Family reunification in Italy: the documents to translate for the nulla osta

In short

• Family reunification is governed by articles 29 and 30 of the Italian immigration act (Legislative Decree 286/1998). It starts with an application for a nulla osta to the immigration one-stop shop, the Sportello Unico per l'Immigrazione, at the Prefettura.
• The documents proving the family tie, that is the birth certificate, marriage certificate, family status certificate and similar, are issued by the foreign authority and have to be translated, legalised and validated by the Italian consular authority in the country of origin. That is the step that surprises most people: translating is not enough, the consulate also has to check.
• You also need a sufficient income and suitable housing. The income thresholds are updated every year and depend on the number of family members: do not trust a figure read on a forum, ask the Prefettura.
• With us a sworn translation costs 30 euros per page, as a signed and stamped PDF by email in 24 to 48 working hours. If the consulate wants the translation on paper, add the paper copy.

Family reunification is one of the longest immigration procedures, and one where a wrong document costs months. The reason is that two administrations work in sequence: the Prefettura in Italy, which assesses income and housing and issues the nulla osta, and the Italian consulate abroad, which checks the family documents and issues the visa. This guide lines up the steps and, above all, explains in what form the foreign records have to arrive.

Who can apply

The applicant is a foreign national lawfully resident in Italy holding a residence permit valid for at least one year, or the EU long-term residence permit. This includes, among others, permits for employment or self-employment, asylum, study, religious reasons and family reasons.

If you already hold a permit and want to know how it is renewed or which documents the Questura asks for each time, our guide to the residence permit is the starting point. If your entry into Italy goes through the quota system instead, read our guide to the decreto flussi and work authorisation.

Which family members

Article 29 of the immigration act lists the family members who can be reunited:

• the spouse, not legally separated and at least eighteen years old;
• minor children, including the spouse's children and children born outside marriage, unmarried, provided the other parent, where there is one, has given consent;
• dependent adult children, where for objective reasons they cannot support themselves because of a state of health amounting to total invalidity;
• dependent parents, on the conditions laid down in the provision, which relate to the presence of other children in the country of origin and to age.

Each category brings different documents, and this is where the file becomes a collection job: a consent from the other parent, a custody judgment, a medical certificate, a death certificate. None of these documents is valid in Italy in its original language.

Income and housing: the Prefettura's two requirements

Income

You need an annual income from lawful sources not lower than the annual amount of the assegno sociale, the Italian social allowance, increased by a share for each family member to be reunited; for two or more children under fourteen the law sets a higher threshold. The amounts change every year, because the assegno sociale is index linked: you will not find a figure in this guide, and you should distrust anyone who gives you one without a date. The up to date amount is on the website of the Prefettura or of the competent one-stop shop.

Income is proved with Italian documents: tax return, employment contract and payslips, and in some cases a bank statement. If your employer or your bank is abroad, these documents have to be translated: our guide on bank statements and payslips explains how they are presented.

Housing

You need housing that meets the health and suitability requirements, verified by the town hall or the local health authority. The document is usually called certificato di idoneità alloggiativa, it is issued by the town hall where the home is, and it has its own timeline: request it early, because it is often the step that holds everything else up.

The family documents: the part to prepare properly

This is the difference between a file that succeeds and one that comes back. The documents proving kinship, marriage, minority or state of health are issued by the authorities of the country of origin and have to be, in sequence:

1. issued in full form by the competent authority, not as an extract;
2. legalised or apostilled depending on the country: apostille for states party to the Hague Convention, consular legalisation for the others. The order is explained in our guide on apostille and sworn translation;
3. translated into Italian by an official translator;
4. validated by the Italian consular authority in the country of origin, which attests the conformity of the translation and the authenticity of the record.

The fourth point is the one many people discover late. An excellent translation made in Italy may not be enough if the consulate insists on seeing the original and validating the translation on the spot. Ask the competent consulate about its procedure before ordering any translation: some posts accept a sworn translation that is already done, others want a translator accredited locally. It is the most valuable piece of information in the whole file, and it costs one email.

The records most often requested, with price and turnaround:

• the birth certificate of each family member;
• the marriage certificate, for the spouse;
• the family status certificate and, sometimes, the residence certificate;
• the judgment of divorce or of custody of the children, where there is one;
• the death certificate of the other parent, if that is why the consent is missing;
• the consent of the other parent, often taken before a notary: in that case you need the translation of the notarial deed;
• medical certificates and other documents outside the usual categories: order them as a sworn translation of another document;
• the passport, when the consulate asks for it translated for the visa.

All these documents are collected in the civil status documents and documents for work collections.

The route, step by step

1. Application for the nulla osta to the immigration one-stop shop, online, with the details on income, housing and family members.
2. Assessment by the Prefettura, checking the requirements. The law sets a deadline for issuing the nulla osta; in reality the timing depends on the competent one-stop shop.
3. Issue of the nulla osta, which is also sent to the Italian diplomatic mission.
4. Visa application by the family member, at the Italian consulate of the country of residence, within the validity of the nulla osta, with the family documents legalised, translated and validated.
5. Entry into Italy and, within a few days, an appointment at the one-stop shop to sign and apply for the residence permit for family reasons.

Many months can pass between the first and the last step. A practical tip: collect the documents from the country of origin in parallel with the Prefettura's assessment, not afterwards, because the apostille and the consular step are the bottlenecks.

The mistakes that stretch the procedure

1. Translating before apostilling. The apostille is part of the document: if it arrives later, the translation has to be redone.
2. Not asking the consulate about its procedure. This is the main cause of documents done twice.
3. Bringing an extract instead of the full copy of the birth or marriage certificate.
4. Forgetting the other parent's consent for a minor child: without that document the file stops, and obtaining it from a distance is slow.
5. Using income figures read elsewhere. The amounts are updated every year: the only valid figure is the one from the one-stop shop.
6. Different spellings of names between records and passport: flag them in advance, because they stall the consular check.

What we do

We translate. Our translators are sworn before the competent courts of appeal: you upload the scan, you receive the signed and stamped PDF by email in 24 to 48 working hours, at 30 euros per page, with the number of pages as the quantity to enter in the order. The route is described on the how it works page and the prices on the prices page.

If the consulate wants the translation on paper, add the paper copy by post: our guide on when the PDF is enough helps you decide. And if your procedure expressly requires a translation sworn before an Italian court, we can arrange it on quote.

What we cannot promise you is that a document will be accepted: that decision belongs to the Prefettura and the consulate, not to us. What we can do is give you a faithful translation, signed and stamped, and tell you honestly when it is worth asking the office first.

Frequently asked questions

How long does the whole procedure take?

Many months, in most cases. The law sets a deadline for the nulla osta, but real timing depends on the one-stop shop and the consulate, and collecting documents abroad adds its own. The translation, for its part, takes 24 to 48 working hours.

What is the minimum income required?

It depends on the number and type of family members, and it is tied to the annual amount of the assegno sociale, which is updated every year. We give no figures: ask the immigration one-stop shop of your Prefettura for the current amount.

Should I have the documents translated in Italy or in the country of origin?

It depends on the consulate. Some posts accept a sworn translation made elsewhere and validate it; others want a locally accredited translator. Ask in writing before ordering: it is the question that saves the most time in the whole procedure.

My child is under fourteen: does that change anything?

Yes, on several counts: the law sets a higher income threshold for two or more children under fourteen, and there are specific housing rules when a minor joins a parent. Check your case with the one-stop shop.

The consulate has asked for a DNA test: is that normal?

It can happen where the civil status records of the country of origin are not considered reliable or are missing. It is a practice provided for in some cases, at the applicant's expense. Ask the consulate to set out the laboratory and the procedure in writing.

What is the difference with coesione familiare?

Coesione familiare concerns a family member already lawfully in Italy who applies for a permit for family reasons without going through a visa; reunification concerns a family member still abroad. The documents are similar, the route is not: our guide to the residence permit covers the first case.

Which languages do you translate?

Italian to and from English, Spanish, French, German, Romanian and Arabic, and between these six languages. For another language write to us for a quote. Further answers in our frequently asked questions.

Sources: Legislative Decree 286 of 25 July 1998, Italian immigration act, arts. 29, 29-bis and 30; Presidential Decree 394 of 31 August 1999, implementing regulation; Presidential Decree 445 of 28 December 2000, art. 33; Italian Ministry of the Interior, family reunification.