By Avv. Caterina Luzzi Conti · Immigration Lawyer at MoveWise · Last updated: 27 October 2026

💡 The short answer: Yes. The Italy Digital Nomad Visa does not have to mean leaving your family behind. Your spouse, minor children and, in our cases, a formally recognised partner can live with you on a permit for family reasons. Family members already lawfully in Italy apply there through family cohesion, without an automatic two-year wait, a reading three court decisions support; others start with a nulla osta. Each adds about €3,550 a year of required income (2026 figures).

Key facts for 2027 (figures checked November 2026)

• Legal basis: article 4(6) of the Decree of 29 February 2024 on digital nomads and remote workers, referring to article 29(1)(a) and (b) of the Consolidated Immigration Act (Legislative Decree 286/1998, TUI).
• Who can join you: a spouse aged 18 or over who is not legally separated, and unmarried minor children. In our cases, partners in a formally recognised civil or domestic partnership have also obtained permits.
• Family permit: a permit for family reasons lasting as long as yours, renewed together with it and valid for employed or self-employed work (art. 30 TUI).
• Income: about €24,790 a year for you (legal minimum; many consulates apply more), plus about €3,550 a year per family member (2026 assegno sociale: €7,101.12 a year).
• Two procedures: family cohesion (coesione familiare, art. 30 TUI) for family members already lawfully in Italy; family reunification (ricongiungimento familiare) from abroad through a nulla osta. A nulla osta also opens the accompanying family member visa (familiari al seguito).
• Two-year rule: the requirement added by the December 2024 reform (art. 28(1-bis) TUI) concerns family reunification, not family cohesion. The Tribunale di Venezia (3 September 2026) and the Tribunale di Firenze (judgment 4047/2025 and decree 1067/2026) support this reading.
• Accompanying family member visa: up to 150 days for the nulla osta plus about 30 days at the consulate, so plan 6 to 7 months.
• Residence permit kit: about €116.46 per adult, one complete kit per family member.

This guide is for non-EU remote workers moving to Italy on the Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) with a spouse, a partner or children. You will learn which procedure fits each family member, what the two-year rule really covers, how much income your household needs, what each person files and what can go wrong at a Questura.

It is written by MoveWise's Legal Managers for Italy and reviewed by our partner lawyer, from two years and hundreds of Italy DNV cases. When we first wrote about DNV families, the landscape was largely uncharted and one successful case backed our interpretation. Today we have families with permits in several cities, three court decisions supporting the same reading and a clear picture of where files get stuck.

The main pitfall it helps you avoid: choosing the family's procedure too late, or letting the visa holder move alone, so that the rest of the family meets the two-year requirement of family reunification.

In this guide:

• What changed: the law, the courts and the 2026 figures
• Is this the right route for your family?
• Who can join you
• Two procedures: family reunification and family cohesion
• The two-year rule and what the courts said
• What happened in our family cases
• The alternative: the accompanying family member visa
• How much income your family needs: worked examples
• Housing for a family
• Documents: a complete kit for each family member
• Health insurance and registration with the SSN
• Schools for your children
• How to apply, step by step
• Timeline: what to realistically expect
• How much it costs
• After arrival: permits, work, renewals and the long term
• Lessons learned: how to avoid the most common problems
• Frequently asked questions
• How MoveWise can help

What changed: the law, the courts and the 2026 figures

The law has not changed since the December 2024 reform. What has changed is the body of practical experience and judicial authority supporting its correct interpretation.

• The two-year requirement (December 2024). Decree-Law 145/2024, converted by Law 187/2024, added paragraph 1-bis to article 28 of the Consolidated Immigration Act, raising fears that the DNV had become a visa for individuals rather than families.
• The courts (2025–2026). The Tribunale di Firenze (two decisions, Questura di Arezzo) and the Tribunale di Venezia (3 September 2026, Questura di Padova) have rejected extending the two-year requirement to family cohesion.
• Our cases. Since our first article we have assisted families across Italy, through inconsistent practices and, in some cases, outright refusals.
• Deadline for the nulla osta. Article 29(8), as amended by Decree-Law 146/2025, gives the Prefecture up to 150 days.
• Income figures. The assegno sociale for 2026 is €546.24 a month (INPS circular 153/2025), €7,101.12 a year, so each family member adds about €3,550.56 a year.
• No entry stamp for visa-free family members. Since 10 April 2026 the EU Entry/Exit System records short-stay travellers digitally (Regulation (EU) 2017/2226, art. 2), so keep every boarding pass.

Is this the right route for your family?

The DNV family route works when one adult qualifies through remote work for employers or clients outside Italy and earns enough for the household. The main applicant's requirements are in our Italy Digital Nomad Visa requirements checklist, and our Italy Digital Nomad Visa service explains how we run the whole file.

✅ It fits if:

• You meet the DNV requirements yourself, and your income also covers about €3,550 a year for each family member.
• You are married or in a formally recognised partnership, or your children are minors.
• You can choose the family's procedure before you file your own application.

❌ It does not fit if:

• The family's income is mainly a pension, rent or investments: compare the routes in our guide to the Italy Digital Nomad Visa vs the Elective Residence Visa.
• You want to bring a parent or an adult child: the decree does not cover them.
• You are still comparing countries: Spain's DNV accepts more family members, including dependent parents, as our Spain family guide explains, and Portugal uses its own rules (see our Portugal Digital Nomad Visa checklist).

👉 Check your family's route with a MoveWise Client Manager — tell us who is moving with you and which passports you hold, and we will tell you honestly which procedure fits.

Who can join you

The decree refers to article 29(1)(a) and (b) TUI: your spouse and your minor children. In our cases, formally recognised partners have also obtained permits.

Your spouse

✅ Married to you, aged 18 or over and not legally separated.

✅ Proved with a marriage certificate, legalised or apostilled and translated into Italian.

Your partner

The decree and article 29 refer to a spouse, so unmarried couples need particular care. Our cases show that a formally recognised partnership can work:

✅ In Cosenza, a California registered domestic partnership, apostilled and translated, was ultimately recognised after we challenged a notice of intent to refuse.

✅ In the province of Messina, the civil partnership certificate of a British DNV holder and her partner was accepted.

⚠️ Common mistake: relying on proof of living together. Evidence of a formally recognised civil or domestic partnership can be essential; proof of cohabitation alone may not be sufficient. Recognition is decided office by office, so have your documents assessed before you apply.

Your minor children

✅ Unmarried and under 18 on the date of the application (art. 29(2) TUI).

✅ Your spouse's children and children born outside marriage are included, provided the other parent, where there is one, consents.

✅ Proved with a birth certificate showing both parents, legalised or apostilled and translated.

⚠️ Common mistake: a child moving with one parent and no consent from the other. Bring the other parent's notarised consent, apostilled and translated, or the court order that gives you custody.

Who is not covered

❌ Parents. The DNV decree does not refer to article 29(1)(d), which covers dependent parents. A retired parent may qualify for a visa of their own, such as the Elective Residence Visa.

❌ Adult children. The decree refers only to minor children, and the Tbilisi Embassy checklist states that reunification with adult children is not provided for. Adult children who cannot support themselves because of a total disability need an individual assessment.

Two procedures: family reunification and family cohesion

Italian law protects family unity through two separate procedures, and the two-year residence requirement does not apply to both. Choosing between them is the first decision in a family file.

✅ Family reunification (ricongiungimento familiare, art. 29 TUI) lets a foreign national legally residing in Italy bring eligible family members from abroad, generally through a prior authorisation (nulla osta).

✅ Family cohesion (coesione familiare, art. 30(1)(c) TUI) lets eligible family members who are already lawfully present in Italy apply for a permit for family reasons without first leaving the country.

Our first successful case showed why the distinction matters: the spouse of a DNV holder entered Italy under the visa-waiver regime, applied for family cohesion and obtained a residence permit with no two-year wait. We have since followed the same approach in several cities, including where the Questura initially disputed it.

Which procedure fits your family:

• Everyone holds a visa-exempt passport (British, American, Canadian, Australian and others): family members usually enter with you and apply through family cohesion.
• Some need a visa for Italy: they can enter on a Schengen short-stay visa (which MoveWise does not handle) and use family cohesion or, where that is not practical, use the accompanying family member visa.
• The family cannot travel with you: the accompanying family member visa lets them plan their entry from the outset. Waiting to apply for family reunification after you settle brings in the two-year requirement.

💡 Pro tip: We plan the family's kits together with yours. Filing everyone at the same time keeps the household's story consistent and leaves no gap in which a family member's visa-free stay runs short.

The two-year rule and what the courts said

The two-year residence requirement cannot simply be applied to family cohesion as though it were ordinary family reunification. That has been our position from the start, and three court decisions now support it.

The December 2024 reform introduced the requirement in article 28(1-bis) of the Consolidated Immigration Act (Testo Unico sull'Immigrazione). The provision expressly concerns applications for family reunification. Family cohesion is regulated separately, by article 30.

What the courts have said

• Tribunale di Venezia, judgment of 3 September 2026. A woman entered Italy visa-free and applied for family cohesion with her husband, who was lawfully resident in Padua. The Questura di Padova refused because her husband had not completed two years of residence. The court annulled the refusal, recognised her right to a residence permit for family reasons and ordered the Questura to issue it. In the court's words, the cohesion provision contains "no textual reference to the two years", which are provided for a different situation, "with the consequent exclusion of the extension of the two-year requirement to cohesion".
• Tribunale di Firenze, judgment no. 4047/2025 and decree no. 1067/2026. In two earlier decisions concerning the Questura di Arezzo, the Florence court first ordered the issue of a family permit refused on the same two-year ground. It then suspended a refusal issued to an applicant who had entered visa-free, because removal would cause serious and irreparable harm.

Why this matters if you hold a DNV

None of these proceedings concerned Digital Nomad Visa holders. The courts interpreted the provisions on family cohesion themselves, not a rule specific to any visa, so their significance goes beyond the permit categories involved.

Italian judicial decisions are not binding precedent in the way decisions are in common-law countries. But two different courts have independently supported the same interpretation, and that gives substantial legal authority for challenging inconsistent administrative practice.

👉 If a Questura refuses an otherwise eligible cohesion application on the two-year ground, there are strong legal grounds to challenge the decision before the specialised immigration section of the competent ordinary court (art. 30(6) TUI). A challenge has its own costs and timing, so we assess it with you.

⚠️ Important: Family reunification after the visa holder has settled in Italy is subject to the two-year requirement. Assess this before deciding that the main applicant will move alone.

What happened in our family cases

Over recent months we have documented our family cases one by one in a series of posts on our Facebook page. These are the main ones, without names. They show what can happen, not how your file will go.

Milan: a request for an updated housing suitability certificate

A married Russian couple. The husband held a Digital Nomad Visa; the wife entered Italy using her still-valid Spanish residence permit and applied for family reunification through a separate postal kit.

• The problem: at the fingerprinting appointment, about two months after filing, the Questura asked for an updated housing suitability certificate (certificato di idoneità alloggiativa).
• What we did: the document was submitted by PEC (certified email) within a month.
• Outcome: both residence permits were issued about four months after the initial applications.

Cosenza: recognition of an unmarried couple's domestic partnership

An unmarried US couple had difficulty obtaining recognition of their relationship for immigration purposes.

• What they filed: a domestic partnership registered in California, their previous state of residence, duly apostilled and translated.
• The problem: the Questura repeatedly postponed the partner's appointment and eventually issued a preavviso di rigetto (notice of intent to refuse).
• What we did: our legal team formally challenged the proposed refusal, stressing the legal recognition of the foreign domestic partnership, and accompanied the partner to his appointment.
• Outcome: both residence permits were ultimately issued.

Province of Messina: administrative delays and a misplaced residence permit

A British Digital Nomad Visa holder and her civil partner, living in the province of Messina, had their applications processed by the competent Commissariato di Capo d'Orlando.

• What went well: their civil partnership certificate was accepted even though it was neither apostilled nor translated.
• The problem: the partner's permit was then delayed because the office misplaced the physical card.
• What we did: persistent follow-ups and direct intervention by our legal team.
• Outcome: the permit was finally located about three and a half months after fingerprinting.

👉 Do not count on that acceptance: our advice remains to have civil status documents legalised or apostilled and translated, as applicable.

Arezzo: overcoming an incorrect reading of the two-year requirement

A US family: the mother held a Digital Nomad Visa and moved with her husband and their son, aged over 14.

• The problem: the post office initially refused to accept the husband's postal kit, and the Questura maintained that family cohesion was not possible without two years of prior residence in Italy.
• What we did: our legal team intervened, challenging the application of that requirement to family cohesion.
• Outcome: the Questura reconsidered and accepted the husband's application directly on the day of the family's fingerprinting appointment. All three residence permits were issued within about three months.

Turin: a straightforward family process

A Serbian family: the father held a Digital Nomad Visa and moved with his wife and their young daughter.

• How it went: all three applications were filed through standard postal kits, and the Questura asked for no additional documents, not even the housing suitability certificate.
• The only delay: the office's workload, with fingerprinting appointments about three months after filing.
• Outcome: the father's and daughter's permits were issued within four to five months. At the time of writing (November 2026), the wife's application is still pending.

Padua: repeated refusals, then permits for the whole family

A US family: the mother held a Digital Nomad Visa and moved with her husband and their two minor daughters. What should have been a straightforward family cohesion procedure became a prolonged legal battle.

• The problem: the post office refused to accept the husband's and the older daughter's applications, and the Questura rejected them twice, incorrectly applying the two-year residence requirement. Despite extensive supporting documentation, the family was caught in an administrative deadlock.
• What we did: we challenged the refusals through two formal PECs, with detailed legal arguments and judicial precedent, including a ruling expressly rejecting the same Questura's interpretation of the law. When written interventions failed to secure the promised appointment, we intervened directly at the Questura and obtained recognition of the family's entitlement to residence and immediate acceptance of the outstanding applications.
• Outcome: all four family members now hold their residence permits, an outcome secured through persistent legal advocacy against repeated administrative refusals.

Brindisi: when a refusal forces a change of strategy

Not every Questura follows the same interpretation, and some cases meet serious obstacles.

• The problem: the Questura withdrew a spouse's application receipt during her fingerprinting appointment and then refused her family cohesion application, invoking the two-year requirement without issuing the mandatory preavviso di rigetto. The refusal also named the wrong court for an appeal.
• What we did: our legal team identified these procedural and substantive deficiencies and recommended challenging the decision in court.
• Outcome: the client chose to return to her home country and pursue an independent Digital Nomad Visa instead. Her decision did not validate the Questura's interpretation, which has been rejected in relevant judicial decisions. The case shows the practical consequences of inconsistent administrative practice, and why you need both a strong legal strategy and a viable alternative.

💡 Patterns: post offices refusing kits (Arezzo, Padua), the two-year requirement wrongly applied (Arezzo, Padua, Brindisi), extra housing documents (Milan) and slow offices (Turin, Capo d'Orlando).

👉 Want a MoveWise Client Manager to check which procedure is safer for your family? — we look at each passport, your city and your timing, and tell you where the risks are before you spend money on documents.

The alternative: the accompanying family member visa

Family cohesion is not the only option. If your family members cannot enter Italy visa-free, or a Schengen short-stay visa is not a practical solution, Italian law offers the accompanying family member visa (visto per familiari al seguito, art. 29(4) TUI). It authorises their entry for family reasons from the outset, so the family can plan the move together.

✅ Step 1, the nulla osta: an application for entry authorisation goes to the Sportello Unico per l'Immigrazione (Single Desk for Immigration) at the competent Prefecture.

✅ You can start early: the procedure can begin while your own DNV application is still being processed, so you do not have to wait until you have moved.

✅ Filed from Italy: families living abroad can appoint a legal representative in Italy through a power of attorney to handle it.

✅ Step 2, the family visa: once the nulla osta is issued, each family member applies for the visa at the Italian consulate in their country of residence. A recent consular checklist for family visas states that the nulla osta must be used within six months of its issue.

✅ Step 3, the permit: after entering Italy, each family member applies for the permit for family reasons.

⚠️ Plan for 6 to 7 months. The statutory period for the nulla osta can extend to 150 days, and the consular stage may take about another 30 days. Timing depends on the authorities and on how complete your documents are. Some offices have not adapted consistently to the DNV framework, which can add complications.

💡 Pro tip: The consulate usually keeps each passport until the visa is issued, so plan any travel before the appointment. Check your consulate's checklist on minor children too: Tbilisi, for example, states that family visas require the nulla osta.

The key is choosing the procedure before the relocation begins: for families who cannot rely on visa-free entry, this route offers a structured way to coordinate their applications.

How much income your family needs: worked examples

Your own DNV income must be at least about €24,790 a year (plan on your consulate's figure), and each family member adds about €3,550 a year. Article 29(3)(b) sets family income at the annual assegno sociale (€7,101.12 in 2026) increased by half for each family member: €3,550.56 a year, about €296 a month.

On the legal minimum (about €24,790 for you):

• You + one family member (spouse, partner or child): about €28,340 a year.
• You + two: about €31,890. You + three: about €35,440. You + four: about €38,990.

On a consular figure of €25,500 (Tbilisi, Benghazi): you + spouse about €29,050; you + spouse + 2 children about €36,150.

On about €28,000 (Chicago, in our experience): you + spouse about €31,550; you + spouse + 2 children about €38,650. Our guide to the Italy DNV for US citizens covers the US consulates one by one.

With two or more children under 14, article 29(3)(b) also requires at least double the annual assegno sociale (€14,202.24 in 2026). How this floor combines with the DNV figure is not settled, so we check it file by file.

👉 About the €780 and €130 monthly figures for a spouse and a child that circulate online: we found no official source for them.

💡 Pro tip: Keep a visible margin above the threshold, with the same income figure on the contract, payslips or invoices, bank statements and tax return.

⚠️ Common mistake: counting your spouse's salary towards your own DNV minimum. Your own income must still meet the decree's figure. If your plan relies on your spouse's income, ask us before you build the file.

Housing for a family

Your home must suit the whole family, and the lease must reflect the family's real living arrangements.

✅ A registered lease, or a property you own, at the address where the family will live, covering at least 12 months of your visa's validity. Short-term platform bookings are not accepted. A free-use loan (comodato d'uso) is usually accepted at London, New York and Detroit in our experience.

✅ Long enough: consulates often take 2 to 3 months, so a 12-month lease starting on the day you apply usually ends too early: extend a transitional lease to 18 months, sign a 4+4 lease or set a later start date. Our guide to renting in Italy explains the lease types.

✅ Big enough, and ready to prove it: anticipate a request for a housing suitability certificate (certificato di idoneità alloggiativa) from the comune. In our cases, Milan asked for an updated one at fingerprinting; Turin did not ask for one at all.

✅ Children under 14: under article 29(3)(a), for a child under 14 following a parent, the consent of the owner of the home where the child will live is sufficient.

💡 Pro tip: Ask the comune how long its housing check takes before you sign, and check schools nearby. Our guide to the best cities in Italy for remote workers can help you shortlist.

Documents: a complete kit for each family member

Prepare a separate, complete kit for each family member, duplicating the visa holder's contract, invoices and bank statements. Each file is assessed on its own.

Every family member

✅ Passport, with a copy of every page, and passport photos (35×45 mm, ICAO compliant).

✅ Health insurance naming the family member.

✅ Their own application: the Poste kit (family cohesion) or the family visa form (nulla osta route), even for minors.

✅ A copy of the visa holder's contract, invoices and bank statements, up to date when you file.

✅ Codice fiscale (Italian tax code), needed for the permit, school, health service and lease.

Spouse or partner

✅ Marriage certificate, or the registered civil or domestic partnership certificate, legalised or apostilled and translated, as applicable.

💡 Pro tip: For the Elective Residence Visa, London and Tashkent reject marriage certificates older than six months, so we order a fresh certified copy for DNV families too.

Children

✅ Birth certificate showing both parents, legalised or apostilled and translated.

✅ The other parent's notarised consent, apostilled and translated, if that parent is not moving with the child, or the custody order.

✅ A parent signs the application of each minor.

Apostille and translation cheat sheet

• Apostille (or legalisation) + translation: marriage or partnership certificate, each child's birth certificate, the other parent's consent or custody order.
• Sworn translation: by translators recognised by the Italian consulate abroad, or before an Italian court (traduzione asseverata). For UK records we often use the Tribunale di Torino, where in our experience one €16 revenue stamp is due for every 4 pages, translation and sworn statement included.
• Outside the Hague Apostille Convention: consular legalisation instead of an apostille.

⚠️ Common mistake: apostilling a notary's copy instead of the certificate issued by the registry office, or names spelled differently in passports and certificates. Check every spelling before the translations are sworn.

Health insurance and registration with the SSN

Each family member needs health insurance until they can register with the National Health Service (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale, SSN), usually once the family permits are issued.

✅ Until registration: private cover for each family member, valid throughout Italy, including hospitalisation. Consulates usually ask for at least €30,000 (consular guidance, not decree text).

✅ Family members: article 34 of the Consolidated Immigration Act lists permits for family reasons among those giving compulsory SSN registration, with equal treatment to Italian citizens.

✅ You, as the DNV holder: your permit is not named in article 34, so ask your local health authority (ASL) before you cancel private cover.

✅ Children: each child is assigned a family paediatrician (pediatra di libera scelta).

Our guide to healthcare in Italy for expats explains registration step by step.

⚠️ Common mistake: a family policy whose certificate names only the main applicant. Each family member must appear by name.

Schools for your children

Your children have the same right to education as Italian children, and they can start school at any point in the school year.

✅ Compulsory schooling: foreign minors present in Italy are subject to compulsory schooling, with the same rights as other pupils (article 38 TUI). Education is compulsory up to 16, according to the Ministry of Labour.

✅ Any time of year, in the right class: enrolment can be requested in any period of the school year (Presidential Decree 394/1999, art. 45). Children are normally placed in the class matching their age, one class higher or lower depending on their previous studies, according to the Veneto Regional School Office; pupils with incomplete documents are enrolled provisionally (con riserva).

💡 Pro tip: Bring your children's latest school reports and vaccination records, translated, to avoid weeks of back and forth.

How to apply, step by step

The order matters more than any single document.

Family cohesion

1. Choose the procedure for each family member before you submit your own DNV application.
2. Sign a lease for the whole family, covering at least 12 months of your visa's validity.
3. Prepare civil status documents, consents, translations and insurance naming each person.
4. Attend your DNV appointment at the consulate.
5. Travel together whenever possible and keep every boarding pass.
6. File the Poste kits together within 8 working days of your arrival, a complete one for each person, and keep every receipt (see our guide to the Italian residence permit).
7. Attend fingerprinting at the Questura or delegated Commissariato, then register with the comune, the SSN and schools.

Accompanying family member visa

1. Choose the province and sign a lease for the whole family.
2. Sign a power of attorney for your legal representative in Italy, who files the nulla osta with the Sportello Unico, even while your DNV application is being processed.
3. Attend your DNV appointment.
4. Book the family visa appointments as soon as the nulla osta is issued, within its validity.
5. Travel, then file the permits in Italy and register with the comune, the SSN and schools.

Timeline: what to realistically expect

Typical ranges from our files, not guarantees.

• Civil documents, apostilles and translations: typically 2 to 6 weeks, longer with double legalisation.
• Your DNV decision: typically 30 to 90 days after the consular appointment.
• Residence permit kits: within 8 working days of arrival.
• Fingerprinting: in our Milan and Turin cases, about 2 to 3 months after filing.
• Family permits: in our cases, about 3 to 5 months after filing (about 3 in Arezzo, about 4 in Milan, 4 to 5 in Turin). Permits are decided separately and can arrive at different times: in Turin the wife's application was still pending at the time of writing, and in the province of Messina a misplaced card took about three and a half months from fingerprinting.
• Accompanying family member visa: plan 6 to 7 months for the nulla osta and the consular stage.

How much it costs

Official fees, per person:

• Residence permit kit (permit valid 3 to 12 months): €16 revenue stamp, €70.46 payment slip (€40 permit contribution plus €30.46 for the electronic card) and €30 Poste fee, about €116.46 for each adult. For minors, pay the amount shown in the kit instructions.
• National visa fee: set by each consulate and payable per applicant, for your DNV and for each family visa on the nulla osta route.

Other costs vary, so we do not quote them: apostilles and translations, the comune's housing check, private insurance, notary fees, professional fees and, if needed, a court challenge.

After arrival: permits, work, renewals and the long term

The family permit follows yours: same length, renewed together, and it lets your family work.

✅ Work: the permit for family reasons allows employed and self-employed work, study and vocational training (art. 30(2) TUI). Your spouse can work for an Italian employer, unlike you on the DNV.

✅ Renewal: family permits last as long as yours and are renewed together with it (art. 30(3) TUI). See our Italy DNV renewal and extension guide.

✅ A child turns 18, or a separation or divorce: the family permit can be converted into a permit for work or study (art. 30(5) TUI). Plan the conversion before the renewal date.

✅ Long term: after 5 years of legal residence, each family member can apply for the EU long-term residence permit if they meet its requirements. See our guide to Italian permanent residence.

✅ Tax: moving with a minor child can affect the impatriati regime. Our guide to moving to Italy: tax benefits and obligations describes the regimes; whether one applies to you is a question for a commercialista.

Lessons learned: how to avoid the most common problems

Successful family applications depend not only on meeting the legal requirements, but also on anticipating how different offices interpret and apply them.

Before you leave

1. Choose the right pathway early. Decide between family cohesion and the accompanying family member visa before you submit the main DNV application.
2. Prepare civil status documents in advance. Marriage certificates, registered partnerships and children's birth certificates, legalised or apostilled and translated, as applicable.
3. Document your relationship if you are not married. Evidence of a formally recognised civil or domestic partnership can be essential; proof of cohabitation alone may not be sufficient.
4. Secure suitable accommodation. Make sure the lease reflects the family's living arrangements, and anticipate a request for a housing suitability certificate.
5. Coordinate the family's relocation. Whenever possible, plan everyone's arrival together, avoiding separate entry dates or procedures.

When you file the applications

1. Prepare a separate, complete kit for each family member, duplicating the visa holder's contract, invoices and bank statements.
2. Keep financial documentation up to date. Contracts, invoices and bank statements should reflect the family's circumstances at the time of filing.
3. Identify the competent office. Depending on your municipality, applications may be handled by the Questura or a delegated Commissariato, with different practices.
4. Do not treat a postal refusal as a final decision. If the post office refuses a kit, seek clarification from the competent Questura and get legal guidance.
5. Safeguard your application receipts. They prove submission; do not surrender them without a clear legal or administrative justification and proper documentation.

If something goes wrong

1. Act promptly on a preavviso di rigetto. A notice of intent to refuse is not a final refusal: it lets you respond with documents and legal arguments within the deadline.
2. Follow up on unexplained delays. Repeated postponements, unanswered messages or very different processing times between family members may warrant a formal written intervention by PEC.
3. Do not assume a refusal is legally justified. Refusals based on the two-year requirement may be open to challenge, especially where the rules on reunification were applied to cohesion.
4. Get legal help before problems escalate. Early intervention can resolve documentary disputes and incorrect interpretations, and prevent avoidable delays.
5. Keep an alternative ready. Depending on the family's circumstances, an independent DNV application or an accompanying family member visa may offer another viable route.

Frequently asked questions

Can I bring my family on the Italy digital nomad visa?

Yes. Your spouse, aged 18 or over and not legally separated, and your unmarried minor children can join you on a permit for family reasons that lasts as long as yours and allows them to work. In our cases, formally recognised partners have also obtained permits. Your income must cover everyone, and each person files a complete application.

Does the two-year residence rule apply to family cohesion?

No, in our view, and three court decisions support it. The two-year requirement added by the December 2024 reform, in article 28(1-bis) of the Consolidated Immigration Act, concerns family reunification; family cohesion is regulated separately by article 30. The Tribunale di Venezia and the Tribunale di Firenze have supported this reading. Some Questure still apply the rule, and a refusal can be challenged in court.

Can my unmarried partner come with me?

Yes, in our experience, if your partnership is formally recognised. A California registered domestic partnership was ultimately recognised in Cosenza after we challenged a notice of intent to refuse, and a British DNV holder's civil partnership certificate was accepted in the province of Messina. Proof of cohabitation alone may not be sufficient, and practice differs between offices, so have your documents assessed before you apply.

How much income do I need with a spouse and two children?

About €35,440 a year on the legal minimum: about €24,790 for you plus €3,550.56 for each of three family members, based on the 2026 assegno sociale. If your consulate applies €25,500, the total is about €36,150; on about €28,000, as in Chicago in our experience, it is about €38,650. Keep a margin above these figures.

Can my family join me later?

Yes, but plan it before you move. Family reunification after you have settled in Italy is subject to the two-year residence requirement, unlike family cohesion. If your family cannot travel with you, the accompanying family member visa lets them plan their entry from the outset, and its nulla osta can be requested while your own DNV application is still being processed.

Is a refusal by the post office or the Questura final?

No, not necessarily. A post office refusing a kit is not a final decision: seek clarification from the competent Questura. A preavviso di rigetto is a notice of intent to refuse that you can answer with documents and legal arguments within the deadline. A refusal based on the two-year requirement may be challenged before the specialised immigration section of the competent ordinary court.

How long does the accompanying family member visa take?

6 to 7 months is a realistic plan. The Prefecture has up to 150 days by law to issue the nulla osta, and the consular stage may take about another 30 days. Timing depends on the authorities and on how complete your documents are. You can start the nulla osta while your own DNV application is still being processed.

Can my spouse work in Italy on a family permit?

Yes. Under article 30(2) of the Consolidated Immigration Act, the permit for family reasons allows employed and self-employed work, study and vocational training. Unlike you as the DNV holder, your spouse can work for an Italian employer. The permit lasts as long as yours and is renewed with it.

Can my children go to state school in Italy?

Yes. Foreign children present in Italy are subject to compulsory schooling with the same rights as Italian pupils (article 38 of the Consolidated Immigration Act), and enrolment can be requested at any time of the school year. Children are normally placed in the class that matches their age, and education is compulsory up to 16.

Can I bring my parents on the Italy digital nomad visa?

No. The decree allows reunification only of a spouse and minor children. Dependent parents are covered by ordinary family reunification under article 29(1)(d), but the DNV decree does not refer to that letter. A parent with a pension may qualify for a visa of their own, such as the Elective Residence Visa.

How MoveWise can help

The Digital Nomad Visa does not have to mean leaving your family behind. With the right strategy, eligible spouses, partners and children can obtain legal residence in Italy without an automatic two-year waiting period. The challenges remain: practice is inconsistent, documents vary between offices and some families still meet refusals based on interpretations the courts have rejected. Careful preparation, a sound reading of the law and, when necessary, decisive legal intervention can often overcome them.

What we do for your family:

• Eligibility first (Module 1): an assessment of you and every family member, including the choice between family cohesion and the accompanying family member visa, before you spend money on documents.
• Full preparation and submission (Module 2): your Legal Manager prepares your DNV file and a complete kit for each family member, checks every certificate, apostille and translation, files the nulla osta with a power of attorney where needed and stays with you until the permits are issued.
• When something goes wrong: answers to a preavviso di rigetto, PEC follow-ups and, with our partner lawyers, challenges to incorrect refusals.
• Our guarantee: a full refund of our fee if your application is refused, under the conditions of our service agreement.

We have more than 500 client reviews on Trustpilot, and we will keep sharing what our cases teach us. Learn more about our Italy Digital Nomad Visa service.

👉 Book a free consultation with a MoveWise Client Manager — tell us who is moving with you, and we will map the procedure, the income and the documents for each person.

Sources and legal references

• Decree of 29 February 2024 on digital nomads and remote workers (Official Gazette no. 79, 4 April 2024), full text
• Consolidated Immigration Act, article 28: right to family unity (Brocardi)
• Consolidated Immigration Act, article 29: family reunification (Brocardi)
• Consolidated Immigration Act, article 30: permit for family reasons (Brocardi)
• Consolidated Immigration Act, article 34: registration with the National Health Service (Brocardi)
• Consolidated Immigration Act, article 38: education of foreign nationals (Brocardi)
• Embassy of Italy in Tbilisi: digital nomads and remote workers checklist (May 2026)
• Italian consular checklist: national visa for family reasons (Consulate General in Moscow)
• Ministry of Labour: compulsory education and the right and duty to education and training
• Veneto Regional School Office: enrolment of foreign pupils, operational guidance
• Regulation (EU) 2017/2226, article 2: scope of the Entry/Exit System
• Tribunale di Venezia, judgment of 3 September 2026 (Questura di Padova); Tribunale di Firenze, judgment no. 4047/2025 and decree no. 1067/2026 (Questura di Arezzo).
• Decree-Law 145/2024, converted by Law 187/2024 (article 28(1-bis) TUI); Decree-Law 146/2025 (article 29(8) TUI); Presidential Decree 394/1999, article 45; INPS circular 153/2025 (assegno sociale 2026).

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Immigration rules and consular practice change frequently; the information was verified on 12 November 2026. For advice on your situation, speak to a qualified professional.

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The requirements are manageable; assembling the documents and navigating consular practice is where applications go wrong. If you have questions about the Italy Digital Nomad Visa, BOOK TODAY a 100% Free Consultation. We're here to help you at every step.

Buona fortuna!