazione at the Prefecture; the family member then applies for the visa at the consulate and, after arrival, for the permit.

1. Nulla osta: the immigration office at the Prefecture decides within 150 days of the request, under Article 29 as amended in 2025.
2. Visa: the relative applies at the Italian consulate with the nulla osta.
3. Permit: after arrival, the relative applies to the Questura within eight working days, as Article 5 requires.

• Length: the first family permit lasts up to 2 years. Since Decree-Law 20/2023, a renewed permit can last up to three years.
• Work: the family permit allows employment and self-employment under Article 30.
• Renewal: the conditions on income and housing must still be met.

The family permit carries no tax regime of its own. Under the Agenzia delle Entrate's residence rules, a person is resident for income tax if, for most of the year (183 days, or 184 in a leap year), any one of these holds: their domicile or habitual residence is in Italy, they are physically present in Italy (fractions of days count) or they are registered in the resident population register.

Tax residents are generally taxed on their worldwide income, with relief under any tax treaty between Italy and the other country. Italy also offers an optional substitute tax on foreign income for people who move their tax residence there; its annual amount has changed over time and should be confirmed with the Agenzia delle Entrate before relying on it.