Question about family reunification. There’s a scheme where a family arrives on tourist visas rather than through official reunification. In that case, does the submission of the KIT (КИТ) have to be done simultaneously for the principal applicant and family members, or is it possible for the family to enter separately and apply later?
Simultaneous entry is the basic rule — otherwise nothing will work. KITs (КИТы) are also submitted together, on the same day. The variant where the main applicant first enters, files their KIT, waits for fingerprints, and only then brings the family who apply separately — that can be challenged, because the whole point of the scheme is precisely the joint entry.
3 Likes
Got it, thanks. I thought maybe we could spread them out over different dates to make buying tickets easier, but it seems better not to risk it.
3 Likes
By the way, there’s a separate kit for each family member — a separate application form. You pick up the form right at the post office and fill it out there. So count in advance how many sets you’ll need, so you don’t have to run back and forth on the day of submission.
3 Likes
I have a student D visa; my wife and daughter arrived on tourist visas. We took the kits and filled them out for everyone. But the post office refused to accept my wife’s kit — they told us to go to the immigration office (Questura). We tried at two branches and got the same result. So even with joint entry, if family members have different visa categories the post office can turn you away; it’s better to check with the Questura in advance about what to do.
3 Likes
I’ll add from my experience — when we applied, they took her kit first and mine, as the primary applicant, second. At the fingerprinting they merged both kits into one case file, and the notifications got mixed up — SMS messages came through intermixed. So even when applying together, be prepared that the system may “merge” the cases into one; it’s normal, but it adds stress.
3 Likes
It happened to us exactly like that — the kids arrived a little later, and the post office wouldn’t accept the kit; they said that for family reunification (coesione familiare) you have to go straight to the immigration desk (sportello dello straniero). They accepted it there without any problems. So if you enter on different dates, that’s a different basis and a different application route — the post office won’t help here.
3 Likes
There’s another housing nuance — if you don’t have a long-term apartment where you’ll actually live together, after jointly submitting the KIT they may close the case and not issue the nulla osta for the husband. They’ll explain that now you have to go through family reunification (ricongiungimento) after getting the residence permit (permesso) — with last year’s income and proof of housing in Italy. That’s what they told me — it’s easier to wait and apply after the permesso, although that means an extra 3–5 months of waiting.
3 Likes
Regarding housing — if you don’t have a long-term rental agreement, you can submit a hospitality declaration (ospitalità) from a relative or acquaintance who has a long-term contract. That’s what I did, and they accept it. But requirements differ between questuras (immigration offices), so it’s best to call ahead and check with yours.
3 Likes
Same story with Lavro Autonomo — my husband flew in on a tourist Schengen visa, we entered together and filed our applications on the same day. They turned us away at the post office too; we had to go straight to the questura. Apparently this is standard when family members have different visa categories.
3 Likes