I’m moving to Italy on a student visa and taking two children, aged 9 and 11. The children have open Finnish tourist Schengen visas. I plan to bring them in on those visas and then apply for residence permits (permesso di soggiorno) for them at the same time as me. Is it normal to do it this way? It’s easier to arrange without the other parent, right?
Detailed analysis of the topic: Permesso di soggiorno 2026: how to get it for the first time
With a study visa your children are treated as family reunification (ricongiungimento familiare) — and ideally the application should be made from the country of residence before entry, not after you’re already inside. I wrestled with the same thing — I wanted to enter at the same time so we wouldn’t be separated for six months. At the questura they explained that entering on a Schengen visa and then changing the basis of stay is a gray area; it’s better to have the family reunification request handled through the consulate from the start.
Thanks, Natasha. So if we make the request through the consulate right away, is it better not to bring the kids in on a Finnish Schengen yet and wait for the reunification? Or can we bring them, and would the gray area then apply only to my husband?