Italy Family Visa Requirements | Application Guidelines

If you’re a non-EU family member, you must obtain a family visa before entering Italy. Let's look at a family reunion visa, the requirements, how to apply, and other ways of getting this visa.

What is Italy Family Visa?

The Italy Family Visa is one of the types of Italian long-stay visas, which is also known as a national or D-visa. It allows the holder to enter Italy to remain longer than three months and join a family member already residing in Italy.

Once your family member has received their Italy family reunion visa, they can enter the country and apply for an Italian residence permit. The permit allows them to reside in Italy with you legally.
As such, the Italy Family Reunion Visa is known as an entrance visa.

If your family member is not an EU national or from Switzerland, Norway, Lichtenstein, or Iceland, they will need an Italy family visa to enter the country. Even nationals of non-EU countries who are 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 regarding 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 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 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 depend 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 joining you in Italy. So, if your spouse and one child 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 help 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 members 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 in their home country within this period. The application process for an Italian Family Visa goes as follows:

1. Book a visa appointment at an Italian embassy or consulate in their country.
2. Download and complete Italy Long-Stay Visa Application Form.
3. Gather all the necessary documents.
4. When the date of the appointment comes, apply in person.
5. Pay the Italian visa fee.
6. Enter a visa interview.
7. Wait for processing.

Applicants should take note of the following:

•  The Consulate General of Italy reserves the right to demand any additional document 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, order names are not correctly spelled or any wrong information or un-tally information about the date, place of birth of either of the spouse; child, 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 their valid mobile phone number
and e-mail address in the visa application form. The applicant should regularly check their 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 Commissariat 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 directly work;
your family can directly 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;
application for a residence permit for family reasons has to be done at Commissariat 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 "familiar 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, which 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 is 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 they allow 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.

Official Related Links You Need

You have the best Guide on Immigration, Education, and Employment details for you to Get more out of what you need to know, and it is all free of charge: 

Get More Guide - https://bit.ly/ABROAD-IMMIGRATION-CENTER

Immigration - https://bit.ly/IMMIGRATION-CENTER

Education - https://bit.ly/EDUCATION-CENTER

Employment - https://bit.ly/EMPLOYMENT-CENTER

US Immigration - https://bit.ly/US-IMMIGRATION

Some Frequently Asked by Applicants:

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 payment is calculated based on the annual amount of the social allowance increased by half for each family member to be reunited. For instance, for 2021, the social assistance was €5,983.64 to bring together to be a family members. It is necessary to have an income of €8,975.46; to unite two family members, it is essential to have an income of €11,967.28, and so on.
For two or bringing together 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.

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 has given their 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 cannot 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 for the child's natural parent regularly reside 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 give 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 to hold an entry visa for subordinate work related to a contract lasting at least one year. For non-occasional self-employment, study, or religious reasons. To enter Italy directly together with their relatives. Only family members with whom reunification would be possible. In the condition that the requirements regarding the availability of accommodation and income are met. 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.

Who is Allowed to Join You With an Italy Family Visa?

You can apply for the following family members 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.

Conclusion

Italy family visa is an article from the mouthy tech team that gives a clear picture of an Italy family visa.

The article gives the requirements for an Italy family visa, the financial requirements, the accommodation requirements, family cohesion, family reunion, the advantages and the disadvantages, some likely questions and answers, etc.