Italy’s two-year wait for family reunion does not cover minor children

Identify the family member before counting two years

Italy’s government migrant-integration portal explains that the ordinary family-reunion route now generally requires a sponsor to have completed at least two years of lawful, uninterrupted residence before requesting authorisation. The requirement stems from the 2024 changes; this is a current guide, not a new announcement of a waiting period beginning today. A sponsor should first establish whether the relative falls within the ordinary rule or an exception.

The portal’s updated legal overview expressly excludes reunion with a minor child from the two-year condition. International-protection beneficiaries are also exempt. It says the condition is not considered applicable to EU Blue Card holders or intra-corporate transferees because their routes are governed by specific EU rules. These distinctions concern the residence waiting period; they do not automatically remove every other requirement. The same overview records that the statutory period for family-reunion authorisation was increased from 90 to 150 days under the 2025 legislation.

Use the authorisation route that matches the sponsor

The Interior Ministry’s one-stop-office resource identifies the office at each prefecture responsible for family-reunion authorisations. This nulla osta precedes the overseas relative’s visa application. Use that resource to understand the office’s role; the integration portal explains the online application and supporting checks. The portal separately says authorisation is not required for foreign relatives of Italian, EU or EEA citizens. Those families should identify their own route before filing.

Qualifying relatives include an adult, non-separated spouse or civil partner and unmarried minor children, subject to the other parent’s consent where required. Adult children and parents have additional dependency or health-related conditions. A family relationship alone therefore does not establish that every relative can join the sponsor under the same category.

Calculate income using the 2026 allowance

The ordinary income calculation uses the annual social allowance plus half that amount for each relative joining. The family-reunion page still illustrates its calculation with 2025 figures, so applicants should not reuse that older example for a 2026 filing. INPS’s current social-allowance resource gives EUR546.24 for thirteen monthly payments in 2026, an annual base of EUR7,101.12.

Applying the published ordinary formula to that base gives EUR10,651.68 for one joining relative. This is a calculation from two official resources, rather than a separately quoted universal threshold. Special family configurations can change the calculation. The integration guidance confirms that international-protection beneficiaries do not have to prove the ordinary income and housing requirements. Establish the exemption before preparing financial evidence.

Housing evidence is not just a lease

The family-reunion guidance describes checks of sanitary suitability and the number of actual occupants. A tenancy contract by itself should not be assumed to replace the required housing-suitability evidence. The same resource identifies special treatment for a single child under fourteen, for whom the accommodation holder’s consent can replace the ordinary suitability certificate. Confirm the applicable family configuration with the competent office.

Prepare the overseas visa before the authorisation expires

The Italian Embassy in Colombo’s July 2026 checklist illustrates the next stage. It states that a family-reunion nulla osta is valid for six months from issue. Applicants need the signed form, photograph, passport and sponsor’s residence documents, plus relationship evidence appropriate to a spouse, child or dependent parent.

Colombo requires specified translations and legalisation and gives detailed parental-consent instructions for children. Its passport and certificate requirements are local submission instructions; relatives applying through another mission should use that mission’s checklist. An authorisation does not replace the consular assessment of the documents or guarantee a particular appointment date.

Separate visa fees from evidence and service costs

The Italian Embassy in Muscat’s official schedule effective from January 2026 lists the national family-reunion visa at EUR116. Its local-currency amount and outsourcing charges relate to that mission and should not be transplanted to another country. Confirm the payable amount, any applicable exemption and payment method with the responsible consulate. Translation, legalisation and service costs are separate from the published consular visa charge.