As a family member of an Italian citizen, you have a full right to enter and stay in Italy. Depending on your nationality and current residence, you may need an entry visa. The most important information is gathered here in 3 steps.
#1 Check
Are you eligible for residency in Italy? You have such right if you can prove one of the following family relations:
- spouse (or same-sex registered partner)
- children and grandchildren (up to 21 years) of the Italian citizen and those of the spouse
- parents and grandparents of the Italian citizen and those of the spouse
- siblings of the Italian citizen
#2 Prepare
If you are a national of a country listed for visa requirement to Italy/Europe, you need to apply at the closest Italian Consulate for a visa for family members (Visto d’ingresso per familiari di cittadini italiani). Such a visa clears your entry through the border checks upon arrival in Europe (more precisely, in the Schengen area). The terms and requirements for this kind of visa are often not published on the Italian Consulate’s websites. In general, the conditions are more favorable than any other visa, the process is free of charge and shorter. The documents to attach to the application may vary from Consulate to Consulate. Documents required for your visa application: In general, this is what the Italian Consulates require:
- Application form filled in with your data (download here) 1 photo in ICAO format (4.0 x 3.5 cm, color photo with white background, taken within the last 6 months)
- Proof of family relation, e.g. official marriage record. The record must be in full format (i.e. including the names of the parents of each spouse or parents, for birth certificates), legalized/apostilled and translated into Italian. Marriage records must be issued less than 6 months before. That is a requirement, in case the Italian citizen did not register the concerned vital record in Italy as yet (at the municipality in which he is a resident or, if not residing in Italy, at the municipality of Rome);
- Invitation letter signed by the Italian citizen (Dichiarazione di ospitalità, download here) your passport + 2 copies (the passport must be valid for at least 3 months after the planned departure date from the Schengen area and was issued less than 10 years before. The passport must have at least two blank and unmarked visa pages)
- Italian citizen’s passport (copy)
- Flight reservation: The reservation document must indicate the applicant’s name, departure city, and destination. In order to avoid any unnecessary expense, flight ticket confirmation can be done after visa issuance.
- Health care insurance: insurance must be valid for the whole Schengen area. It must cover medical fees, hospitalization and repatriation costs of up to 30,000 euros. The insurance must fully cover the initial period of stay within the Schengen area.
- Letter of authorization for visa application/passport return (in case the applicant does not submit the application in person). For those who choose to submit the application by a representative, it is mandatory to provide a letter of authorization, signed by the applicant, mentioning the name of the representative and his/her contacts. The representative ID must be shown and a copy of the ID must be submitted.
#3 Follow The Process
After submitting your application, you are entitled to obtain a visa within 90 days. This term might be extended one time to 30 more days. Please note that, if your application wasn’t complete from the start, the Consulate can stay the process for the time needed for you to give the missing document (max 90 days).
FAST TRACK: The process goes much faster when the Italian citizen has registered in Italy the document proving the relation. For example, if the Italian citizen has married or had a child outside of Italy, it is very important to register the marriage or birth record at the Italian Consulate (if the Italian citizen resided abroad) or in Italy (at the municipality of residence, office of Stato Civile).
What happens next?
In order to secure your residence in Italy, you are expected to apply for a residence permit or a residence card upon your arrival. The family members within the 1st and 2nd degree (spouse, children up to 21 years, parents, grandparents and grandchildren) can obtain a five-year residence card. The other family members are entitled to obtain a two-year residence permit. You may read here about the differences between the two. It is required to prove that you depend on the Italian citizen for your maintenance and to register your residence at the same address.
Would you like to know more?
Download my Free Guide “4-Step Strategy” to obtain a residence permit for family members, complete with the official forms: Invitation statement by the Italian citizen for the family member to show at the border (or to obtain an entry visa, where applicable): Dichiarazione di alloggio e garanzia
- “Dichiarazione di ospitalità” to be submitted to the immigration police within 48 hours
- “Dichiarazione di presenza” to be submitted to the immigration police within 8 days
+ the list of documents required by the police for the application.
My husband is an Italian citizen and I am British, we live in the uk. Over a year we need to be in Italy for more than 90 days. Can I get a visa to be with him Italy for more than 90 days?
Hello, Toni – you don’t need a visa. But, once in Italy, you should apply to the immigration police (Questura in every province) for a residence permit or a residence card in order to be allowed to stay longer than 90 days.
Hey Lara, my husband is Italian and we are starting the process of me permanently moving to stay with him in Italy. I am applying for a long stay visa, (family reunion). Is that sufficient, as long as i present my marriage certificate, or does he need to apply for a nulla osta authorization?
Hello, Dor! No need for a Nulla Osta or a long-stay visa. As a spouse to an Italian citizen, you have a full right of entry and stay in Italy. There is a special visa for you called “Visto d’ingresso per familiari di cittadini italiani”. The terms and requirements for this kind of visa are lighter than those for family reunion and are usually not published on the Italian Consulate’s websites. The documents to attach to the application may vary from Consulate to Consulate. Check the document list in the blog article above. Ask for details to the Italian Consulate in your area of residence. Need more guidance? your are welcome to ask for Quick Advice.
hello! thank you for your article. it has being helpful and insightful. As regarding sending an inviting letter for my brother to come to Italy as an Italian from Nigeria. how much should keep as “Fideiussione Bancaria” in a Bank.
thank you.
Thanks for your appreciation. The amount of the guarantee to make a visa application varies depending on how long your guest stays in Italy. For one person staying 90 days, the minimum amount is € 2.716,68. You may find the parameters on the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on this page. Need more guidance? your are welcome to ask for Quick Advice.
Good morning. My husband who is Sicilian and I (American) are planning to retire to Sicily next year. What is my timeline to apply for the family visa? Where do I get my marriage certificate translated? And how do I go about getting health insurance? Thank you!
Please check my article “4 Smart Steps for a Stress-Free Start in Italy” and let me know how it works for you.
Hello
Good morning, my mom live in Italy and she has Italian passport, she is planning to bring me over but am 33yrs am married with two kids and also I depend solely on her financially . Have gone through requirements needed for her to bring me but one of the requirement says I must have a verifiable proof that she is supporting me financially, due to her nature of job as care giver she is not able to send me the money directly but have to use someone else and most time collect the euro in person and change locally but I have some transaction that was done through my bank by those agents .pls what can I do about it ? Also how do I go about the whole process of the visa application.
Thanks
Unfortunately, there is no chance to obtain a visa in this situation because you cannot prove your financial dependency. That requirement is particularly strict for adult children (you basically have to prove to have a physical impediment to maintain yourself). The only chance provided by the law is to obtain residency – once you have gained entry to Italy with a tourist visa or for other reasons – but it is improbable that your spouse and children will be extended the same opportunity. More information at this page). The obstacle to residency lies not in proving your financial dependence, rather that you all have a right to stay as family members in the meaning considered by the law. Need more guidance? your are welcome to ask for Quick Advice.
Hi is it possible to bring my niece (my sister’s daughter) here in Italy? I’m Italian citizen already married to Italian. Thanks
It is possible, based on her parents’ consent and decision by the competent authority in their country of residence (usually a Court). Once they obtain that decision, they may apply for a family visa for your niece at the local Italian Consulate. For more information, you are welcome to ask for advice.