Family reunification 2026: minimum income and requirements

Updated on 1 October 2026

For family reunification in 2026 you need a yearly income of at least €7,101.12 (the social allowance, assegno sociale) plus €3,550.56 for each family member you want to bring over. You also need suitable housing and, for a husband or wife, adult children and parents, at least two years of legal residence in Italy. The Prefecture has 150 days to issue the work permit clearance (nulla osta).

In brief

• Minimum income 2026: €7,101.12 + €3,550.56 (half the social allowance) for each family member to be reunited.
• With two or more children under 14: at least €14,202.24.
• Two years of uninterrupted legal residence for spouse, adult children and parents (not for minor children).
• You need housing with a suitability certificate and hygiene and health requirements.
• The nulla osta must be issued within 150 days (art. 29, paragraph 8).

Which family members can I bring to Italy?

Article 29 of the Consolidated Immigration Act (Testo Unico Immigrazione) allows reunification of:

1. a spouse who is not legally separated and is at least 18;
2. minor children, including the spouse’s children or children born outside marriage;
3. adult dependent children, only if totally disabled;
4. dependent parents, only under the precise conditions set by the law (for example linked to having no other children in the country of origin, or to age and health).

Brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts and cousins are not covered by family reunification.

How much income do I need in 2026?

The rule in art. 29 is: income not lower than the yearly amount of the social allowance, increased by half for each family member to be reunited.

For 2026 INPS (circular no. 153 of 19 December 2025) set the social allowance at €546.24 a month, that is €7,101.12 a year. Here are the thresholds:

Family members to be reunited	Minimum yearly income 2026
1	€10,651.68
2	€14,202.24
3	€17,752.80
4	€21,303.36
5	€24,853.92

Special case of young children. For the reunification of two or more children under 14, the law requires income not lower than double the social allowance, that is at least €14,202.24.

Your income must be lawful and provable: tax return, Certificazione Unica, payslips, work contract. Undeclared work does not count, even if the pay is high.

Do I have to wait two years before applying for family reunification?

It depends on who you want to bring over. The new paragraph 1-bis of art. 28 requires an uninterrupted period of legal residence of at least two years at the time of the application, for the reunification of:

• a spouse;
• adult dependent children;
• parents.

The two years are not needed for minor children and do not apply to holders of international protection.

In practice: if you arrived in Italy recently, you can apply straight away for your minor children, but for your wife or husband you must wait until you have two years of regular residence without interruptions. Each Prefecture may have practical guidance on how to prove it: ask for a check before applying.

What kind of home do I need for family reunification?

Art. 29 requires housing that meets hygiene and health requirements and has housing suitability, checked by the Municipality’s offices. In Milan the certificate is requested from the district office (Municipio) where the home is located, and for family reunification a hygiene and health inspection is also needed.

The home must be big enough for all the people who will live in it. Read the guide on housing suitability certificates in Milan and, if you host someone, the one on the hosting declaration.

How does the application work, step by step?

1. Prepare the documents in Italy: residence permit (permesso di soggiorno), income, housing suitability certificate.
2. Submit the nulla osta application to the Prefecture’s Immigration One-Stop Shop (Sportello Unico per l’Immigrazione), online on the ALI Portal.
3. The Sportello Unico checks the requirements and, if everything is in order, issues the nulla osta. By law (art. 29, paragraph 8) it must do so within 150 days.
4. The family member applies for the family reunification visa at the Italian consulate in their country, with translated and legalised proof of kinship.
5. Once in Italy, the family member goes to the Sportello Unico and then applies for a residence permit for family reasons.

The consulate carefully checks marriage and birth certificates. For people from Pakistan, Bangladesh, India or Morocco, preparing these documents well is often the longest part.

What has changed compared with past years?

Two recent changes to be aware of:

• the two-year residence requirement (art. 28, paragraph 1-bis), introduced at the end of 2024;
• the time limit for the nulla osta extended to 150 days (art. 29, paragraph 8), amended in 2025.

Many online guides were written before these changes: if you read “90 days” or do not find the two years, the guide is out of date.

What if I do not have enough income?

Do not waste time on an application that is bound to be refused. Sometimes you can:

• wait for the tax return of the current year;
• request reunification for one person at a time, if your income is enough for only one;
• check whether the income of a cohabiting family member can be taken into account.

Every case is different: it is best to do the sums first.

Do you want to bring your family to Italy?

We can calculate the exact income threshold with you, check the home and the kinship documents and follow the application through to the visa. The final decision belongs to the Prefecture and the consulate, so we cannot promise the outcome, but we can help you avoid refusals caused by mistakes or missing documents.

Book a 30-minute consultation for €60 at our office in Milan or online on WhatsApp, or write to Sofia, the studio’s assistant, on WhatsApp from the booking box on this page. The full service is on the family reunification page.