Foreign citizens who have immigrated or are in the process of immigrating to Italy have the chance to take their family with them. Those who already live in Italy and still have family members abroad can apply for family reunification.
The Italian government supports immigrant families and one of the most popular ways of bringing family members to Italy is byapplying for a family reunification visa.
Below, our immigration lawyers in Italy explain the conditions and procedures related to obtaining a family reunification visa. You can rely on our lawyers throughout the entire family unification procedure in Italy. We can also help you and your family member apply for Italian citizenship.
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Who can apply for an Italian family reunification visa?
The family reunification visa is a residence permit in Italy that allows a foreign citizen from a non-EU country to enter move to Italy provided that he or she has another family member living here.
Most residence permit holders in Italy can apply for family reunification visas. Among these, we remind the following categories of Italian residence permit holders:
- those who have obtained various types of employment or self-employment residence permit provided that the visa has a one-year validity period;
- those who have been granted Italian residence permits based on the status of refugee, political asylum and subsidiary protection;
- those are holders of Italian residence permit for study or religious purposes (the same validity criterion applies);
- those who are holders of long-term residence permits in Italy can also apply for family reunification visas;
- those who have acquired permanent residence permits and are now in the process of obtaining Italian citizenship.
If you want to immigrate to Italy and need guidance, our lawyers are at your disposal with information about the best way to relocate here based on your preferences. We can also advise on the requirements for obtaining a residence permit in Italy.
What family members can one bring to Italy under this visa?
According to the Italian legislation, the applicant for a family reunification visa in Italy can bring the following members:
- the spouse;
- the minor children;
- dependent children above the age of 18;
- parents.
It is important to note that when applying for an Italian family reunification visa for adult children these must not be able to support themselves in order to be allowed to immigrate to Italy. Other conditions apply when it comes to the immigration of parents who must be at least 65 of age, must have no other children in their home country or if the applicant has other brothers and sisters in his/home country, these cannot take care of the parents.
You can rely on extended expat services from our Italian immigration lawyers for members when applying for a family reunification visa.
Requirements for obtaining an Italian family reunification visa
The application for thefamily reunification visa must be completed in Italy by the person living here. In order to obtain this type of residence permit, the applicant must submit the following evidence with the immigration authorities:
- proof of having adequate living conditions for multiple family members (our lawyers can advise on these conditions);
- proof of sufficient income for themselves and the family member to join them (the minimum amount must be equal to the annual social allowance);
- a health insurance which can cover the medical expenses of the applicant and family members;
- various documents which depend on the residence status of the applicant will also be required.
Individuals who want to apply for family reunification visas in Italy can obtain detailed information about the procedure from our lawyers. They will also support foreign family members if they want to obtain Italian citizenship.
Documents required for a family reunification visa in Italy
Apart from the evidence mentioned above, the Italian family reunification visa applicant must also submit a set of documents with the municipality of the city in which the family will live. These documents are the residence permit of the applicant and the clearance request for the family members to come to Italy (nulla osta).
The family members residing abroad must also submit several documents with the Italian Embassy or Consulate in their home country. These are the stamp duty receipt, the passport, the nulla osta and a certificate indicating the residence (non-Italian residence) of the applicants.
Once arrived in Italy, the family members need to register with the police department in the city they will live in within 8 days. We can also advise on how to obtain Italian citizenship.
The validity of an Italian family reunification visa will usually be the same as the family member living in Italy.
If you need assistance in applying for a family reunification visa in Italy, do not hesitate to contact our immigration lawyers. Please feel free to ask about our services on obtaining a residence permit in Italy.
Please know that family reunification visas can open the pathway to citizenship in Italy, depending on the particularities of each case. In general, a person can become a citizen after he or she obtained a permanent residence permit.
Of course, it is necessary to comply with numerous rules, which can be detailed by our immigration lawyers (such as knowing the Italian language, working here, etc.).
If you want to move to Italy under a family reunification visa, you will have the right to certain benefits, such as it is the right to become a resident.
It is important to be aware of the fact that as the holder of a visa, regardless of its type, you are required to maintain the requirements of your visa in order to have the right to live here. Not respecting certain requirements can lead to the annulment of the visa.
Foreigners have the possibility of arriving here through other visas as well. Commonly, foreigners arrive here for work.
Another reason is business. For those interested in starting a business, one of the available options is the Golden Visa in Italy, a visa program that grants the right to permanent residency, but which has a large capital requirement, higher than other business visas available here.