Family reunification in Italy 2026: nulla osta, income

Family reunification (in Italian, ricongiungimento familiare) is a way to legally bring your spouse, minor children, and in some cases other close relatives to Italy. According to the community, the route is chosen based on where the family is now and how long the main applicant has already lived in Italy. This is not legal advice: always verify the final requirements on official websites.

If the family is still outside Italy, the community most often uses two instruments: classic reunification with a nulla osta request and the visa al seguito, in which relatives arrange entry at the same time as the person traveling on the main grounds. If, however, the family is already in Italy together with a child who attends an Italian school, the community notes there is a separate path through the juvenile court under Art. 31. All the deadlines, income amounts, and housing requirements change over time, so verify the current details on the official website.

Family reunification in Italy: income and timing in brief

The minimum income for reunification is set by law (art. 29 c. 3 D.Lgs. 286/1998): the annual assegno sociale plus half of it for each person you bring. The 2026 assegno sociale per INPS is 7,101.12 euro a year, so the benchmarks are:

For two or more children under 14 the law requires in any case at least twice the assegno sociale (about 14,202 EUR). The income of cohabiting relatives counts too. Work out your own case in the family reunification income calculator; sources: art. 29 on normattiva.it and the assegno sociale on inps.it. On timing: per the community the Sportello Unico nulla osta takes 2-4 months, and the family D visa after it was issued quickly in the chats - a median of 7 days over 11 reports (visa D for Italy).

Articles in this section

• Ricongiungimento or coesione in 2026 - classic reunification, coesione familiare, the al seguito visa and the 2-year rule.
• Art. 31 TU: permit via the juvenile court - assistenza minori: the court route for families with a child who already attends school in Italy.
• Idoneita alloggiativa: who needs it, rules - the housing suitability certificate: who needs it, space standards, the geometra and documents.
• Nursery and school: iscrizione, documents - the iscrizione procedure, documents, vaccinations via the ASL and Comune portals.
• Asilo nido: graduatoria and bonus nido - how nursery waiting-list points are counted and what the INPS bonus nido gives you.
• How to bring a dog or cat to Italy - ISO chip, rabies vaccination, EU passport and titers for animals from Russia and Belarus.
• Travel from Italy with a permesso: 90/180 - the Schengen 90/180 rule, trips to Russia and back, passport plus permesso at the border.
• International schools in Italy: prices, IB - how a scuola internazionale differs from a statale, IB and A-level programs, prices.
• Marriage in Italy: nulla osta and permit - nulla osta al matrimonio, registration at the comune, trascrizione and the permit through marriage.
• Divorce in Italy for an immigrant in 2026 - separazione and divorzio, recognition of a Russian divorce and what happens to the permesso.
• Giving birth in Italy: the paperwork - dichiarazione di nascita, codice fiscale and the child's permesso, the Russian consulate.
• Registering a newborn in Italy - the dichiarazione di nascita in 3/10 days, the atto di nascita and extracts for the consulate.
• A permesso for a child: two routes - addition to a parent's permesso or an own card, deadlines and documents.
• A child's Russian passport in Italy - Russian citizenship and a passport for a child at the Russian consulate, booking and timelines.
• Assegno unico: the INPS child benefit - who qualifies by permesso type, how the ISEE affects the amount and how to apply via SPID or a patronato.

Which path the family should choose

According to the community, since the end of 2024 classic reunification from inside Italy has become available to those who have lived in the country longer than a certain period (according to the community - more than two years, verify the current details). For those who have not yet reached this period, the community is left with the visa al seguito: the family member "follows" the main applicant. Legally it rests on the presidential decree (its Article 6) on the procedure for implementing the immigration law. The scheme works like this: first, the person traveling on the main grounds obtains a D visa; in parallel, for each relative the prefecture issues a separate authorization (nulla osta); and with that authorization each family member then requests their own D visa in al seguito mode.

An important detail according to the community: the prefecture authorization is issued personally for each relative, and the family can cross the border either together with the main person or separately, on different dates. Deadlines for different people often diverge - in one community account the spouse's nulla osta was ready in about a month, while the wife and child took about two and a half months. In another case (when they applied from a third country) the visas for the wife and child were issued just a few days after submitting al seguito. This is not statistics but a guideline based on participants' accounts - leave a buffer.

We applied al seguito following my husband from a third country. Honestly, we were expecting interrogations and queries, but the visas for me and my daughter were issued literally within a few days without a single additional question. So a "family" application doesn't always drag on for months.

Different grounds and different deadlines within one family

According to the community, spouses usually have different residence-permit grounds: one has work-related ones (for example lavoro autonomo), the other family-related (motivi familiari). Because of this the cases ("pratiche") run in parallel but not in sync, and the deadlines for family members can diverge noticeably. In one account an elderly relative was processed under classic reunification, and his permesso was awaited appreciably longer than the main couple's - about nine months versus roughly five. In another case, the family KIT and obtaining the permesso went through the general flow: submission in mid-October, fingerprints in early November, the finished permesso at the end of January, a card for three years.

Hence the main practical trap according to the community: one family member's status can be suspended if another's permesso is expiring. Then you have to prepare a new contract to renew at the same time. And when someone's tourist visa (90 days) was running out, the questura would set a separate appointment date for them tied specifically to that deadline. The community's conclusion is simple: do not let it reach critical dates, and gather documents for all family members in advance.

My wife and I have different grounds - mine is work-related, hers is family-related. Because of this the deadlines drifted apart, and at some stage the case of one of us was put on hold until we made a new contract for a simultaneous renewal. Prepare documents for everyone at once, otherwise you'll be redoing things.

The most common pain point for families is the deadline desync. Spouses have different grounds, each has their own nulla osta, and the permessos arrive at different times. If one expires earlier, the other's case may be suspended. That's why I always advise keeping a single calendar for all family members and not applying right up against the expiry of visas and permessos.

How exactly such a pause is lifted is clear from one specific account in the community. At the fingerprints, the family was told outright that the cases of the husband and child were being paused because the wife's permesso was expiring soon: first they had to wait for her renewal. The family had prepared a new work contract for the renewal in advance and came to the wife's appuntamento with everyone present - there they re-took fingerprints from both the husband and the wife. The online tracker meanwhile showed no movement and no SMS arrived, but about a month later the wife received her permesso first, then the child. The husband had to drive to the questura several more times and write to the PEC before his card was issued too. This is one case, not a rule, but the logic works: come to a joint appuntamento with a fresh contract and don't wait for notifications from the system.

At the fingerprints they told us honestly: we'll pause the case until my permesso is renewed. We didn't argue - we prepared a new contract and came to my next appuntamento as a whole family, and there they re-took everyone's fingerprints. The tracker was dead silent, not a single SMS, and a month later the permessos were already in hand. So don't panic if nothing shows up online.

Money, renewal and the cost of children

According to the community, the financial requirements when applying for the family grow in proportion to the number of members: you have to show more both income and savings than for one person. In one account, at the renewal stage each of the applicants was asked to confirm income through tax reporting for a sole proprietorship (Partita IVA) - that is, the paperwork burden on the family is also higher. The income threshold is tied to the assegno sociale (the 2026 guideline is about 7,100 euro a year, indexed annually) with a top-up for each family member - how it is calculated is covered in the article on the assegno sociale for foreigners; verify the current details on official websites. A convenient way to estimate whether your income is enough for your family composition is the income and tax calculator. The renewal filing window is also shared by all family members: since June 2026 (D.Lgs 83/2026) the guideline is 90 days before the card expires (previously 60); verify on interno.gov.it, and the filing procedure is in the article on renewing the permesso. This is not legal advice.

The cost of children, according to the community, turns out to be more modest than expected in small towns: in one account dance classes came to about 50 euro per month, and a kindergarten on a fee basis, where they do English with the children, cost roughly 300 euro per month. Daily life is often simpler too: a kindergarten in a small Italian town can be within walking distance (about five minutes), and separate playgrounds are often not needed if the child is in kindergarten all day. These are individual observations of participants, not a rule - it is different in every town.

A separate cost item for reunification is the housing suitability certificate (idoneita alloggiativa). According to the community, it is made out in the name of the person reuniting relatives to themselves, and is issued by the comune; the apartment must meet sanitary standards and floor-area standards. Participants cited a guideline of around 14 sq. m for each of the first occupants and less for the next ones, plus a minimum ceiling height (about 2.7 m), with balconies and storage rooms not counting toward the living area. The cost of the certificate itself, according to accounts, ranged from about 200 euro to a few hundred euro (in some places they separately required fresh certificates from an electrician and a gas technician and stamps for tens of euro). These are scattered observations, not the law - check the exact parameters and procedure of your comune on its website or at the technical office.

We were searching for an apartment for reunification and got worn out: one great option was rejected because the bedroom was in the basement without windows and didn't qualify for idoneita. They only count the living square meters; the balcony and storage room don't count. The certificate itself cost us a couple of hundred euro plus we paid separately for the electrician's certificate. It's better to check the floor area and ceilings in advance, before you fall in love with an apartment.

Keep two things in mind about housing for reunification. First: idoneita is made out for the person bringing the family over, not for the person being reunited, and without a suitable apartment they simply won't issue it. Second: if that person does not yet have their own permesso ready, the family's case can easily be put on hold until they receive it and arrange the idoneita. That's why I advise settling the housing question right at the start, not at the questura stage.

I was bracing for huge expenses for the child, but in reality in our small town everything is nearby - the kindergarten is a five-minute walk, and the clinic and clubs too. And here it's customary to spend much more modestly on children's parties than we were used to. A club costs about the same as takeaway coffee a couple of times a week.

The hardest part is for working mothers with the language: between work, daily life, and the child, there's almost no energy left for Italian. And children experience the move itself as stress - sleep, anxiety. A child's adaptation is a separate burden worth preparing for in advance. As a couple, by the way, going through all this is noticeably easier than alone.

The doc-pack builder helps you assemble the exact document package for the family grounds and your questura:

Related articles

• Interactive "Family in Italy" checklist - a step-by-step reunification tracker: nulla osta, visa, permesso for your family.
• Choosing a residence-permit route - where to start and which grounds suit your family.
• Visa D lavoro autonomo: steps and deadlines - a common work-related grounds for the main applicant, under which the family is arranged al seguito.
• Statuses and types of residence permit - how work and family permessos differ.
• After arrival: KIT, codice fiscale, residenza - the first steps for all family members.

Official sources

• Italian Ministry of the Interior and immigration: interno.gov.it, portaleimmigrazione.it
• Prefectures and nulla osta for reunification: prefettura.it
• D visas for family members: vistoperitalia.esteri.it, Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs esteri.it
• Questuras and permesso: questure.poliziadistato.it
• Submitting the kit-postale for the permesso: poste.it
• Taxes and codice fiscale: agenziaentrate.gov.it

Frequently asked questions

Can I bring my family right away, without waiting for my own residence permit?

According to the community, the most common fast track right now is the visa al seguito, where family members travel following the person who is applying on the main grounds and obtain their own entry documents in parallel. Classic reunification with a nulla osta request from inside Italy has, according to the community, been available since the end of 2024 to those who have lived in the country longer than a certain period. This is not legal advice; verify the current rules on official websites.

What do I do if my family is already in Italy with a child but without status?

According to the community, for families with a minor child there is a separate path through the juvenile court under Art. 31 of the consolidated immigration law. This is a court procedure, not an automatic program. Check the details and current rules on normattiva.it and interno.gov.it.

Does each family member need their own nulla osta?

According to the community, yes: in the al seguito scheme the prefecture authorization (nulla osta) is issued personally for each relative, and only then does the person request a visa for themselves. Deadlines for different family members can diverge - one may be ready earlier, others later. This is not legal advice; verify the current procedure on interno.gov.it and prefettura.it.

Do the financial requirements increase if the whole family moves?

According to the community, yes: financial requirements grow in proportion to the number of family members, so you need to show more income and savings than when applying for one person. The specific amounts are tied to the family composition and change - verify the current details on official websites. This is not legal advice.

What requirements must the housing meet for reunification?

According to the community, reunification requires a housing suitability certificate (idoneita alloggiativa) from the comune, and the apartment must meet the sanitary and hygiene standards and the floor-area standards. Participants used roughly 14 sq. m for each of the first occupants and less for the next ones as a guideline, plus a minimum ceiling height; balconies and storage rooms are not counted toward the living area. The certificate itself, according to accounts, cost a few hundred euro (in some places they also required fresh certificates from an electrician and a gas technician). This is not the law but a community guideline - check the exact parameters of your comune on its website and at the technical office.

Can I bring elderly parents to Italy?

According to the community, reunification with a parent is possible, but the conditions are stricter: for parents over a certain age (often cited as 65) entry requires arranging a separate medical insurance policy, and for younger parents they look at whether they have other children back home and whether they are dependent. The residence permit for a parent, according to accounts, took noticeably longer to prepare than for the main couple. This is not legal advice - verify the circle of relatives and conditions on interno.gov.it.

Related materials - Family reunification

• Ricongiungimento or coesione in 2026
• Art. 31 TU: permit via the juvenile court
• A child's Russian passport in Italy
• Assegno unico: the INPS child benefit

Next stepDocument-pack assemblerPick a motive and questura: the exact allegati list with apostille/translation flags and the blanks.

Documents for this topic

• Declaration of Hospitality / Guarantee for Tourist Visa (Mod. Dich. Invito)
• Official form Mod. 209 - application for permesso di soggiorno (Kit Permesso)
• Documents for "coesione familiare" - Questura di Treviso (family reunification)