Consular officers may request additional documents at their discretion. Please be aware that submitting the required documentation does not guarantee the issuance of a visa.
FAMILY REASONS VISA (for family members of an EU/EEA citizen residing or soon to reside in Italy)(National Visa)
Visa applicants must book an appointment and appear in person to submit their visa request at this Consulate General. All documents listed below are required. The following relatives of EU/EEA citizens can apply for the family reunion visa:
- Spouses, including partners from civil unions or other legally recognized same-sex marriage equivalents from any EU/EEA country;
- Children under 21 years, or who are wholly dependent on the citizen or their spouse/partner;
- Parents, grand-parents, or great-grandparents who are wholly dependent on the citizen or their spouse/partner.
Applicants must submit the following documents in original:
- Passport or travel document accepted by the Schengen countries valid for a period of 3 months beyond the applicant’s last day of stay abroad. The passport must have two blank pages. (plus: photocopy of the page with personal data and expiration date, plus page with signature if it does not appear on the same page).
- Proof of physical residence in our jurisdiction, such as a photocopy of driver’s license, state ID, or utility bill.
- Proof of legal permanent residence in the United States (only non-U.S. citizens): U.S. Alien Registration Card or valid long-term U.S. visa, valid for at least three months beyond the intended departure from the Schengen member states. U.S. B1/B2 visas are not acceptable for this purpose. B1/B2 visa holders must apply at a Consulate in their home country. (plus: photocopy of the residence card or the passport page with the long-term U.S. visa).
- One recent ICAO standard photograph: 45mm (1.77 inch) tall by 35mm (1.37 inch) wide, full face, front view, color. It must be glued to the top right of the visa application form.
- One National visa application form completely and clearly filled out.
- A letter of invitation from the EU/EEA citizen, describing the family relationship and requesting a visa for the applicant to join them in Italy, plus a photocopy of the EU/EEA citizen’s EU/EEA ID (for passports, only the picture and signature page).
- Vital records proving the familial relationship to the citizen (marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc.) in original and photocopy.
-
- An original is any copy issued by the appropriate government agency; in the U.S., this is usually a County’s Department of Vital Records.
- The original must have an Apostille. The Apostille is a legalization issued by the Secretary of State of the state in which the document was issued.
- Physically, an Apostille is a separate page stapled to the original.
- The original must be accompanied by a translation into Italian.
- Instead of the above, we will accept any vital record issued by an EU member state in plurilingual format. No additional legalization or translation is requested for EU vital records in plurilingual format. For Italian citizens, the vital record is issued by the vital records department (ufficio stato civile) of the municipality (Comune) where the citizen is registered. Most vital records departments in Italy allow digital ordering and fulfillment.
This national visa is free of charge. Since this is an exceptional privilege only for EU/EEA family members, applicants should bring a copy of these instructions to the appointment to show the clerk if any payment is requested. Consular officers may request additional documents at their discretion. Please be aware that submitting the required documentation does not guarantee the issuance of a visa.
The Permesso di Soggiorno (Residency Permit)
Once you enter Italy on a national visa, including the family reasons visa, you are required to visit the local Questura (provincial police headquarters) and apply for a permesso di soggiorno (residency permit) within the first eight days of your arrival. The Questura you visit must be the one with jurisdiction over your home in Italy.
The permesso is a small plastic card like a U.S. green card, and, like the U.S. green card, it replaces your visa. You do not need to apply for a visa again while it is valid. Unlike the green card, the permesso is issued for a limited time; your first permesso will be issued for one (1) year, but you can renew it locally at the Questura (provincial police headquarters) as long as you and your spouse maintain your residency in Italy.
You will need to present many of the same documents to the Questura for your permesso that you presented to this office for the family reasons visa; for that purpose, we highly encourage you to print a photocopy of your application packet for yourself before submitting it to this office.
During and after the Covid-19 pandemic, many of the Questure in Italy began allowing applications for the permesso through a post office. Please check the website of the Questura in whose jurisdiction you will be living for this and any other questions related to the permesso issuance.