Italy: Stricter Continuous Residence Rules for Sponsoring Family Members

Update – February 4, 2025: Amid initial ambiguity about the scope of this policy change, the Italian government has recently clarified that this two-year rule does not apply to sponsors who are residing in Italy on an EU Blue Card, EU Intra-Corporate Transferee (ICT) permit, or Investor Visa. As was the case previously, such individuals can sponsor family members immediately.

December 11, 2024: Italy’s government has approved a legal amendment that requires foreign nationals to have resided in Italy for at least two years continuously (up from one year) in order to be eligible to sponsor dependent residence visas or permits for family members. The new rule does not apply to children under 18 years of age. This is in addition to other recently implemented stricter requirements for foreign nationals’ family members.